Waiting for Paradise | NYU Shanghai Library

If you missed the event Friday, or want to watch book jacket again with classmates, the DVD, Shanghai Waiting for Paradise, is available to check out on 4F. We have a viewing room if you don’t have a DVD player or disc drive. You may check out a DVD player from IT. Unfortunately, we don’t allow popcorn or more than two viewers together in the library.

If your mind is churning with questions, harness that interest to research this semester for an assignment. I suggest starting with a general introduction, such as Shanghai in transition: changing perspectives and social contours of a Chinese metropolis, which explored Shanghai at the same time as the film, about 2003. It is also an ebook, where you can skim the table of contents for ideas about what angle your research might try. Remember, education and research are about trying things out, from your interest in a topic to different methods for exploring and reporting, to different theories for organizing and understanding the information. University is the best time to take a risk, try a new topic or subject. Now is the time to find out what you don’t like doing as much as what you do like. It’s also a great time to realize the skills you need (logically thinking, calculus and statistics, coding) and learn with a classmate on a group project.

When I read the table of contents for Shanghai in Transition, I learn the book uses an ethnographic approach, which is a method of anthropology. It is also one frequently used throughout the social sciences, and now business and even some parts of economics, when “Mixed Methods” support qualitative and quantitative measures and descriptions. These links come from Sage Research Methods, a database for psychology, economics, marketing, and all the social sciences. There are even podcasts introducing different topics, such as Big Data Analysis or the thinking to do about a project before you choose a method. This podcasts also have subtitles and links to “Sage Recommends” in a tab on the right or Related Content to learn about the terms in each discussion. Give this one on Critical Thinking and Bias a listen.

The BobCat page (or book record) about Shanghai in Transition also shows me a list of “Subjects” which are labels librarians use to find similar books; in this case, Shanghai (China)–Social Conditions–20th century. Selecting that link finds many more books with tables of contents to explore in fields from psychology to urban design, using disciplines of history, GIS, or politics. Whatever your current interest, or even just potential interest, check with a librarian. We’d love to discuss with you how to braid together different elements of your life and university to find just the right books, articles, or databases.

Finally, in exploring the books with similar subjects, make a list of their Call Numbers (DS 796……. or HC428……). It is a great way to learn where to start exploring the library shelves. As a librarian, I can only give each book one address for where it lives in the library. We pick the single biggest topic, but other subjects may connect across shelves, across the library. I invite you to skim the titles on book spines near the call numbers on your list from BobCat. Maybe you’ll find a real gem just a shelf away.

book jacket