REL 566: Marian Dogmas

After you've accumulated a few keywords and even citations, you can use them to locate books.

Scholarly books are not written like popular novels, where to understand the fifth chapter, you need to have read the first through fourth chapters. When reading a scholarly book, you'll notice that some sections may be more relevant to your studies than others. When working with this kind of text, it's OK to jump around or narrow your focus to one or two chapters that specifically address your research.

Popular books can also be useful, but be careful to check for cited sources (if there are any), and compare them with scholarly sources: is a key fact presented in one book absent in the other? Which book is using citations? They may also lack an index, table of contents, or other wayfinding information.

In addition, books can be great places to seek out bibliographies and reference lists! The authors and editors are pulling their information from a variety of sources, which can be valuable as you gain more knowledge.

These books are reference works on Mary that cite strong sources and cover a broad range of topics within Marian theology and Marian studies, including dogmas. Look for them in the Marian Library's reading room on the seventh floor of the library building during the library's open hours or in the course reserves for this class.