Review Essay

ATH 175 MA, Spring 2020, Schaefer | 28 Jan 2020 | Review Essay – 150 points – 5-8 pages

Grammar, mechanics, punctuation, etc. DO NOT count. Just get me the words.

DUE FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 on Canvas before midnight (HARD DATE/TIME!)

You may type this up and submit it in the ordinary manner; type it into an email to me; upload a video of yourself to Canvas or Youtube and link it to me; or write it out longhand and take pictures of the pages and upload them to canvas.

One 5- to 8-paragraph paper, video, essay, etc. based on a film or book. You may use a single book or movie as a primary source, provided you also consult two additional sources. Alternatively, you must have at least five articles, books, websites, movie, videos, or TV shows as sources. Due by midnight on the last day of finals week.

The paper, video, essay, etc. should follow this format:

1. Introduction. The introduction to a review essay indicates the general line of argument that the essay writer will pursue. Use your opening paragraph to (1) situate your argument within four-field anthropology, (2) identify your main author’s main thesis and approach, and (3) preview your own critical response. Be economical: this should fit into no more than one paragraph.
2. Summary. The summary must not exceed two paragraphs. If more than half of your paper is summarizing what is in the texts, you have written a report. You can’t cover all of the points the authors have made; focus on the central argument and on claims that are most significant. If more details are necessary, you can mention these in the critical discussion.
3. Critical Discussion. Consider how the book and articles seek to advance the debate. You must situate the debate in the intellectual context in which it has been presented. In particular, you need to identify the controversies or problems that the authors seek to address. Ordinarily, an author will define the context for you as he/she understands it. Once you have “placed” the books/articles/etc., you are in a position to begin your critical analysis. You may choose to assess whether the book/article makes an important or useful contribution, whether the evidence supports the article’s thesis, whether the author has considered alternative explanations for the same outcome, or whether the argument is internally consistent. Support your arguments with evidence. This section counts the most!
4. Be careful about voice. You should always make clear to the reader who is “speaking” in your paper – the book’s/article’s author; another author that this author is discussing; or you as the essay writer. This is usually not a problem in the part of the essay given over to summarizing the book, but ambiguity about the voice can be a source of confusion when you turn to the critical discussion.

List of possible movies:

Memoirs of a Geisha (Japan)

In the Name of the Father (Ireland)

The Great Dance – a Hunter’s Story (Botswana)

Motorcycle Diaries (Che Guevara in Argentina and South America)

Witness (Amish – USA)

Rabbitproof Fence (Australia Aborigine)

Like Water for Chocolate (Mexico)

The Kiterunner (Afghanistan)

Tsotsi (South Africa)

The Mission (Brazil)

Any other movie or book that has an international or intercultural theme or content