The term project in this course counts for 60 points. The main goal in ANT 1120 is for students to gain awareness of, and sensitivity toward, alternative cultural systems and to effectively incorporate the “anthropological perspective” into his or her way of thinking about other people. One way to work toward this goal is to examine in detail the essential aspects of the “lifestyle” of another group of people. Another component of this course is the aspect of global connectedness through internet exploration. This term project incorporates those elements and stated goals while encouraging the student to think critically by using analytical skills in the effort to synthesize material.
Project: An “electronic journal” document of 20 hours of video/documentary program viewing reflecting anthropological concepts and cultural universals. The term project is due on Tuesday,11/26 – Week 14. See the Course Outline for these due dates.
Description and What to Watch:
There are a lot of excellent programs and documentaries provided on progressive, viewer-supported, TV networks and the internet (local PBS stations, BBC, Free Speech TV, Link TV, TheRealNews.com, etc.) The programming on these networks can serve admirably to expose viewers to alternative cultural views and lifestyles. These networks can offer serious, un-censored information about what’s going on in the world today, and from a variety of cultural perspectives that is not offered on the major commercial networks. These can all be accessed online and/or through satellite TV systems such as Dish TV, Direct TV, Spectrum, etc. PBS programs such as “Global 3000, Earth Trek, Nova, Nature, When Worlds Collide, and Global Voices” are good starting points. Additionally, websites such as DocumentaryTube, Topdocumentaryfilms, Openculture, and others make finding relevant programs easy.
To determine whether a program is appropriate, check our Course Outline topics each week and see if the program fits into these themes (subsistence, family, marriage systems, language, religion, politics, etc.). There are literally thousands of appropriate programs. Be creative and explore beyond my suggestions. Understand that your 20 hrs should not contain major commercial networks, episodic fictional shows, cooking shows, travel shows, etc. which are general, superficial and do not conform to the requirements.
You can satisfy the term project requirement by watching 20 (or more) hours of appropriate programming and submitting a typed “electronic journal” of what you have watched, as well as your thoughts about the material presented. See the template on page 3. Please note, any videos I assign as weekly viewing in this course are not eligible as these are part of your course material. Your project is your responsibility.
Requirements & Grading:
- Watch 20 hours or more of appropriate programming from the networks/websites listed. You should avoid major commercial, for-profit networks like CNN, NBC, HBO, History Channel, NatGeo, Discovery Channel, etc. You must have a wide variety of programs, topics, and network/website sources. Do not watch multiple “episodes” of one program or concentrate on one theme/topic only. (Worth 30%)
- Reserve the first few pages of your journal for a Table of Contents that includes each program title, the network or website where it aired, date/time you viewed it, and length of program. Provide a total at the bottom for all hours viewed. (Worth 8%)
- For each program, you will provide a heading with the program name, network, length, and the date/ time you watched. Following this, you will summarize the program, highlight 3 main points, connect it to our course, and provide your thoughts or opinions about the content. The connection to our class is key as well as commenting on any cultural perspectives you may have observed in watching the programs. Worth 31%
- After all 20 (or more) hours have been met and your journal is complete, write a 3-5 page summary (typed, double-spaced) in which you compare the programming you watched for this project, with more familiar shows and programs you have seen and are familiar with from the major commercial networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX,). Specifically address in your summary any cultural insights you feel you gained by watching these alternative world news and culture related programs. Combine your electronic journal and this comparison paper into one document. Submit one document only. (Worth 31%)
You should use MLA or APA citation styles where appropriate. Include a Works Cited/References page as part of your project, arranged alphabetically by author. Any non-authored sources (i.e., wikipedia, allcultures.com, encyclopedia.com etc.) are not generally deemed credible and therefore not allowed for this project.
Plagiarism, copying, cutting/pasting, is not tolerated and those projects will receive a zero and be reported to Judicial Affairs.
Submission of your project will be through the Turnitin link provided on Blackboard later in the semester.
