Anthropology – Professor Tips

Back up generalities with data or specific examples/cases. —Professor Crock
Anthropologists don’t assume human universals. They don’t assume that all humans think the same way or that all humans have the same kinds of bodies or would react the same way in a certain situation. So that sometimes results in some clunky writing like ‘many Chinese’ or ‘most Imora.’ I think too also just not assuming that our culture’s way of doing things can be uncritically applied to other cultures and societies. Don’t inadvertently universalize people.—Professor Blom
The most important thing in anthropological writing is the use of evidence to support one’s interpretations/analyses. Whether it is ethnographic data from original research or specific references/examples from other anthropological theories, students need to be able to support their claims, to demonstrate the validity of their arguments rather than merely gesture to them.—Professor Eastman

When students go beyond reporting and repeating information and present critical thoughts of their own on a subject and back them up. —Professor Crock
Well certainly the wow can’t happen unless the student has taken care to be clear and concise and to document their sources and such. I think a paper makes me go wow if a student has thought about an intriguing and interesting and relevant question and then goes on to answer that question by using multiple sources, pulling them together with their own personal insights to answer that question. —Professor Blom
Great papers in anthropology combine persuasive arguments (i.e., they combine excellent rhetorical skills with the ability to marshal and integrate appropriate evidence) with creativity. By the latter, I mean much good anthropological writing helps us understand cultures very different from our own, but the very best of it also inspires us to think differently about our own beliefs, values, practices, etc. Such an approach may not be appropriate or necessary in every anthropology paper, but in most of them, students should embrace the opportunity to analyze how understanding other people helps us understand ourselves or humans more generally in new or clearer terms. —Professor Eastman

When a student has come up with their thesis statement before they’ve actually read the literature. A paper that’s poorly researched, that has not clearly gone through multiple revisions, that is a stream of consciousness first draft, that doesn’t show development over time. A second draft that’s just been minorly edited instead of revised, that makes me mad actually.—Professor Blom
When students slip into conversational style or slang. —Professor Crock
One common mistake in student papers is inadequately integrating and explaining quotes or examples from other texts. There are two key issues, the first of which is more mechanical insofar as students will often insert a direct quote without any sort of introduction or effort to contextualize the quote (at a minimum, it is helpful to have something like the following to introduce a quote: As Boas observes of the dangers of essentialism,…). The second issue is more analytical as students who find a great quote will sometimes leave the quote to “speak for itself” without connecting the quoted ideas to their own analysis. To address this I often encourage students to ask themselves why a particular direct quote is needed. What specific idea contained in a quote is helpful in clarifying, exemplifying, or emphasizing some aspect of their own analysis? The answer to that question is the beginning of the 1-2 sentences that should accompany and integrate a direct quote.—Professor Eastman

It depends on what has made it only a good paper. A paper that is incredibly solid and wonderful in terms of ideas that is sloppily executed can become a great paper through attention to detail and writing style. A paper that is just regurgitating what one has talked about in class that pulls in new ideas from other classes or other sources and integrates those ideas and takes the conclusions another step-that would make a great paper.—Professor Blom

I think Google Scholar is a great place to start and explore. Then once people have a good sense of what’s out there on their topic, a database such as Academic Search Premier is great. When doing cultural anthropology type research, then AnthroSource is good. When doing more biological research, then InterScience (which may have a new name). —Professor Blom
Conducting research in anthropology is highly varied so the best resources for guidance will change depending on the specific assignment. If the research is meant to be more field work-based, the student should absolutely consult with their professor. If the project is more tied to text-based research, students should avail themselves of Lori Kutner, the research librarian at UVM who consults with the Anthropology Department. She is an invaluable resource for navigating the overwhelming array of publications available at UVM and online. My favorite databases are JSTOR and AnthroSource. —Professor Eastman

I think you first have to make sure that your question is anthropologically relevant. If you don’t do that, you’re in trouble. And you should pay attention to whether or not your sources are anthropological. We might ask, “How have human settlement changed over time?” But we wouldn’t ask a question about individuals. We wouldn’t ask questions that would leave out a cultural group. We wouldn’t ask questions that assume that individuals think the same way. Or that bodies are the same way. We would take a comparative approach.—Professor Blom