FINAL ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
The Ethnographic Imagination
Spring 2006
C. Kingfisher
Answer one of the following questions.
1. How does the “lads’” counter-school culture work to actually reproduce class society? What
is oppositional about counter-school culture, and what is accommodating to a capitalist system
that requires a working class?
2. What did you learn about adolescence and class from Learning to Labor? What are the main
issues that “the lads” have to deal with that seem particularly adolescent? What are the main
issues that they have to deal with that reflect their class positions?
GUIDELINES
The goal of the is to help you to think critically (in the sense of engagement and interrogation)
about the ethnography you have read. Most of what I will be paying attention to in your essays is
your ability to understand and reflect on the materials. Therefore, you need to work closely with
the readings, and avoid any outside research.
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Essays are due on Friday, April 21, by 5pm, in room TH214.
You must turn in both a hard copy and an electronic copy. I will mark the hard copy; the
electronic copy will be entered into a plagiarism detection program.
Papers should be 6 – 8 pages.
Please ensure that your essay formatting meets the following criteria:
- 12 point font.
- Double-spaced.
- 1 inch margins.
- Stapled (no paper clips).
- Include page numbers.
- Indicate clearly which question you are answering.
These are the criteria that will be used to assess your paper:
a) Thesis statement and thesis paragraph.
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Do you have a well-developed and clear argument or thesis statement
at the beginning / introduction of your paper?
Does your thesis summarize the main point of your essay in one or two sentences (is
it clear and succinct)?
Does your thesis relate directly to the question asked?
Does it display a degree of critical thinking?
Have you described in your thesis paragraph how you will support your argument
(i.e., provided en essay road map)?
b) Relevance.
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Does the content of your essay directly relate to your thesis?
Have you focussed specifically on supporting your thesis rather than getting bogged
down in overly descriptive (and often irrelevant) writing?
Are the examples you have used appropriate to the question (your thesis) that you
are asking?
Anything in your paper that does not directly address its main themes will likely detract from
the clarity of your argument. Do not simply add material to fill pages.
c) Well-supported.
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Have you used appropriate examples to illustrate and support your ideas?
Have you explained the link between the examples you use and your thesis?
Does your paper show familiarity with the entire book? (Not just one or two
chapters).
Is your argument convincing?
d) Organization.
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Is the organization of your essay logical?
Is your paper structured to have a clear introduction, body and conclusion?
Do your paragraphs have one main idea or theme?
Do your ideas and paragraphs logically flow from one to the other?
Are your paragraphs linked with connecting sentences?
Do you constantly refer back to your thesis?
Does your essay structure follow the road map you described in your thesis
paragraph?
e) Your own thinking and your own words.
Although you are not expected to come up with novel anthropological insights, you must
show that you have critically examined the material we read.
In addition, extensive quotations are not acceptable. It is far better to paraphrase a quote
and explain it in your own words than simply retype it into your essay. If you do use a
direct quote, ensure that you have explained its significance and demonstrate that you
understand what the author is saying.
f) Technical writing skills.
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Have you checked that your spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct?
Have you proofread your paper? Did you proofread it again? And again?
Have you asked someone else to proofread your paper?
g) Citations.
Never quote or use an author’s work in any way without acknowledging it. You must
always indicate where in the literature you obtained the facts, concepts and points of
view that you discuss in your essay.
The following must always be cited:
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Direct quotations.
Paraphrases of the statements of others.
Opinions and theories not your own.
Information which is not a matter of general knowledge.
You may use any standard referencing system with which you are comfortable. Please
use it consistently throughout your paper.
Points will be distributed as follows:
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Discussion/argument: 20 points
a. understanding of course materials: 8 points
b. analysis: 12 points
writing: 5 points
a. complete sentences: 1.3 points
b. spelling and grammar: 1.35 points
c. proper referencing: 1.35 points
d. bibliography: 1 point
organization: 5 points
a. coherence: 3 points
b. linkages among ideas: 2 points
Good Luck!