The Anthropological Perspective
Anthropology 1000Y
Term Paper Guidelines
Assignment
This is a 2000-3000 argumentative, or academic, term paper on any topic that interests
you related to sociocultural anthropology. This means the essay should answer a
question. It should have an argument, or a thesis, and attempt to persuade the reader that
the opinion is valid by using reasoning and evidence.
Objectives
As with the other social sciences, anthropological research at the undergraduate level
involves a great deal of reading and writing. The primary purposes of this assignment are:
 To develop research skills by investigating a topic of interest in depth and
approaching its analysis anthropologically
 To develop analytical and critical thinking skills
 To develop writing and communication skills.
Format
 2000-3000 words (10-15 typed pages, double-spaced, 10-12-point font)
 Pages should be numbered and stapled
 Margins one inch on all sides
 The paper must have a separate cover page with your name and student number,
the course name and number, Instructor’s name and submission date, along with
the title (and subtitle) of the essay.
 The paper must have a separate Table of Contents listing
1. Headings (including introduction and conclusion)
2. Subheadings
3. Reference page
4. Appendix (if appropriate)
5. The corresponding page numbers for the above
 It should NOT be in a duo tang or other type of binder or folder.
 The essay may be hand written or submitted electronically
 Marks will be deducted for failing to meet any of the above requirements
Structure
 The essay must have a title. The title should encapsulate your main argument.
 The essay should have an introductory paragraph/section that outlines your major
argument or thesis, as well as supporting hypotheses and evidence for the topic
you have chosen. A thesis statement is not a declaration of fact, broad claim, or
obvious assertion, but an interesting and specific contention about which one can
reasonably debate and disagree. A thesis statement also serves to orient the reader
by highlighting the major themes that will be discussed in the rest of the paper. It
is often helpful to think in terms of a question the paper attempts to answer.
 The body of the text should build on the hypothesis by providing examples to
support your argument, i.e. it must be both descriptive and analytical. Failure to
be analytical (i.e. entirely descriptive) or failure to back up any assertions made,
either by evidence or argument, will result in a lower grade.
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The conclusion should summarize the results of your analysis (not what you did).
You may also discuss any new understandings or insights that you have arrived at
from doing the essay. The concluding section is not a place to introduce new data.
The essay must have a list of references used.
Help
 Help on writing academic essays can be found at
http://www.uleth.ca/ics/writingcentre/writingresources.htm
 The U of T also has a good site on essay writing:
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/essay.html
 Individual tutorial help is also available from The Writing Centre
http://www.uleth.ca/ics/writingcentre/ You can send email questions
 I will also provide feedback on drafts of essays, if submitted in electronic form at
least one week before the due date.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism: “to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own”
(Webster’s). Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will not be tolerated.
Plagiarized papers will automatically receive a zero grade for the submission. Students
caught plagiarizing may also be subject to additional University sanctions as outlined in
The University of Calgary Calendar
http://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/2005/how/How_LB.htm
Plagiarism can take several forms:
1. Failing to cite sources of quotations, ideas, and wording from another source
2. Submitting a paper that has been borrowed, purchased, or written by someone
else.
3. Submitting the same essay for more than one course without the permission of the
instructor(s) may also be considered plagiarism.
4. Extensive paraphrasing of one or a few sources
References
 A minimum of 3, and a maximum of 10, scholarly references must be used.
 Note: Scholarly refers to articles in refereed periodicals, books, or websites.
“References “ refers to books and articles actually referred to in the essay. A
“Bibliography”, on the other hand, is simply a list of books or articles that may or
may not have been used. It is the former that is required.
 You must use the American Anthropological Association’s reference format for
this paper. (APA) Their style guide can be found at:
http://www.aaanet.org/pubs/style_guide.pdf
 Any of the books or articles used in the class may be used
Evaluation
All term papers are marked out of 20 and then factored to arrive at the final mark. The
paper will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
 Grammar, spelling and punctuation – 20%
Papers that are full of spelling or grammatical mistakes, or that are improperly
punctuated may lose up to 20% of the mark for the paper. It is important,
therefore, to not only spell check your essay, but also to proofread it before you
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submit it. If English is not your first language it is a good idea to have a friend
proofread it. If you are unsure of grammar and punctuation I recommend the
fourth edition of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Strunk’s first edition
is also available free at: http://sut1.sut.ac.th/strunk/
Clarity of structure and organization and style – 30%
Is there a clear statement of the thesis or argument of the essay in the introductory
section? Does the author follow through with the promises made in the
introduction? Is the information presented in a logical, orderly fashion that can be
readily understood? Does the report flow? Is the author familiar and comfortable
with her/his subject? Does the student give the impression that she/he knows what
she/he is talking about? Is it wordy? Does the conclusion neatly summarize the
findings?
Innovativeness and analytic interpretation – 50%
Does the essay provide new insight into the chosen subject matter via carefully
thought out consideration or does it come off as a simple "re-hash" of source
materials? Do the illustrations or examples used actually illuminate the points
stressed? Do the conclusions follow from the material and arguments presented. Is
it too descriptive? Does the author make unsubstantiated claims or assertions?
Due Date:
 Last day of classes
Percent of Grade:
 40%
Things to do
 Frame your essay in terms of a question
o How does Islam in Nigeria affect family life?
o How do Wicca marriages compare with Christian marriages?
o What role does kinship play in Dinka economics?
 And then answer the question
 Engage with your authors – i.e. discuss/mention/evaluate their ideas
o What are their assumptions and biases?
o How did they collect their data?
o Are their conclusions valid?
o What do others have to say about their ideas?
o What do you think about their ideas?
o Are there alternative conclusions that could be arrived at
 Divide your paper into headed sections
 Proof read your essay before you submit it. Have someone else read it and
comment on it.
Things to avoid
 Being entirely descriptive
 Making unsubstantiated assertions
 Spending too much time on history
 Being wordy – see Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style
o http://sut1.sut.ac.th/strunk
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First person. Use the third person instead. For example, instead of: I will look at
how the Heaven’s Gate cult exemplifies the power of belief. Write: “This paper
examines how Heaven’s Gate cult exemplifies the power of belief”.
Use the active rather than the passive voice: “The dog bit the boy” instead of “the
boy was bitten by the dog.”
Topics
The essay may be on any topic that interests you. The trick is to make it anthropological
 Think in terms of identity. In a particular social group, how is a person’s cultural
identity formed? What role does religion, gender, cultural values, etc. have in
shaping a person's identity?
 Think in terms of symbolism and meaning. What meaning or value do the beliefs,
artefacts, or actions of a culture have for the people and how are they expressed?
 Think in terms of function and society. What role do particular beliefs or practices
play in society?
 Think holistically. How does the religion relate to other aspects such as
economics, gender, politics etc?
 Think comparatively. How do beliefs or practices and their values differ from
other societies (especially the west), and are there commonalities?
Below is a list of suggested topics. Anthropology books and journals are found on the 6th
floor of the McKimmie Library and begin with the call letters GN.
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2.
3.
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Discuss indigenous rights in Canada.
How are we, as anthropologists, to make sense of terrorism and/or suicide bombings?
What is the value of anthropology for business?
Describe, using ethnographic examples, how a descent group is like a corporation.
What role does the family play in economic organization of one society compared to
another?.
6. Discuss the extent to which language reflects or shapes social relationships.
7. How, as anthropologists are we to understand gay/lesbian marriages?
8. Using ethnographic examples discuss the cultural construction of either time or space.
9. Using ethnographic examples, compare and contrast Western and non-Western
concepts of health and illness.
10. Discuss, using ethnographic examples, the role of prestige in exchange relationships?
11. What can the study of the patterns of food preparation, distribution and consumption
tell us about the dynamics of social life?
12. In what ways is marriage economically important? Illustrate your answer with
ethnographic examples.
13. Discuss relativism and ethnocentrism with respect to anthropological method and
theory.
14. 'Witchcraft is irrational'. Discuss using ethnographic examples.
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