(Introduction to Cultural Anthropology) Entire Course
Week 1 DQ1 Cultural Relativism.
Cultural Anthropology gives three distinct meanings of cultural relativism: a moral stance that requires anthropologists to suspend moral and ethical judgments when interacting with a culture different from their own, a methodological strategy that allows the anthropologist to pay specific
attention to the uniqueness of a culture, and an epistemological position that cultures are unique and therefore knowledge about different cultures is almost inherently not comparable. (Sec. 1.3).
In your forum contribution:
a. Discuss what you see as the strengths and weaknesses of each of these three kinds of relativism.
b. Identify one belief or practice in another culture that you find puzzling, strange, or troubling, and then discuss the extent that cultural relativism is a useful approach to understanding and interacting with the people who hold it.
c. Discuss the extent that cultural relativism would be a useful approach to understanding and interacting with people in your own society that did (or do) the same.
d. Explore the extent to which whether one is studying in one's own country or in another makes a difference in the applicability of cultural relativism to one's research.
Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers. Please support your claims with examples from the text, required and recommended material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least
two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 1 DQ2 Studying Culture.
Choose one of the "Consider This" boxes that Nowak and Laird present us with in Chapters 1 and 2 of Cultural Anthropology, or discuss the topics below from the film Margaret Mead: Coming of Age, available in the Films On Demand database, in the Ashford Online Library.
The topics covered are:
a. Whether the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be applicable to all cultures
b. Whether it is possible to truly view a culture without being influenced by the cultural constructs of our own culture
c. How our understanding of what it means to be a patient in the United States reflects our different cultural backgrounds and affiliations
d. In the film Margaret Mead: Coming of Age, it is mentioned that Mead’s initial research was criticized on methodological grounds. Why was that? Do you consider the criticism warranted or not warranted? What could she have done differently?
e. Based on the film and the book, discuss the challenges of field work. What do you think would be the most difficult? What has changed since the time of Mead?
Clearly identify the topic you choose at the outset of your discussion, and answer all aspects of it thoroughly. Your answer should contain a balance of descriptive detail and cultural analysis. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers. Include
examples or information from the film in any question answer as you see fit. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings by Day 7.
Week 2 Assignment Critical Thinking Paper – Kinship Organizations. Kinship systems in Foraging and Horticultural based societies provide support for people in all stages of their life. Address the following in a two- to three-page paper:
a. Identify and describe the kinship system of one of the cultures listed below. These cultures are found in Chapters 3 and 4 of Cultural Anthropology.
§ Australian Aborigines
§ Btsisi
§ Inuit of the Artic
§ Iroquois
§ San
§ Yanomamo
b. Briefly describe the culture and identify three specific examples of how the kinship system of the chosen culture impacts the way this culture behaves (i.e. thinks, acts, lives).
c. Compare this to your own society. Does kinship impact these same behaviors in your own life? Why or why not?
Your paper must be in APA format. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.
Week 2 DQ1 Foraging Societies.
Answer one of the following four questions posed by Nowak and Laird, in Cultural Anthropology, at the very end of Chapter 3:
a. What can we learn from studying foraging societies? Is there anything we can learn regarding our relationship to the environment, or our family members, for example?
b. What is the ethnographic present? Do you think that the use of the ethnographic present in the film The Gods Must Be Crazy is appropriate, or do you think Lee's criticisms are valid?
c. Do you think the view of many anthropologists (pre–1970s) that men's hunting activities are more highly valued than women's gathering activities is a culturally biased perspective based on Eurocentric notions that men are the family "breadwinners"? Do you think this view is outdated
(based both on more recent ethnographic information and changes in American culture)?
d. An Inuit mother has just given birth to a baby. She has a one–year–old baby still dependent on her milk. It is the season of food scarcity, which means the mother is not as well nourished as she could be. She and her husband decide that their older child is a higher priority, and they opt to
end their newborn baby's life. Considering the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, discuss the practice of infanticide.
Clearly identify the topic you chose at the outset of your discussion. Answer the question posed thoroughly and thoughtfully by building on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Respond
to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 2 DQ2 Economic Concerns
You have two choices for this discussion.
1)Choose one of the following questions raised by Nowak and Laird in their "Consider This" boxes, in Chapter 4, of Cultural Anthropology .Be sure to indicate at the outset which question you are answering. Read the original question and relevant information in Chapter 4 before answering
the question you choose. Your answer should give clear examples, include cross-cultural comparison, and demonstrate critical thinking and analysis. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers.
a)What is the traditional sexual division of labor in American culture? Is it undergoing a transformation? Among Btsisi’, women and men are respected for the tasks they perform. Do you think this is the case in the United States?
b)How does the location of your home, and the concentration of the population within a particular area, relate to your mode of production? Has this changed in our North American culture over time? Can you predict a time when, as a society, where we live will not be dictated by our modes
of production?
c)Kinship systems in horticultural-based societies provide support for people in all stages of life. With the current mobility of global populations we find ourselves increasingly geographically distant from parents and grandparents. How do we as members of a highly mobile and diverse
society compensate for the lack of accessible kin?
2)Now that you have learned about different types of reciprocity, watch Video Reciprocity and answer the following question about web reciprocity: To what extent are they similar to and different from the examples on reciprocity given in Chapter 4?
Use terms and examples from the discussion on reciprocity in Chapter 4 to critically evaluate the various perspectives on reciprocity highlighted in the video. Give your own opinion about the principles of reciprocity that should guide web interactions in general and video channel
interactions in particular.
Week 3 Assignment Rough Draft of Final Cultural Research Paper.
To ensure that you are properly prepared for your Final Cultural Research Paper in this course, you must complete a draft/outline that includes:
a. A culture from the list below:
§ Basseri of Iran
§ The Batek of Malaysia
§ Enga
§ The Amish
§ Huaorani of Ecuador
§ Bedouin
§ Zulu
§ Kurds
§ Maori
§ Mbuti
§ Nayar of India
§ Semai
§ Navajo
§ Tikopia of Melanesia
b. Three scholarly research journals, ethnographies and ethnologies to be used as the primary sources of information.
c. Identification of the chosen cultures primary mode of subsistence. (Foragers, Horticulturalists, Pastoralists, Emerging Agriculturalists, Agrarian States or Industrialists)
d. Identification of the three aspects of culture which will be used in the Final Cultural Research Paper from the list below:
§ Beliefs and values
§ Economic organization
§ Gender relations
§ Kinship
§ Political organization
§ Sickness and healing
§ Social change
§ Social organization
The above information should be presented in an outline and must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis and a properly formatted reference page. Do not submit a full seven- to eight-page draft at this time!
Your paper must be in APA format. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.
Week 3 DQ1 Social Organization.
Watch Blood Bonds, available in the Films On Demand database, in the Ashford Online Library. Describe the correlation between arranged marriage, economic exchanges surrounding marriage (bridewealth, bride service, dowry, etc.), status of women, family pressures, and other factors you
can think of and the stability of marriage. Based on your reading of the textbook and the film, what are the disadvantages of different forms of marriages? Do you think they can be as successful as marriages of choice? Which form of marriage do you have the hardest time understanding?
Reflect on marriage and divorce in current North American societies. What factors contribute to the stability of marriages in our culture? What factors contribute to stability of marriage in the cultures shown in the film? And lastly, what factors of the cultures in the film could contribute to
the stability of marriage in our culture? And vise versa? Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the required resources. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 3 DQ2 Doing Business with Family.
Nowak and Laird's Applying Anthropology 6.2 box, in Cultural Anthropology, proposes the following question:
The familiar saying “never do business with family” advises against the practices used in many of the chiefdom societies discussed in this chapter. This old saying implies that doing business with family will create conflict, whereas chiefdom societies welcome and encourage such close-knit
economic exchanges as a way of preventing conflict. In fact, in an interesting article on family businesses, Bertrand and Schoar comment on how cultures based on strong family ties can have a negative impact on economic development. The reasoning is that the more we are taught to
count on our kinship and family ties, the less likely we are to trust those outside our family networks, which greatly prohibits the development of larger economic institutions...
Consider both examples and create an argument for or against mixing business with family. When responding to this question, be sure to engage in cross-cultural comparison, taking into consideration variation in subsistence systems, descent systems, mobility, and any other factors you
consider pertinent. Draw examples from the ethnographic record, your own experience, and the experience of others with whom you are familiar. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, recommended material,
and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 4 DQ1 Monumental Architecture.
What does monumental architecture imply about the cultural values and the socio-economic-political organization of the society that created it?
Do a bit of Internet research on religious or secular monuments, statues, and architectural wonders in your city, state, country, or internationally. Choose a monument (or set of monuments), describe its main features, discuss any symbolism it has, and analyze the messages it sends to its
intended audience(s). Provide a link to an image of the monument itself for the rest of us to see.
Bring in what you have read on leadership and political and religious organization in band, tribes, and states up to now in developing your answer. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your claims. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in
length. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 4 DQ2 Economy and Colonialism.
Relate what you have read in Chapter 8, of Cultural Anthropology, regarding colonialism and the expansion of capitalism in modern industrial societies to the article, “Marketers Pursue the Shallow Pocketed.” Is the information being discussed in this article another example of colonialism?
Why or why not? Identify two potential positives and two negatives direct marketing of the poor has on people and their economies. What theory of development is most applicable to the expansion of global markets to poor, low income, and indigenous communities?
Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, required material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 5 DQ1 Ethics in Anthropology.
Be sure to watch and read the “Miscellaneous Topics” at the end of Chapter 9 ofCultural Anthropology. Then, address the following topic: As noted, anthropology’s work with the military over the years has been wrought with controversy. Where do you stand on the issue regarding the use
of anthropologists in intelligence gathering for the military? Can you come up with a compelling argument based on examples given in the text, your understanding of the ethical requirements of anthropologist, and from your own experiences /understanding of past and present military
actions to take a stance on this issue? Please use concepts and terminology from the text. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, recommended material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 5 DQ2 Anthropology and the Future.
Watch Winners and Losers, available in the Films On Demand database, in the Ashford Online Library. Which issues are most urgent in our world today? Are they the same in the US as in the developing world? Where will the application of an anthropological perspective be most effective?
Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, recommended material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 5 Assignment Final Cultural Research Paper
Focus of the Research Paper
Throughout this course, we have learned that the primary mode of subsistence (how a culture makes a living) impacts many other aspects of cultural behavior and has been an effective way to organize thoughts and studies about culture. In order to demonstrate your understanding of
subsistence modes and its impact on a culture and why a culture acts as it does, your Research Paper will require you to:
1. Select a specific culture from the following list:
a. Basseri of Iran
b. The Batek of Malaysia
c. Enga
d. The Amish
e. Huaorani of Ecuador
f. Bedouin
g. Zulu
h. Kurds
i. Maori
j. Mbuti
k. Nayar of India
l. Semai
m. Navajo
n. Tikopia of Melanesia
2. Research this culture using the Ashford University Online Library. Please identify and use a minimum of three scholarly articles from the library in addition to the text your research. Keep in mind that most anthropological research, whether article length or book length, is either an
ethnography or an ethnology. You may use any combination of ethnographies or ethnologies in your paper.
3. Write a seven to eight page long research paper that does the following:
a. Identifies and classifies the selected culture’s primary mode of subsistence. ( Foragers, Horticulturalists, Pastoralists, Emerging Agriculturalists, Agrarian States, or Industrialists)
b. Analyzes and evaluates the impact that the primary mode of subsistence of the selected culture has on at least three of the following aspects of culture:
i. Beliefs and values
ii. Economic organization
iii. Gender relations
iv. Kinship
v. Political organization
vi. Sickness and healing
vii. Social change
viii. Social organization
The Research Paper must be formatted according to APA style and include a title and a reference page (which does not count towards the page length). For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left
navigation toolbar, in your online course.
In Week Three, you are required to submit an introductory paragraph, thesis statement, an outline, and your properly formatted reference page with the required sources identified. At that point, you should have chosen your culture and identified its primary mode of subsistence.
Writing the Research Paper
The Research Paper:
1. Must be seven to eight double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
a. Title of paper
b. Student’s name
c. Course name and number
d. Instructor’s name
e. Date submitted
3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
6. Must use at least three scholarly sources from the Ashford Online Library.
7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Week 1 DQ1 Cultural Relativism.
Cultural Anthropology gives three distinct meanings of cultural relativism: a moral stance that requires anthropologists to suspend moral and ethical judgments when interacting with a culture different from their own, a methodological strategy that allows the anthropologist to pay specific
attention to the uniqueness of a culture, and an epistemological position that cultures are unique and therefore knowledge about different cultures is almost inherently not comparable. (Sec. 1.3).
In your forum contribution:
a. Discuss what you see as the strengths and weaknesses of each of these three kinds of relativism.
b. Identify one belief or practice in another culture that you find puzzling, strange, or troubling, and then discuss the extent that cultural relativism is a useful approach to understanding and interacting with the people who hold it.
c. Discuss the extent that cultural relativism would be a useful approach to understanding and interacting with people in your own society that did (or do) the same.
d. Explore the extent to which whether one is studying in one's own country or in another makes a difference in the applicability of cultural relativism to one's research.
Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers. Please support your claims with examples from the text, required and recommended material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least
two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 1 DQ2 Studying Culture.
Choose one of the "Consider This" boxes that Nowak and Laird present us with in Chapters 1 and 2 of Cultural Anthropology, or discuss the topics below from the film Margaret Mead: Coming of Age, available in the Films On Demand database, in the Ashford Online Library.
The topics covered are:
a. Whether the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be applicable to all cultures
b. Whether it is possible to truly view a culture without being influenced by the cultural constructs of our own culture
c. How our understanding of what it means to be a patient in the United States reflects our different cultural backgrounds and affiliations
d. In the film Margaret Mead: Coming of Age, it is mentioned that Mead’s initial research was criticized on methodological grounds. Why was that? Do you consider the criticism warranted or not warranted? What could she have done differently?
e. Based on the film and the book, discuss the challenges of field work. What do you think would be the most difficult? What has changed since the time of Mead?
Clearly identify the topic you choose at the outset of your discussion, and answer all aspects of it thoroughly. Your answer should contain a balance of descriptive detail and cultural analysis. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers. Include
examples or information from the film in any question answer as you see fit. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings by Day 7.
Week 2 Assignment Critical Thinking Paper – Kinship Organizations. Kinship systems in Foraging and Horticultural based societies provide support for people in all stages of their life. Address the following in a two- to three-page paper:
a. Identify and describe the kinship system of one of the cultures listed below. These cultures are found in Chapters 3 and 4 of Cultural Anthropology.
§ Australian Aborigines
§ Btsisi
§ Inuit of the Artic
§ Iroquois
§ San
§ Yanomamo
b. Briefly describe the culture and identify three specific examples of how the kinship system of the chosen culture impacts the way this culture behaves (i.e. thinks, acts, lives).
c. Compare this to your own society. Does kinship impact these same behaviors in your own life? Why or why not?
Your paper must be in APA format. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.
Week 2 DQ1 Foraging Societies.
Answer one of the following four questions posed by Nowak and Laird, in Cultural Anthropology, at the very end of Chapter 3:
a. What can we learn from studying foraging societies? Is there anything we can learn regarding our relationship to the environment, or our family members, for example?
b. What is the ethnographic present? Do you think that the use of the ethnographic present in the film The Gods Must Be Crazy is appropriate, or do you think Lee's criticisms are valid?
c. Do you think the view of many anthropologists (pre–1970s) that men's hunting activities are more highly valued than women's gathering activities is a culturally biased perspective based on Eurocentric notions that men are the family "breadwinners"? Do you think this view is outdated
(based both on more recent ethnographic information and changes in American culture)?
d. An Inuit mother has just given birth to a baby. She has a one–year–old baby still dependent on her milk. It is the season of food scarcity, which means the mother is not as well nourished as she could be. She and her husband decide that their older child is a higher priority, and they opt to
end their newborn baby's life. Considering the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, discuss the practice of infanticide.
Clearly identify the topic you chose at the outset of your discussion. Answer the question posed thoroughly and thoughtfully by building on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Respond
to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 2 DQ2 Economic Concerns
You have two choices for this discussion.
1)Choose one of the following questions raised by Nowak and Laird in their "Consider This" boxes, in Chapter 4, of Cultural Anthropology .Be sure to indicate at the outset which question you are answering. Read the original question and relevant information in Chapter 4 before answering
the question you choose. Your answer should give clear examples, include cross-cultural comparison, and demonstrate critical thinking and analysis. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your answers.
a)What is the traditional sexual division of labor in American culture? Is it undergoing a transformation? Among Btsisi’, women and men are respected for the tasks they perform. Do you think this is the case in the United States?
b)How does the location of your home, and the concentration of the population within a particular area, relate to your mode of production? Has this changed in our North American culture over time? Can you predict a time when, as a society, where we live will not be dictated by our modes
of production?
c)Kinship systems in horticultural-based societies provide support for people in all stages of life. With the current mobility of global populations we find ourselves increasingly geographically distant from parents and grandparents. How do we as members of a highly mobile and diverse
society compensate for the lack of accessible kin?
2)Now that you have learned about different types of reciprocity, watch Video Reciprocity and answer the following question about web reciprocity: To what extent are they similar to and different from the examples on reciprocity given in Chapter 4?
Use terms and examples from the discussion on reciprocity in Chapter 4 to critically evaluate the various perspectives on reciprocity highlighted in the video. Give your own opinion about the principles of reciprocity that should guide web interactions in general and video channel
interactions in particular.
Week 3 Assignment Rough Draft of Final Cultural Research Paper.
To ensure that you are properly prepared for your Final Cultural Research Paper in this course, you must complete a draft/outline that includes:
a. A culture from the list below:
§ Basseri of Iran
§ The Batek of Malaysia
§ Enga
§ The Amish
§ Huaorani of Ecuador
§ Bedouin
§ Zulu
§ Kurds
§ Maori
§ Mbuti
§ Nayar of India
§ Semai
§ Navajo
§ Tikopia of Melanesia
b. Three scholarly research journals, ethnographies and ethnologies to be used as the primary sources of information.
c. Identification of the chosen cultures primary mode of subsistence. (Foragers, Horticulturalists, Pastoralists, Emerging Agriculturalists, Agrarian States or Industrialists)
d. Identification of the three aspects of culture which will be used in the Final Cultural Research Paper from the list below:
§ Beliefs and values
§ Economic organization
§ Gender relations
§ Kinship
§ Political organization
§ Sickness and healing
§ Social change
§ Social organization
The above information should be presented in an outline and must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis and a properly formatted reference page. Do not submit a full seven- to eight-page draft at this time!
Your paper must be in APA format. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.
Week 3 DQ1 Social Organization.
Watch Blood Bonds, available in the Films On Demand database, in the Ashford Online Library. Describe the correlation between arranged marriage, economic exchanges surrounding marriage (bridewealth, bride service, dowry, etc.), status of women, family pressures, and other factors you
can think of and the stability of marriage. Based on your reading of the textbook and the film, what are the disadvantages of different forms of marriages? Do you think they can be as successful as marriages of choice? Which form of marriage do you have the hardest time understanding?
Reflect on marriage and divorce in current North American societies. What factors contribute to the stability of marriages in our culture? What factors contribute to stability of marriage in the cultures shown in the film? And lastly, what factors of the cultures in the film could contribute to
the stability of marriage in our culture? And vise versa? Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the required resources. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 3 DQ2 Doing Business with Family.
Nowak and Laird's Applying Anthropology 6.2 box, in Cultural Anthropology, proposes the following question:
The familiar saying “never do business with family” advises against the practices used in many of the chiefdom societies discussed in this chapter. This old saying implies that doing business with family will create conflict, whereas chiefdom societies welcome and encourage such close-knit
economic exchanges as a way of preventing conflict. In fact, in an interesting article on family businesses, Bertrand and Schoar comment on how cultures based on strong family ties can have a negative impact on economic development. The reasoning is that the more we are taught to
count on our kinship and family ties, the less likely we are to trust those outside our family networks, which greatly prohibits the development of larger economic institutions...
Consider both examples and create an argument for or against mixing business with family. When responding to this question, be sure to engage in cross-cultural comparison, taking into consideration variation in subsistence systems, descent systems, mobility, and any other factors you
consider pertinent. Draw examples from the ethnographic record, your own experience, and the experience of others with whom you are familiar. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, recommended material,
and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 4 DQ1 Monumental Architecture.
What does monumental architecture imply about the cultural values and the socio-economic-political organization of the society that created it?
Do a bit of Internet research on religious or secular monuments, statues, and architectural wonders in your city, state, country, or internationally. Choose a monument (or set of monuments), describe its main features, discuss any symbolism it has, and analyze the messages it sends to its
intended audience(s). Provide a link to an image of the monument itself for the rest of us to see.
Bring in what you have read on leadership and political and religious organization in band, tribes, and states up to now in developing your answer. Build on the ideas and terminology in the text and your own ideas to support your claims. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in
length. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 4 DQ2 Economy and Colonialism.
Relate what you have read in Chapter 8, of Cultural Anthropology, regarding colonialism and the expansion of capitalism in modern industrial societies to the article, “Marketers Pursue the Shallow Pocketed.” Is the information being discussed in this article another example of colonialism?
Why or why not? Identify two potential positives and two negatives direct marketing of the poor has on people and their economies. What theory of development is most applicable to the expansion of global markets to poor, low income, and indigenous communities?
Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, required material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 5 DQ1 Ethics in Anthropology.
Be sure to watch and read the “Miscellaneous Topics” at the end of Chapter 9 ofCultural Anthropology. Then, address the following topic: As noted, anthropology’s work with the military over the years has been wrought with controversy. Where do you stand on the issue regarding the use
of anthropologists in intelligence gathering for the military? Can you come up with a compelling argument based on examples given in the text, your understanding of the ethical requirements of anthropologist, and from your own experiences /understanding of past and present military
actions to take a stance on this issue? Please use concepts and terminology from the text. Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, recommended material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 5 DQ2 Anthropology and the Future.
Watch Winners and Losers, available in the Films On Demand database, in the Ashford Online Library. Which issues are most urgent in our world today? Are they the same in the US as in the developing world? Where will the application of an anthropological perspective be most effective?
Your initial response should be at least 150 words in length. Please support your claims with examples from the text, recommended material, and/or scholarly articles. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.
Week 5 Assignment Final Cultural Research Paper
Focus of the Research Paper
Throughout this course, we have learned that the primary mode of subsistence (how a culture makes a living) impacts many other aspects of cultural behavior and has been an effective way to organize thoughts and studies about culture. In order to demonstrate your understanding of
subsistence modes and its impact on a culture and why a culture acts as it does, your Research Paper will require you to:
1. Select a specific culture from the following list:
a. Basseri of Iran
b. The Batek of Malaysia
c. Enga
d. The Amish
e. Huaorani of Ecuador
f. Bedouin
g. Zulu
h. Kurds
i. Maori
j. Mbuti
k. Nayar of India
l. Semai
m. Navajo
n. Tikopia of Melanesia
2. Research this culture using the Ashford University Online Library. Please identify and use a minimum of three scholarly articles from the library in addition to the text your research. Keep in mind that most anthropological research, whether article length or book length, is either an
ethnography or an ethnology. You may use any combination of ethnographies or ethnologies in your paper.
3. Write a seven to eight page long research paper that does the following:
a. Identifies and classifies the selected culture’s primary mode of subsistence. ( Foragers, Horticulturalists, Pastoralists, Emerging Agriculturalists, Agrarian States, or Industrialists)
b. Analyzes and evaluates the impact that the primary mode of subsistence of the selected culture has on at least three of the following aspects of culture:
i. Beliefs and values
ii. Economic organization
iii. Gender relations
iv. Kinship
v. Political organization
vi. Sickness and healing
vii. Social change
viii. Social organization
The Research Paper must be formatted according to APA style and include a title and a reference page (which does not count towards the page length). For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left
navigation toolbar, in your online course.
In Week Three, you are required to submit an introductory paragraph, thesis statement, an outline, and your properly formatted reference page with the required sources identified. At that point, you should have chosen your culture and identified its primary mode of subsistence.
Writing the Research Paper
The Research Paper:
1. Must be seven to eight double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
a. Title of paper
b. Student’s name
c. Course name and number
d. Instructor’s name
e. Date submitted
3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
6. Must use at least three scholarly sources from the Ashford Online Library.
7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
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