Writing and Research in Anthropology

“Man is an animal suspended in webs of significance which he himself has created.  I take culture to be those webs”  Clifford Geertz

Time and Location

Tuesday 4, Thursday 4/5     0408D Weil Hall

ENC 3254 or ANT 3860. Section Number: 8927 or 3302

Description and Goals

The principal objective of this course is to improve the overall writing abilities of students majoring in anthropology.  A secondary objective is to familiarize students with the conventions of the discipline,both in terms of writing and research, thus better preparing them for upper-division and graduate courses in anthropology and related subject areas.

This course satisfies the 6,000 word Writing Requirement and includes numerous writing assignments of various lengths.

Anthropology today is as much the study of being human as it is the study of human beings.  Scholars working in its four major sub-disciplines, cultural, physical, linguistic and archaeological, despite the widely varying loci of their endeavors, generally take a holistic view of the field of anthropology.  Indeed, anthropological study is clearly applicable to all areas of inquiry.

Despite the organic quality of the field, writing styles and conventions in the various branches of the discipline do diverge as they are brought to serve the specific demands of the four major areas of study.  Thus Writing in Anthropology must of necessity serve the needs of all students regardless of where their interests take them.  While some assignments in the course will be of a general character applicable to any student of anthropology, other assignments will be tailored to the needs of individuals making the course, in effect, a tutorial.  For example, the annotated bibliography is applicable to all students, whereas the ethnography may have a delimited application.

Work may be revised multiple times thus enabling students to accrue the maximum number of points toward the total; any student who is willing to put in the hard work that writing is, will be assured of a superior grade in the course. Please note, however, that engagement in the course including participation in class discussions and attentive peer reviews is a necessary requirement to earn a grade of ‘A’ .

Suggested Text

Sunstein, Bonnie Stone and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater. Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research

Grades

Course grades will be determined on the basis of a point system on all assignments as well as class attendance and participation. Students will have ample opportunity to revise their written work until all requirements are met.  If a student is willing to continue making revisions, he/she can expect to earn full credit for each assignment.  Revisions on the research paper will be limited by the time allowed at the conclusion of the course, thus it is extremely important to adhere to the instructor’s incremental schedule for this assignment and have the various parts of the paper ready for review at the appointed time. A poster presentation to be given at the Social Science Poster Conference at the conclusion of the semester will also contribute towards the course grade.

Grading Scale

The evaluation of written work will be thorough and rigorous, holding students to the highest professional standards. We will use a 1000-point system, the points of which will be distributed as follows:

Annotated Bibliography                      100 pts.

Short critiques/analyses                      175 pts.

Short journal article                           200 pts.

Research paper                                400 pts.

Poster presentation                              50 pts.

Class participation*                              75 pts.

Total points                                    1000 pts.

 * includes attendance, punctuality, participation in discussion, and  short peer reviews

Special Note:

ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE DOUBLE SPACED. SINGLE SPACED WORK WILL BE RETURNED UNGRADED.  NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED WITH ANY HANDWRITING ON THE PAPER, INCLUDING MARKS OR COMMENTS BY PEER REVIEWERS.

Other Student Responsibilities 

You are expected to attend class regularly and punctually.  Three absences are allowed after which students’ course grades will be reduced one-half letter grade per absence regardless of the reason.  Students who arrive late repeatedly may not be admitted to class. You are expected to read all assignments prior to class and are responsible for learning the content of all materials used in the course.  Cell phones must be turned off in class except in case of emergencies. 

Ethics

If you have any question on cheating or plagiarism, please refer to the University of Florida’s policy on cheating and the use of copyrighted materials in your student handbook.

Students with Disabilities

Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office.  The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation.

*Week 1 

Tuesday: Discuss syllabus and objectives of the course.

Thursday:

Writing Diagnostic:  Why anthropology?  Write a 500 word essay on why you have chosen anthropology as your major. If you have another major, then write about why you have chosen to take this course.

         Due at end of  period.

Week 2

Tuesday: In-class assignment:

The American Anthropology Association Style Guide

http://www.aaanet.org/publications/guidelines.cfm

Discuss and examine this style manual.  Find a peer reviewed journal article in the discipline, print it and edit it for conformity to the AAA Style Guide. Indicate with a pen on the printed  copy where the author(s) did adhere or did not adhere to the style guide.  Then on a separate sheet of paper write a short summary of how closely the author(s) followed the guide, i.e., where they did and where they did not. Attach this summary to the article and submit for peer review.  Revise based on peer review and hand in on Thursday.

Week 3:

Tuesday: Due: Revision of AAA Style Guide Assignment

Discussion of the major journals in anthropology and where to find them.

Begin a preliminary survey of web sites and hard copy library materials that you think could be useful in your research project.  Type a brief statement describing as best you can what your research topic will be. If all you know at this point is the sub-discipline you intend to work in, name it.

Thursday:

 Lecture and Discussion: Introduction to the short ethnography.

Class discussion: What is a ethnography? What is its purpose? How does an ethnographer approach his/her task?

           Assignment: Fieldworking, “Friday Night at Iowa 80”.  Be prepared for detailed                              analysis in-class discussion on Tuesday.

              http://readingaccelerator.blogspot.com/2008/02/ethnographc-study-night-at-iowa-80.html

Week 4

Tuesday:

“Friday Night at Iowa 80”: Detailed class discussion of Zollo’s piece:

Write a 300 word analysis/critique of Zollo’s methods. Form groups and present your critique to the group. Groups to then present to class.  Written critique due on Tuesday.

Thursday:  Due: Zollo critiques for peer review.

Reading Assignment: Read the three ethnographies linked below.  Write a short critique (250 words) of each one.

Susser article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/ae.1986.13.1.02a00070/abstract;jsessionid=43C7BADB2E957E35A6EC3725BD469BE7.f04t04

Nanda article: http://www3.gettysburg.edu/~dperry/Class%20Readings%20Scanned%20Documents/Intro/Nanda.pdf

Marsh article:  link will be included in list serve email along with the two above

 

Week 5

Tuesday:

Meet in groups, peer review you critiques, and discuss the assigned ethonographies basing your discussion on your answers to the questions in the email. Report your findings as a group to the class. Revisions of written critiques due Thursday.

Thursday:

Workshop on research tools for anthropology: Dr. Richard Freeman, Smathers Library Area Specialist

Due: Critique of assigned readings

Structure and style in physical anthropology

      Assignment: Locate a peer reviewed article in The American Journal of Physical       Anthropology.

      Discussion of the characteristics of journal articles in physical anthropology.

Week 6

Tuesday: Meet in groups to discuss your article. Then write a brief statement analyzing your article based on class and group discussions (200 words) Due on Thursday for peer review.

           Assignment: Locate an article on the web from a major journal of                                      archaeology for Tuesday.

Thursday:

Field trip to the University Archives and the Department of Special Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries.

Week 7

Structure and style in archaeology

Tuesday:

Discussion of archaeology article in groups.

In a 200 word document, analyze the structure and style of the article you chose. Due Thursday.

Thursday: Due: Analysis of archaeology article.

First half: eHRAF: A powerful relational data base for cultural anthropology and archeology.

Assignment: eHRAF exercise 1.5 due Tuesday

Second half: Lecture and discussion: The scholarly article in a peer-reviewed journal. 

Assignment:  Choose a group of people to research on eHRAF.

Write a short article on the ethnc group you selected from eHRAF.  You may focus on any aspect of that culture you choose, but you are encouraged to write on a topic close to your ultimate research interests.  Write in the style of a scholarly journal (one-thousand word minimum).

Your paper must include an abstract. Follow the format of an appropriate style guide and indicate by your name what style guide you have followed.  Your paper should include two sources from peer reviewed journals plus eHRAF. Draft due at end of class on Thursday one week from today.

Writing the abstract: Find three abstracts in peer-reviewed journals, print and bring to class on Tuesday for discussion in groups. 

Week 8  Part II:   Writing the 

Tuesday: Due: eHRAF exercise 1.5

Discussion of abstracts in groups.

Part II: Writing the Research Paper. Getting started.

Thursday:

Due: Draft of journal article for peer review.

Composing the Research Questiion, Working Title and Thesis Statement

Write the research question for your research paper for peer review. Revise your research question.
Based on your approved research question, choose a working title for your paper.
Write a draft thesis statement for peer review.  Print-out revised research question, working title and thesis statement on one sheet of paper and hand-in.

Week 9

Spring Break!

Week 10

Tuesday: Discussion of the annotated bibliography.

You are required to write an annotated bibliography comprised of at least thirteen entries as follows:

1. Books: Five book-length studies

2. Articles: Seven articles taken from peer reviewed journals. If you are using on-line sources, make sure that the                                articles are from peer-reviewed journals.

3. Anthology: One edited anthology.

Your sources should all relate to the same general topic, which presumably will be the same topic you write on for your research paper.

In addition to you are required to write an introduction of approximately 150 words to your annotated bibliography highlighting, summarizing, and comparing and contrasting your sources.  Look at examples of annotated bibliographies in on-line anthropology sites for guidance.

 Assignment:  Write a single sample entry of your annotated bibliography. Due Thursday.

 Thursday: Peer review of sample annotated bibliography. Time allotted to work on A.B.

Week 11

Tuesday:  Due: Draft of complete annotated bibliography for peer review. Revised A.B. due on Thursday.

Assignment: Write a detailed outline of your research paper. Due Tuesday.

Thursday:  

Due: Revised A.B. 

Informal presentation/discussion by each student regarding his/her research progress.

Week 12

Tuesday:  Due: Detailed outline of your research paper for peer review.  Revise and hand-in.

Discussion: What makes a good introduction to a research paper?

Assignment:  From the journal articles you have worked with this semester, choose an introduction that you feel is effective based on the criteria discussed in class.  Be prepared to explain why you feel that it is a strong introduction.  Due Thursday.

Thursday: Due: Revised outline of your research paper.

                 Form groups to discuss introductions and report findings to class.

                 Assignment #1:  Write a first draft of your introduction.  Include a discussion of methods.

Week 13

Tuesday:

Thursday: Due: Draft of introduction for peer review.

Assignment:  Write a first draft of the body of your research paper.  Due at time of conference.

     Due: Revised introduction and draft of body section due at time of conference.  Sign-up for individual

           conferences.                    

Week 14

We will not meet as a class this week. Instead you will schedule individual conferences with me during class times in the classroom (have revised introduction and draft of body sections ready for perusal)

Week 15

Creating an effective poster for a professional conference in the social sciences

Graduate School Portfolio

Tuesday:  Graduate School Applications:
Writing the personal statement for graduate school.

Assignment:  Write a personal statement (500-700 words). Draft due on Thursday.

Thursday: Due: draft of personal statement for peer review. Revised personal statement due on Tuesday.

Scheduling of poster presentations on Tuesday evening.

Week 16

Tuesday: 

Due: revised personal statement

    Final revised research paper due.

Tuesday evening: Poster presentations in Ustler Hall during evening hours (6:15-8:30)     

                         Tuesday, April 21st.

Useful Links

University of Florida Department of Anthropology
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Archaeological Institute of America

Style Guides

 

Comprehensive List of Style Guides for Scholarly Journals
AAA Style Guide
The Society for Historical Archeology Publications Style Guide
American Journal of Physical Anthropology Style Guide
Writing Aids

The Student’s Practical Guide: Writing Term Papers for Anthropology (and Related Subjects)
Guidelines for Field Notes and Journals
Anthropology Writing Resources

Assignments

Introduction
Article editing assignment
The Journal Article in Anthropology
The Personal Statement 

Annotated Bibliography
Journal Article Critique

Class Notes

 

 

Annotated Bibliography                    100 pts.
Short Critiques/Analyzes                   175 pts.
Short Journal Article                         200 pts.
Research Paper and notes.                400 pts.
Presentation of Research   (Poster)     50 pts.
Class Participation *                          75 pts.
Total Points                                     1000 pts.
* includes attendance, punctuality, participation in discussion, and  short peer rev

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