Journal Article Review
ANTH 021 B Cultural Anthropology Spring 2013
DUE: Wednesday, May 1, Week 15
GOALS
The first step in anthropological research once you define your topic is to find out: what previous
research has already been done? You will investigate how two (or more) different cultural
anthropologists have studied a topic on which you would (hypothetically) be interested in
pursing further research. Specific skills you will develop are:
1. How to search for, identify, and obtain peer-reviewed anthropological research articles
using library databases.
2. How to summarize and evaluate anthropological research then communicate your
results in writing and orally.
PREPARATION: Choose your topic: Post to Bb Journal Article Review Blog Mon Feb 25
What human phenomenon has always intrigued you? A place on earth you’ve always wanted to
travel to or know more about? A group of people you find fascinating? A burning public issue of
local, national, or global concern you want to investigate? Chances are cultural anthropologists
have studied it. Start with a simple internet search to find general information on potential topics.
It wouldn’t hurt to read a Wikipedia article. You can’t cite it in your paper, but you’ll learn a little
more about your topic. Look through our Miller textbook and its bibliography for a topic you’d like
to further explore. Even better, browse the anthropology journal titles listed below available
online through the library. Almost everything in them is eligible for review in your paper (but see
specifics below).
Below are examples of the kinds of topics cultural anthropologists have (probably) studied that
you could review in your assignment. By all means use your own imagination and ideas.
Issues: Environment: global warming and climate change: how does it affect people in different
locations? Human rights and inequality: gender, race and racism, sex trafficking, torture and
international law, war, poverty. Health care: the abortion debate, the ethics of genetic testing,
diabetes and cancer, how mental illness is treated in different societies: anthropologists have
studied all of this and more.
Cultural features, objects, commodities: religion in all its aspects, language, art (all forms,
from music to sculpture to theater etc.), migration, law, deindustrialization, fashion, tattoos,
sports, sugar, coffee, food, tourist souvenirs, alcohol.
Places: from the Amazon to the Arctic, pick any country, geographical region, or city you can
think of and an anthropologist has probably studied it.
People: bankers, untouchables in India, farmers, former slaves in Yemen, software
programmers, indigenous and native peoples everywhere, street children, film stars, etc., etc.
FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES: In-class workshop Mon Feb 25, Post article PDFs and AAA
formatted references to Bb Mon March 25
Find two peer-reviewed fieldwork-based journal articles on your topic written by two (or more)
different cultural anthropologists and post the AAA formatted references and PDFs of the
articles themselves on Bb. See the documents “What is a peer reviewed article” and “AAA Style
Guide” under the Journal article review assignment documents on Bb. A fieldwork-based article
is based on original participant observation fieldwork (and/or other methods) done by the author
or authors. Such articles are usually about 15-30 pages long and include references.
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Search techniques: Use the databases AnthroSource, Anthropology Plus, and/or JSTOR (limit
to Anthropology Journals) to find any peer-reviewed fieldwork-based articles FROM THE
BELOW JOURNALS. You can also search within the journal titles.
ELIGIBLE JOURNALS:
Your two articles MUST be from any of the below journals. If you find an appropriate peerreviewed fieldwork-based article by an anthropologist published in a journal not on this list, ask
Prof. Smith if it is eligible for this assignment by first confirming that the author is an
anthropologist, then submitting the articles themselves for approval.
American Anthropologist
American Ethnologist
Annual Review of Anthropology
Anthropological Quarterly
Anthropology & Education Quarterly
Anthropology Now
Anthropology Today
Anthropos
Australian Journal of Anthropology
City & Society
Current Anthropology
Dialectical Anthropology
Ethnology
Ethos
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Europe
Medical Anthropology Quarterly
Museum Anthropology
Nutritional Anthropology
Oceania
PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review
Visual Anthropology Review
Items that are NOT eligible:
A BOOK REVIEW is not fieldwork based. It is a short (1-5 pp), useful description and evaluation
of a published book or books. Book reviews, film reviews, and museum reviews are not eligible
for this assignment, but if you find one on a topic you are interested in, it may point you toward
articles by the author of the book reviewed that you could use.
ARCHAEOLOGY and BIOLOGICAL anthropology articles are not eligible for this assignment.
WRITING YOUR REVIEW: 2 to 2.5 pages SINGLE SPACED, printed, stapled, Due May 1
Once you have selected your topic and obtained your articles, you will read, evaluate, and
compare them on the basis of what knowledge you gain that would be useful in your further
(hypothetical) research on this topic as an anthropologist.
For EACH ARTICLE, you will write a short, structured review of the research, formatted exactly
as below with section headings and numbered paragraphs as follows:
ARTICLE 1
1. Reference in AAA format (see Bb for AAA style guide, set your bibliographical software or
web application to automatically format to AAA style)
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2. The author’s background and sources of research support (funding). If not indicated in the
body of the article, do a google search on the author to find more info about his/her research
(e.g. search NAME cv or NAME faculty to find their institution, website, and/or CV online).
3. What anthropological research methods did the author use? Describe the methods, locations,
and types of data collected.
4. What does the author argue in this article? What is his/her thesis, concisely stated?
5. What are the results of the research? Summarize the important findings and conclusions.
ARTICLE 2: repeat the above numbered paragraphs for the second article
ANALYSIS AND FURTHER RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
In the final section of the paper, discuss how what you learned from these two articles would
direct your further research on the topic as an anthropologist. Address all of the following
questions in paragraph form:
 What knowledge about the topic did you start out with, and what did you learn that was
new or surprising?
 How did you enjoy or not enjoy the two articles as pieces of writing?
 Do the two articles complement and confirm each other’s results, or do their findings
diverge or conflict? How?
 What potential research questions does this previous research suggest to you if you
were to pursue further research?
You will hand in the paper itself in class Wednesday May 1, printed out and stapled with the
above headings and numbered paragraphs. Emailed papers not accepted.
PRESENTATION: Mon April 29 and Wed May 1
The last week of class will be dedicated to student presentations of your results and the
potential research questions they raised. Each student will have 2 minutes (only!) to describe
his or her findings. If you like, you will have the option to show one image related to your topic
and articles during your presentation (uploaded to the presentations area on Bb, not required).
The catch: due to time constraints, not everyone will present, but everyone must be prepared to
present. Names will be drawn from a hat. If you do not present (you are absent when called)
you will have three points deducted from your paper grade (20% of the grade). Your name will
only be called once (if absent Monday, you cannot “make it up” on Wednesday). Be ready and
present!
ASSIGNMENT TIMELINE:
Topics posted to Bb by Feb 25: Week 7
Search for, obtain, and read your articles: Weeks 7-10 (articles posted to Bb March 11 Week
10)
Write, edit, and revise your paper: Weeks 11-14
Share your results with the class: Week 15
Paper Due Wednesday May 1: Week 15
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