Anthropology

Assignment Overview: Cultural anthropology encourages us to think about how culture is a uniquely shared feature across the human experience. We are invited to see cultures and societies different from our own through a lens that highlights our similarities. We may begin to even see our own culture, that which we don’t question and think of as “normal”, through a more objective viewpoint.  For your final assignment, you will use the concepts in our class to look at your own cultural ideologies, practices, and patterns through the lens of anthropology. You will produce a five-paragraph informative essay (750-100 words) that looks at THREE forms of social organization in our culture. You will need to correctly identify the pattern and dynamics in each form of social organization, implementing key terms, and ethnographic description. For each form of social organization, you will use ONE fieldwork method conducted in your home to support your claim. Select three of the following forms of social organization:  Subsistence Social Stratification and Identity Gender/Sex/Sexuality  Kinship and Marriage  Requirements:  750-1000 words, double-spaced, 12 point font. Creative title at the top of the first page.  Citations and work cited page. (No need to do outside research but you should use your text and other materials to support your claims.)  APA format. Five fully developed paragraphs. Proper identification of the forms of social organization in our society. Key terms and concepts applied consistently and in the proper context.  Example:  Here is an outline of what your paper COULD look like. DO NOT COPY MY EXAMPLE. I want to see you thinking CREATIVELY, so copying my example won’t quite get you there.  I. Introduction Attention-catching opening (describe a scene, use an interesting fact, GET YOUR READER’S ATTENTION!), overview of culture, social organization, and related concepts;  Thesis Statement: This paper describes three forms of social organization in Western societies: industrialized subsistence, binary gender roles and norms, and monotheistic religious beliefs based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between (dates) in (location.)  II. Body Paragraph 1: Subsistence Key terms: Industrialism Fieldwork method: Photography (photos of packaged food items purchased from a grocery store.)  III. Body Paragraph 2: Gender Identity Key terms: Gender binary, cultural construction, gender roles  Fieldwork method: Participant observation (observe gender norms and roles of family members during a specified time at home.)  IV. Body Paragraph 3: Social Stratification and Identity – Race/Ethnicity  Terms used: cultural construction, Race, stratification Fieldwork method: Interview. Ask a family member about their race,  V. Conclusion Restate thesis in some detail, tie things back to the intro, and provide final thoughts. For more information on Cultural Anthropology read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Anthropology

One takes you to the basic outline of the assignment and the other one titled “Where do you want to go” takes you the resources you would need to use and from there you would pick on topic i.e Native American Boarding Schools, Australian Aboriginal Culture, Rwanda, Cambodia. Then you could click on those links under the topic you chose and write about them according to the guidelines of the assignment. 

After describing the features of voodoo demonstrated in Legacy of the Spirits, discuss how the practice of Haitian voodoo in New York City demonstrates the impact that cultural change has upon religious beliefs and practices. Think about how Haitian voodoo is a product of colonization, and how the contemporary practice of this religion in New York is the result of the modern movement of people and culture. Requirements: Use of AT LEAST FOUR weekly key terms (see above) in BOLD font.  Adequate length of at least 300 words minimum. (Try to keep it under 500 words.)  SPECIFIC examples from the assigned film in your response. Show me that you ACTUALLY watched the film! Connections to the lecture. At LEAST ONE specific reference to an example from the reading. Use a specific anthropological case study or example. The connection needs to be thoughtful. Do not just drop a quote from the reading out of nowhere as that will not get you full points.  Writing in YOUR OWN WORDS. If you use direct quotes, be sure to reference your source. In-depth and detailed writing. Remember that these are your weekly assessments. I want to see critical thinking and engagement demonstrated in your writing. Be sure to include AT LEAST FOUR of these terms in your writing.  Religion  Symbols/Symbolism Animatism Animism Monotheism Polytheism Ritual Rites of Passage Rites of Intensification Rites of Revitalization Priest Shaman Prophet Prayer Sacrifice Magic Divination  Witchcraft Sorcery  Syncretism  For more information on Legacy of the Spirits read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaman_King:_Legacy_of_the_Spirits

1) For this assignment, you will be researching one of the recently discovered hominin fossil species from the past 20 years. This my include one of the following, though there are additional possibilities: Homo georgicus/Dmanisi fossils Australopithecus sediba Homo naledi Homo floresiensis Denisovans 2) For the paper, you need to find at least three reputable, published sources within the past 20 years. That means that they must be from journal articles or books—not from our textbook, and not from an online blog. You can easily access multiple journal sources and books online. Seek out our library resources for help if you need it: https://scc.losrios.edu/student-resources/library/research 3) The paper is to be a minimum of two full pages (not including references) organized into paragraphs by sub-topic, with an introduction, a thesis statement, several sub-themes, and a conclusion.  4) Sources are to be cited within the paper using APA or Chicago style (Author year:page), with all references included in a separate bibliography, and all mentioned sources must be cited within the paper properly. The reference page can not count towards the two-page minimum. 5) You will be graded on the quality of your research, your accuracy, and your writing. Any plagiarism will immediately disqualify your extra credit and can lead to disciplinary action and the removal of your participation points. Please do not risk plagiarizing! For more information on Fossil  read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil

Week Seven Discussion Forum Explain human physical variation, why/how did it occur?  Then discuss how race as an aspect of biology is a myth, and what in fact the concept of race really is and what its consequences are. Give examples from the films to illustrate your understanding. After viewing the required films for this module answer the following prompt. Be sure you have read all of the instructions and etiquette guidelines under the General Information section of this course. (please watch the list of the films ?resource and also use chapter 12 chapter 13 ppt ‘s context to answer the question )?need at least 300 words ??? ) Required Film –BBC – The Incredible Human Journey -1 of 5 -Out of Africa_arc.avi https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ip64x —The House We Live In: Race the Power of Illusion ?2 links for part 1 and part 2) 

Now that you have read about Neandertals and modern Homo sapiens, do you think that peoples’ attitudes towards Neandertals in the past (and some today) was and is racist in nature? If you do, do you think the view is changing Answer the above question in an essay between 125 and 150 words?

In this video, David and Judith MacDougall spent several years among the Turkana of northwestern Kenya engaged in ethnographic research. In this selection, the MacDougalls describe the process of initiating contact and laying the groundwork for an ethnographic film of the Turkana people. https://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/6.7/?p=/college/anthro/culturalanthro/vid/a-wife-among-wives-1&cc=1How long did it take for the MacDougalls to begin filming? Why did they wait so long? How important are personal relationships in doing ethnographic research? How did the Turkana respond when the MacDougalls asked what they should film if they want to depict how the Turkana live? At one point, a Turkana woman turns the camera on the anthropologist. How important is the exchange of ideas for ethnographic research? How do you think that exchange might affect the MacDougalls’s perception of their own culture? First Post (400 words)  Replies (250 words) For more information read this:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography

Talk about how Britain took tea from its colony in India and it became a British tradition. Link to the topic the articles you have attached, take the information from the Internet in 500 words, propose your research topic. In doing this, be as descriptive as possible, and refrain from being prescriptive. Explain what makes the topic important. Explain what makes it a good case study for the intersection of the political and the colonial. Explain how the little-known history of this topic (revealed through your research) might help us understand more who we owe the things we have today. You are required to engage with at least two articles from throughout our semester’s reading (not to overlap with readings that you use in any other assignment). The assignment will be graded on three rubrics: Coherence (30%), ethnographic appropriateness (50%), grammar, spelling, and length (20%).

Explain the politics of kinship/the family. How does kinship theory reflect economic/colonial logic and how do these logics affect our understanding/ analysis of gender. Your exam answers must be in an essay format with a word count of between 500-750 words. Your answer must use a minimum of two readings from the Module Two. You must properly cite your essay (which citation practice is up to the student.)

Describe the emergence of tribal societies in America.  What were the major characteristics of the societies found in Mesoamerica and South America, the Southwest, and the Eastern Woodlands?  What were the characteristics of nonfarming societies?  No sources, please.