{"id":412,"date":"2020-10-21T17:02:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T17:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=412"},"modified":"2020-11-23T19:05:19","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T19:05:19","slug":"anthropology-professor-tips","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=412","title":{"rendered":"Anthropology &#8211; Professor Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-columns ab-layout-service-2 ab-layout-columns-1 one-column has-white-background-color ab-columns-center alignfull\" style=\"padding-right:5%;padding-left:5%\"><div class=\"ab-layout-column-wrap ab-block-layout-column-gap-2 ab-is-responsive-column\" style=\"max-width:1200px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:5%\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-container ab-block-container\"><div class=\"ab-container-inside\"><div class=\"ab-container-content\" style=\"max-width:700px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-columns ab-layout-columns-4 ab-4-col-equal\" style=\"margin-bottom:3%\"><div class=\"ab-layout-column-wrap ab-block-layout-column-gap-2 ab-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=396\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=396\">Overview<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=406(opens in a new tab)\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=406(opens in a new tab)\">research papers<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=400(opens in a new tab)\">Ethics and writing<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=408\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=408\">Citing Sources<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=402(opens in a new tab)\">getting started<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=410(opens in a new tab)\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=410(opens in a new tab)\">Sample Papers<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-column ab-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"ab-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=404(opens in a new tab)\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=404(opens in a new tab)\">Primary research<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professor Tips<\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"color:#ddd\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-spacer ab-block-spacer ab-divider-solid ab-divider-size-1\"><hr style=\"height:30px\" \/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips from Professors for Writing in Anthropology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is one thing that students must never forget about writing in Anthropology?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Back up generalities with data or specific examples\/cases. \u2014<em>Professor Crock<\/em><\/li><li>Anthropologists don\u2019t assume human universals. They don&#8217;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 \u2018many Chinese\u2019 or \u2018most Imora.\u2019 I think too also just not assuming that our culture\u2019s way of doing things can be uncritically applied to other cultures and societies. Don\u2019t inadvertently universalize people.\u2014<em>Professor Blom<\/em><\/li><li>The most important thing in anthropological writing is the use of evidence to support one&#8217;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.\u2014<em>Professor Eastman<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What makes you go &#8220;Wow&#8221; when reading papers. \u2014in a good way?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When students go beyond reporting and repeating information and present critical thoughts of their own on a subject and back them up. \u2014<em>Professor Crock<\/em><\/li><li>Well certainly the wow can\u2019t 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. \u2014<em>Professor Blom<\/em><\/li><li>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. \u2014<em>Professor Eastman<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What makes you go &#8220;Wow&#8221; when reading papers. \u2014in a bad way?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When a student has come up with their thesis statement before they\u2019ve actually read the literature. A paper that\u2019s poorly researched, that has not clearly gone through multiple revisions, that is a stream of consciousness first draft, that doesn\u2019t show development over time. A second draft that\u2019s just been minorly edited instead of revised, that makes me mad actually.\u2014<em>Professor Blom<\/em><\/li><li>When students slip into conversational style or slang. \u2014<em>Professor Crock<\/em><\/li><li>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,&#8230;). The second issue is more analytical as students who find a great quote will sometimes leave the quote to &#8220;speak for itself&#8221; 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.\u2014<em>Professor Eastman<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What can turn a good paper into a great paper?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>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.\u2014<em>Professor Blom<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is your favorite database for online research?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I think Google Scholar is a great place to start and explore. Then once people have a good sense of what\u2019s 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). \u2014<em>Professor Blom<\/em><\/li><li>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. \u2014<em>Professor Eastman<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Any last advice for writing in anthropology, whether for the intro courses or upper levels, or for linguistic anthropology specifically?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I think you first have to make sure that your question is anthropologically relevant. If you don\u2019t do that, you\u2019re in trouble. And you should pay attention to whether or not your sources are anthropological. We might ask, \u201cHow have human settlement changed over time?\u201d But we wouldn\u2019t ask a question about individuals. We wouldn\u2019t ask questions that would leave out a cultural group. We wouldn\u2019t ask questions that assume that individuals think the same way. Or that bodies are the same way. We would take a comparative approach.\u2014<em>Professor Blom<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tips from Professors for Writing in Anthropology What is one thing that students must never forget about writing in Anthropology? Back up generalities with data or specific examples\/cases. \u2014Professor Crock Anthropologists don\u2019t assume human universals. They don&#8217;t assume that all humans think the same way or that all humans have the same kinds of bodies &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=412\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Anthropology &#8211; Professor Tips<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6113,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/full-width-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-412","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-featured-image"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2580,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/412\/revisions\/2580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}