Anthropology 4990
Spring 2008
L. Sattenspiel
Essay #1: Science and interpretation in anthropology
(first draft due Friday, February 8; final draft due Friday, February 15)
Write no more than 2-3 double-spaced, typed pages on the following question. If you can
answer the question completely in less space, that is fine; if you feel like you need more try to
shorten what you have written so that only the most important issues are considered. Proofread
your paper carefully — excessive spelling and typographic errors may count against you. Make
sure you properly cite within the text all sources you have used, and include full citations in the
bibliography. Do not include articles in the bibliography that you have not cited in the text.
You are interested in studying some type of ritual in a culture of your choice. Use 1-2
sentences to briefly describe this ritual. Formulate and describe one specific research
question that you would try to address in this project. Which of the three approaches to
anthropology we discussed in class (scientific, interpretive, or postmodern) would you
take in your study? Explain why you would take this approach and discuss in some
detail both the advantages and disadvantages of using that approach to answer your
question. Note: an argument that talks only about your chosen approach will not be as
strong as one that also addresses why other approaches would not be as effective or
suitable as the one you have chosen.
Essay #2 — Myth and ritual in ancient societies
(first draft due Monday, February 25; final draft due Monday, March 3)
In his paper “Science and the construction of mythic narratives”, Thompson argues that
interpretations of the past say as much about the interpreter as they do about the
interpreted. Tringham and Conkey argue much the same way in their discussion of
different views of female figurines from the European Upper Paleolithic. Describe two
examples of writing within the Malone article that could be construed as narratives
reflecting the interpreters (authors) rather than the data. In the article as a whole, how
much do you think the text reflects the authors’ biases and how much reflects factual
description of the material remains? Justify your reasoning using insights from the
articles assigned for this topic and illustrate with concrete examples from the Malone
article.
Anthropology 4990
Spring 2008
L. Sattenspiel
Essay #3 — Food in human cultures past and present
(first draft due Monday, March 17; final draft due Monday, March 31)
Choose one real or imaginary human culture of the past or present. Briefly describe the
major characteristics of the diet of that culture. Choose three of the following individuals:
a) a cultural anthropologist specializing in ecological anthropology or a cultural
anthropologist specializing in political or economic anthropology, b) a biological
anthropologist specializing in human evolution or a biological anthropologist
specializing in human biology, c) an archaeologist, d) an epidemiologist, e) a dietitian.
Describe ways each of your three researchers might choose to study food and nutrition in
your culture. Make sure you link your suggested studies to characteristics of the diet as
you have described it, and also explain why you think these researchers would study
food the ways you have indicated.
Essay #4 — Ethics in Anthropology
(first draft due Monday, April 14; final draft due Monday, April 21)
Choose one of ethics topics we discussed in class (working with human subjects;
bioarchaeological ethics; or the Human Genome Project). Describe what you think are
the major ethical issues associated with your chosen topic and discuss how
anthropologists and other scientists have attempted to deal with these issues. Finally,
comment on how you would approach each of the issues you have identified if faced
with them and explain why you would take those approaches.
Essay #5 — Climate change and human activities
(first draft due Wednesday, April 30; final draft due Wednesday, May 7)
Note: I will not be able to get your draft back to you until Monday, May 5
Imagine that we are facing a major evolutionary shift similar in scale to the changes
that occurred during the australopithecine-Homo split (in other words, we are actively
evolving to what future anthropologists will recognize as a new species or genus). Use
concepts and ideas from each of the articles we are reading in this topic to discuss how
Anthropology 4990
Spring 2008
L. Sattenspiel
the characteristics of and potential shifts in our present climate might influence the
direction of evolution and environmental adaptations of our immediate descendants.