Through discussions related to applied anthropology I want to inspire social responsibility to use the skills of anthropology to help solve a social issue or problem. For example, if you see children dying of starvation at the age of 3 after weaning, and simply decide to give the mothers’ canned milk, what happens when that milk is gone? It is better to find a self-sustaining solution that will last long after the anthropologist leaves such as introducing milk goats to the community, teach them how to plant soy beans, or give them the skills and ability to feed their children. I am currently working with an NEH group that is focusing on learning skills from the Humanities as a way to better train healthcare professionals particularly in observation and interaction with patients.
I incorporate current issues, trends, and popular culture into the classroom to encourage critical thinking and discussion about social responsibility. When I talk about research methods I discuss that often Anthropologists must take a stand on a social issue. I ask every student to then voice his or her opinions on a current issue in the news.
I draw on popular culture to get students to think critically about their own society. For example, why is it that in American society we constantly talk about equality and yet women are still expected to take care of domestic duties? If you look at the commercials for household cleaners they typically show a woman cleaning the house. Even Mr. Clean shows a housewife how to gain cleaning strength from his product. In a commercial for cough syrup the slogan is to turn to “Dr. Mom.” The commercial first shows a male doctor in a lab coat and then cuts to the mother kneeling in front of her child spoon-feeding him cough syrup. Why is the doctor male and why is the mother (and not the father) responsible for the health of her family? (Not to mention that while the male doctor is standing, the mother is kneeling in front of her son). Most students are familiar with television commercials and programs and are able to contribute more references and comments. I assign peer-reviewed articles and encourage students to not only state the main argument, but to apply it and/or critically discuss it. Learning to read an article is another way to teach students how to write a paper (put the thesis in the introduction, explain your methodology, use topic sentences, etc.)
I give course assignments so that students gather real world examples and teach students how to develop an analytical argument. Students in my introduction to anthropology course work on group projects that explore the range of possibilities in the four fields (Physical, Archeological, Linguistic, and Cultural anthropology). They pick a topic within the sub-discipline. They must find and discuss a peer-reviewed academic article on the subject. This assignment teaches them how to work in groups, how to delegate work, and how to coordinate information. In the contemporary woman course students explore real world topics and apply the themes and articles from the course. Examples from past student projects include looking at gender work roles, gendered magazine advertisements, as well as the nature/nurture debates. In both classes they then present their findings in a poster presentation that includes an abstract, research methods, data analysis, and application of the selected article. They learn how anthropologists conduct fieldwork; they learn how to conduct scholarly research, and how to analyze it.
Students learn how to construct an essay using real world observations and interviews. In the sociology of aging course I have students conduct a life history interview with an elderly person they know. They submit three short descriptive papers for each life stage: childhood, adulthood, and senior. I write extensive comments on these short papers to help them to develop a thesis for the larger 10-page paper. Based on this raw data, they must come up with a thesis, they must describe their research methods, and apply a critical discussion of the assigned course articles, and key terms. Often students become enlightened as they learn the importance of talking to an elder person, and they learn how to write better. In the comparative religion course students must write a short observation paper of a public event. I write extensive comments and give suggestions on how they might analyze this material. Based on their observations they must develop a thesis related to the themes of the course. They must describe their methods and apply a critical discussion of the material using articles and concepts from the course. In this course they learn to appreciate different cultural practices and beliefs. Not only do they learn how to write, but also they learn to look at their own culture from an analytical perspective.
Syllabi and assignments:
ANTH 1101 Intro to Anthropology
ANTH 1102 Witchcraft, Magic, Religion
ANTH 1102 Gender, Culture, and Society– (2CONTEMP WOMEN SYLLABUS Fall 2016 copy)
ANTH 2000: Medical Anthropology
SOC 2201: Sociology of Aging (#4 Soc 2201 Aging SYLLABUS SP 14 copy)
SOC 1102: Sociology of the Family (SOC 1102 NYCTechFamilySyllabus)
SOC 3301: Emerging Global Society (SOC 3301 Globalization SYLLABUS – Spring 2013)
