A) Clipping File and Report Due: Nov. 22
For this assignment, I ask that you look in local newspapers, weekly news magazines and other similar resources for articles (generally brief ones) that have to do with any of the issues that we will be dealing with this semester. You may find an article in a more specialized journal (dealing,for example, with cross-cultural studies, or "applied anthropology," gender and culture, archaeology etc.); you are also likely to find such articles in regular newspapers. When you find such articles, clip them (or photocopy them) and collect them in a folder. Periodically I will ask in class how people are doing in finding such articles. If you find any that seem particularly relevant to a class discussion, feel free to note it in class. By Nov. 22, I will collect these folders, and ask that you have at least fifteen such articles in your collection. I will give a single point for each article, up to fifteen points for a completed folder. Along with this collection I also ask that you write a brief summary/reflection (3pp.) about the articles you have clipped. Around the eighth week of class we will discuss in class some of the possible ways this can be written.
This semester's report will be on a book of your choice. During the second week of class I will give a list of possible selections; I will also encourage students to find books on their own that reflect their own interests. You should have a selection by the week of Oct. 18. Once you have checked your selection with me (to make sure your are on track) you can read the book at your pace, and finally write a 3 page review of the book. Further directions for this assignment will be given in class and online.
In general, this report should be as concise as possible, but it will be at least 3-4 pages. It also should be ready to hand in on the given due-date, as we will be discussing the book this same week. If the review is not handed in on time, I will take 10 points off for each class day that the report is late, as the review is in part a preparation for class discussion of the book.
Please give yourself enough time to read the book and to ask any questions you might have ahead of time, for an adequate completion of this assignment.
C) Learning Strategies Project Due: Dec. 6
For this assignment, I will ask that students take a few weeks to begin to see what anthropology is about in its many forms. Skim our texts, look at online resources, and talk about ideas both in and out of class. Look for some aspect of anthropology that grabs your interest. Find something in our discussions and/or readings that interests you in a significant way. Once you have found this, we'll talk about examples in class, of topics that could be studied further from an anthropological perspective.
Once you have found something that interests you—that we have mutually agreed on as being “on track,” your assignment for this class will be to complete a brief statement of your intended project, to be handed in by Oct. 6 (details of the format of this statement will be given in class). The finished project will be due the week of Dec. 6 and 8, when we will schedule "informal presentations" of projects in class on those days. As with the initial project statement, details for the format of the finished project itself will be given in class.
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