How To Write An Anthropological Analysis Paper

ANTH 102: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT:
Anthropological Research/Analysis
DUE: December 12, 2009 (Graduating Seniors Paper’s due December 5)

This paper should be 1,800 – 3,000 words (6-10 pages double spaced), not including “Works Cited” sections or appendices. Your paper should be clearly written, use short declarative sentences, and avoid redundant statements, rhetorical flourishes, and excess verbiage. DO NOT pad the word count!

Papers will be graded on quality of content, clarity, and style. Ingenuity and clarity will be rewarded. Excess verbiage, awkwardness and muddy thinking (evident in essays that have not been read out loud) will be penalized. Essays should be proofread and points will
For example, in an ethnographic inquiry of a sports team or church group, you could ask “What are the hierarchical arrangements (divisions of labor, etc.) of this cultural group and how do they reflect or contradict those of the larger culture in which they are embedded?”

Your Thesis Statement constitutes both your topic and viewpoint. In a sense, the thesis statement is your answer to a central question or problem you have raised. For this paper, your thesis statement should center on the theoretical concepts presented in your text and in class. These concepts may be found in your textbook headings and the syllabus. Your thesis statement should reflect your own interest in the topic — why did you chose it?

STEP 2: Methodology.

Choose examples or a case study that reflects the group or area you choose to study (e.g., an idea like “peasants in the United States,” or a cultural group like a specific church community or sports team). This will be the specific focus of your writing. Your methodology section consists of a statement of your specific examples or case study, why you chose it/them, and the “toolkit” you will use and why.

Main Sections

The main body of your paper should elaborate on and support the material you exposed in the introductory
TWO of them MUST come from your textbook and at least ONE MUST come from another academic text, either a journal article or book. It is appropriate to cite sidebars from the text including “Original Studies,” “Anthropologists of Note,” “Biocultural Connections,” etc. Failure to make appropriate and relevant reference to five readings (or fieldwork, see below) will be penalized. These references must support your specific culture’s background information as well as your theoretical perspective. Cite your chosen readings clearly in both the body of your text, as well as in a “Works Cited” or “Bibliography” section at the end of your paper. Follow the writing guidelines carefully—these will be strictly enforced. You may support your paper with actual fieldwork — participant-observation at church or a sporting event or a performance that correlates to the cultural area you have chosen are acceptable. In order to qualify as a reference, you must state the date and place of the events that you witnessed. Ideally you will include your field notes as an appendix to your paper (these notes do not count toward the word count!).

NOTE: DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!! NO