The Required Paper

Dan Brown

As part of the course requirements, a term paper has been assigned. It should be about 10 to 12 pages in length [ equivalent of typed, double-spaced with reasonable margins]. Paper topics must be approved in advance, and rough drafts must be handed in; final drafts can then be based on feedback from the instructor. The paper grade will be based solely on the final draft, so long as a complete rough draft was handed in. The following provides requirements, hints and suggestions for the papers. See the Syllabus for due dates of the draft and final version.

2. Students must use several sources of information for their paper in addition to class notes and required texts for the course. The paper grade is partly based on the quality of the research that was done on the topic. In a term paper, an extensive literature search is expected.

3. Sources may include books, articles in professional journals, chapters in edited volumes, and/or interviews with people who have special knowledge about your subject. Encyclopedias are not acceptable as sources for college-level papers.

4. When information from a source is used in the paper, students are required to cite the reference in the text of the the paper. There are several ways to do this; I will note one style here with examples of citations:

Modern day Commanches are divided in their view of the acceptability of their native, traditional medicine, with the majority preferring Western medicine (Jones, 1972). The Navaho, on the other hand, have retained their traditional medical practitioners as an accepted form of healing (Sandner, 1979).

If you prefer to use footnotes, or to cite references by number (referring to the source's number in your bibliography), this is also acceptable. Of course, quotations must be noted and cited as well.

5. Papers must have a bibliography in which the author, title, journal (if an article), publisher and place published (if a book or chapter in edited volume), date of publication, and pages used are noted. Examples:

book:

Sandner, Donald, 1979, Navaho Symbols of Healing, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, pp.5-18.

article in journal:

Marx, Jean L., 1989, "Detecting mutations in human genes," Science, 243,pp.737-738.

1. Use a minimum of six sources for each paper; more may be needed.

2. The first job is to get a topic. The papers must cover some aspect of medical anthropology, and should not simply deal with health issues of the U.S. or western society. The papers may emphasize biomedical approaches or ethnomedical approaches to medical anthropology. The instructor leaves the specifics to the student, but students must obtain approval of their topics from the instructor before beginning to write the papers. You should begin by thinking of a general interest. You will then need to narrow down your interest into a specific paper topic. Talking with the instructor will help you do this, but first have a general interest in mind. A general suggestion: the narrower your topic, the easier your paper will be to write. Examples [don't use these "as is"]:

Description and analysis of the health problems faced by a specific human population in the context of its environment and how the behaviors common to the population have aided or hindered their ability to deal with the problems.

Comparison of the ethnomedical practices of two related cultural groups focusing on similarities and differences. Include an analysis for why these similarities/differences exist.

Analysis of how modernization has led to changes in either the health problems faced by a specific human population, their medical practices, or both.

3. Part of the grade on the papers will be based on organization. Make an outline of the paper after you have finished your research, but before writing has begun. Make sure that each part of the paper logically follows what has come before it.

4. Part of the grade for the papers will be based on your research. Take the time to do a thorough literature search, and make sure you understand the basic concepts that your paper will cover.

5. The papers will also be graded based on your ability to use basic concepts learned in the class, whether from biological ecology, biology or cultural anthropology, in understanding issues related to human ecology. Good research must be supplemented by some analysis of what your research means. The instructor is impressed when students show how concepts learned in the course can be used in explaining and understanding the material in each paper.

IF YOU LEAVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME, RESEARCHING AND WRITING THE PAPER CAN BE FUN!