This project will consist of a research paper derived from library research on the topic of your choice. But, naturally, the paper should have an anthropological approach appropriate to the area of study you will undertake.
The objective of this project is for you to improve your research, writing, and analytical skills. Although you may have already written papers for other courses, we will pay particular attention to the way anthropological papers are written. This includes a rather stereotypical structure, citation style, and the critical use of information derived from academic journal articles. In terms of structure and style, in the social sciences, we have particular values which include:
Clear expository style rather than use of symbolism, allegory, or metaphor
Concise expression of ideas
Repetition of information in the abstract, introduction, and conclusion
Attention to formatting, proper citations, and robust bibliography
Your research paper needs to present data and information drawn from your sources. However, a vital part of the paper is your analysis and interpretation based on the material you have read. Your paper needs to answer a question that you pose to the literature. A review of the literature in your paper should organize and summarize what is known about your topic. Then, you should interpret the data by providing a critical discussion of the topic and research question already covered. Using your own cognitive powers, analytical skills, and critical thinking, evaluate the issues revealed from your bibliography research. You should provide the reader with a new interpretation of the data, expose biases in the literature, or suggest areas for future research.
Do not merely “report” on what you have read. You must subject your bibliographic information to a careful study and think about the deeper meaning of the topic to the construction of anthropological knowledge.
Nuts and Bolts
An acceptable paper will be at least 2000 words in length (base line for a C). An excellent paper will be detailed, yet concise. You should aim for 3000 words at least for an A grade.
Use the Chicago style guide to format citations and the bibliography (link below)
Scholarly journal articles are the gold standard for bibliographic research. A solid review of the literature is required. This may require as many as 20 sources.
Paper sections
Abstract – a short overview of the paper
Introduction – present your thesis/research question posed to the literature. Here you are going to tell the reader what they will be reading.
Subsequent sections will present the information from your literature review and provide the context for your thesis. These sections are the “meat” of the paper. This is where you tell the reader what the issue/problem is in detail.
If you present competing theories, be sure to provide the evidence for each. Then evaluate the evidence. This is the creative element of the paper. This distinguishes the write as a researcher rather than just a reporter.
Discussion – in this section you should present your interpretation of the data/theories/issues. Suggest limitations of the data sets, alternative models, or perspectives.
Conclusion – wrap up the paper with summary points. No new information should be introduced here. The conclusion tells the reader what they just read – tell them what the major takeaways are from the paper.
End notes. Do not use bottom of the page footnotes. I don’t like them.
Bibliography with full information in AAA style.
Appendices: images, graphs, charts.
Source material
As indicated above, you need to rely on scholarly journal articles. These are peer-reviewed and vetted by the scholarly community. You are already familiar with the main peer-reviewed journals in anthropology:
American Antiquity
Current Anthropology
American Anthropologist
American Jn of Physical Anthropology
Annual Review of Anthropology (this is a good place to start since you will be crafting a paper similar to the kinds of articles found in this journal).
Evolutionary Anthropology
Of course, there are numerous journals that peer-reviewed and focus on more specific topics, such as:
Human organization (by Society for Applied Anthropology)
Feminist Anthropology
Sexualities: Studies in Culture and Society
Religion and Society
