ANTH 116W 1 st Research Paper Guidelines

Transcription

1 ANTH 116W 1 st Research Paper Guidelines This research paper assignment is designed to provide students an opportunity to develop firsthand knowledge of a religious system with which they presently have little or no familiarity. It will enable students to gain practice in developing and applying basic research skills and to test those skills in what may be, for many, an unfamiliar subject area (i.e., the Anthropology of Religion). The focus and assignment requirements are: to investigate and report on the nature/characteristics of a contemporary non-world religion to examine and explain how religion and culture merge, interact, and impact one another within a particular society Religions not approved for this exercise include any form of Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Confucian, Daoist (Taoist), Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Sikh, or Zoroastrian belief system. STEP ONE: Choose a religion or culture group that interests you, read about it, and determine the focus and any questions you want to pursue. Keep in mind that whichever perspectives you choose to address in approaching your topic (e.g. subsistence practices, political, feminist, art, music, architectural, etc), it must explore or reveal fundamentally how religion and culture influence each other in contemporary society. In other words, the perspective(s) you choose, general or specific discipline(s) is/are to satisfy your own interests. Exploring how religion and culture intertwine and influence each other in a contemporary religion/culture addresses the fundamental requirements of this paper. STEP TWO: (Not Optional) Write a 200 word topic proposal explaining in detail the specific focus of your research, the questions you wish to pursue, and what you hope to accomplish, resolve, or provide readers through your research report. Then, in a separate section below your proposal, provide an annotated bibliography consisting of three (3) references you have consulted in your preliminary research, each followed by a 50 word evaluative description of the content of the reference. In other words, write a full and complete bibliographic entry for the book or article you viewed, skip a line, then write a 50 word paragraph describing the general content of the reference: what you like and/or dislike about it, and possibly what you find useful in the source or anything else you may want to say about it. That is what is meant by the term 1

2 annotated bibliography. Please note that you will not be required to use those three references in your research paper. However, the topic proposal with annotated references stimulates a beginning of the research project, and enables me to review the nature and direction of proposed projects, provide suggestions, and to alert students to problems they may encounter and possible solutions. Understand that the topic proposal and the annotated bibliography are separate items and may not be mixed together. An Example Proposal Ppr document is available to clarify form and content requirements. The 200 word topic proposal along with three annotated bibliographic references must be submitted to me for approval on or before the due date listed in the course syllabus. If you have any questions, concerns, or doubts about the acceptability of a particular topic, please discuss them with me before you spend time and energy researching the project. STEP THREE: Once your project is approved, go on to complete your research and begin to write the paper. The research paper must include the following elements: a real title ( Research Paper or Haitian Voodoo do not supply enough information) a full introduction the body of the paper, which will contain a brief description of the culture you are looking at, an in-depth description of the particular religious practices and how they attach to or merge with the culture, and an analysis of your research findings a summary of the total presentation and your final conclusions a works cited section listing only the references that you have quoted or paraphrased in your paper [the minimum requirement is six (6) references] NOTES 1. Each of the required parts and the format of the research paper will be examined in detail and explained in class discussions. The analysis in your paper must be based in a cultural relativist stance (to be discussed in class) so that you present neither a justification nor a condemnation of the beliefs and behaviors under discussion. You will need to state a theoretical position in your paper. To do so, a review of the textbook discussions of the functions of religion, of religious specialists, or of the components of religious practice may prove to be a good starting point. As you write your paper, do not panic if the topic turns out to deviate a bit from what you proposed earlier; this is a fairly common situation and it is not problematic. 2

3 2. All specific facts, data, and ideas presented in the paper that you obtain from references of any kind must be fully and properly cited at the point in the paper where the information appears. In other words, if you collect information from informants, properly document who they are. Books, academic journals, and films are acceptable sources. Dictionaries, popular magazines, and websites are not acceptable sources no exceptions! In particular, websites do not constitute credible resources for the purposes of this assignment. Websites certainly can be sources of data under some circumstances, but because the accuracy of many websites cannot be verified easily, they may not be used as sources of valid evidence or analysis in this course. 3. This being an anthropology course, papers must use the American Anthropology Association style (explained, with examples, in the Documentation in Anthropology guide). The format guidelines for this research paper and for all writing assignments in this course are as follows: All papers must be word processed or typed on standard, white, 8½ x 11 inch paper Use 12 point Times New Roman typeface (font) Use black ink only (if your printer is low on black ink, buy a new ink cartridge) Do not justify the text (that means no blocked text a straight edge on the left side only) Double-space the body of all papers Use exactly one-inch margins on all four sides Include page numbers on every page except the first page (do not add your name to the number) Citations must be in-line (no footnotes) Do not use sub-titles or sub-headings in the course research papers (I will explain the reason in class) All works must include a Works Cited page (all references should be single spaced) Do not submit your papers in any sort of folder, binder, or protective cover Do not include a cover page Staple pages together for any and all assignments you turn in Any variation from these standards will result in a point and/or grade reduction. 4. You are required to cite a minimum of six (6) reference sources in the body of the paper (excluding course textbooks) and you must list each source cited in your paper on a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. Four of the six references in the paper must be from printed materials (No more than 1 encyclopedia may be used as a reference source). Dictionaries, if referenced in the paper, will not count as one of the six required references. A limited number of pre-approved interviews (usually, no more than two) may also be used as 3

4 sources, but please check with me for information about selecting good and reliable interview sources. Caution: absolutely no online sources, e-library databases, or the like are to be used in your paper! 5. I strongly advise that all students (native and non-native speakers of English) have their papers proof read, and possibly edited, by a competent individual before submitting them to me for a grade. For those whose grammar or general writing ability is not high, I strongly suggest you obtain assistance throughout the entire writing process from the Learning Resource Center (LRC) located in the basement floor of the Madden Library or from the Writing Center located in the Education Building (1 st floor). Please provided your tutor with a copy of the requirements for the research paper, so they know precisely what I required. Please note that to get the most benefit out of using the LRC or Writing Center you will need to work with them from start to finish, and you will need to visit with the center frequently (usually 30 minute appointments - don t just drop by, except on the first visit). If you write your entire paper and then go to the center to have someone proofread and edit it, they will not be able to do much in 30 minutes. They are there to assist you in developing your paper, not to act as a personal proof reading and editing service! If you just want the latter, go to a pro and pay them to assist you. Advisory Note: Most of the student volunteers at the two centers do a good job of assisting students with constructing their papers. However, stuff happens. If you have a poor experience with one of the tutors, I need to be informed immediately! Tell me the name of the tutor, the day and time you visited the enter, and the nature of the difficulty. I will take it from there. 6. The Topics and References document contains a list of specific topics and the references that former students of this course have used. Your research choices are not limited to the particular topics and culture groups on the list. Rather, the list is provided as a resource and illustrative aid with examples that may assist you in choosing a topic and in getting the research process started. I make no claims as to the quality of the references that are listed. Some refs are good, some have very specific applications, and some are not among the best available resources. Furthermore, new books and articles are added to the Madden library s collections every semester. Please do not concern yourself with trying to choose a project that is different from everyone else. The research questions you pose with regard to the particular culture or belief 4

5 system you focus on will likely serve to distinguish your topic. Also know that the amount of research materials available in the Madden library are more than enough to supply multiple individuals with a good supply of quality research materials on exactly the same ethnic group and or the same belief system. 7. I do not accept late papers! Try to complete your paper early enough to allow time to fully proof read and edit your paper. Last minute emergencies usually will not seriously impact the situation unless a student has procrastinated until the last minute and they attempts to complete their course work by the deadline. If all else fails, note that a 1500 word not fully polished paper may not receive a great grade, but it will far surpass having to drop the class for being unable to submit the required fully completed paper on time. Nonetheless, if all else fails and if you do run into problems, do not give up! Communicate with me immediately, as early as possible. I will try to help. 5