Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
| Applying Anthropology and Telling Stories [WLOs: 1, 2, 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4] |
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, review the following Required Resources:
- Chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook
- Body Ritual Among the Nacirema (Links to an external site.)
- Corporate Anthropology: Michael Henderson at TEDxAuckland (Links to an external site.)
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story (Links to an external site.)
Check the Twitter feed for @AmericanAnthro (Links to an external site.) for any additional resource(s) you may find useful for this discussion.
Choose one of the following two options to address in this discussion. Be sure that your initial post meets the full length requirement of 300 words, and that you incorporate at least two of this week’s required resources in your post, one of which should be the textbook. Include citations and a full reference to your chosen sources. (See the Required Resources page for all references in APA format).
Option 1: Review the Corporate Anthropology: Michael Henderson at TEDxAuckland (Links to an external site.) video and read Body Ritual Among the Nacirema (Links to an external site.). Pretend that you are an anthropologist.
- Describe a typical day in the life of the Nacirema (remember that the Nacirema are Americans—Miner is describing us from an etic perspective).
- Describe your modern tribe (the people you spend most of your time with).
- What might someone from another culture find unusual about your daily routine, workplace (if relevant), and setting?
- How would a cultural outsider see your life? Is there anything she or he might find unusual or interesting that you see as normal and everyday?
Option 2: Review the TED Talk Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story (Links to an external site.), then
- Briefly describe the stories that you grew up with, whether these are from books, TV shows, movies, or another source.
- How did these stories influence your perceptions of yourself and of the world?
- Did you identify with the background of the main characters or were they from a different background than you?
- As an adult, what stories do you identify with now?
- How are these stories similar to and different from the ones you grew up with?
- Are there certain areas of the world or certain people about whom you only have a single story?
- How could you work to broaden your understanding of others?
Guided Response: Review several of your peers’ posts and respond to at least two peers by Day 7. Respond to at least one student who chose a different option than you. Choose a student who has not received peer feedback if at all possible. If your instructor responds to your post, please respond to him or her. Each response to a peer should be a minimum of 75 words. Be sure to relate your discussion back to the course materials and move the conversation forward by asking a question, raising a new point, or elaborating more thoroughly upon a point already raised. Continue to monitor the discussion forum until 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Day 7, and respond with robust dialogue to anyone who replies to your initial post.
Week 1 – Discussion 2
You are required to post 150 words to this forum by Day 7 (Monday). Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
| Week 1 Open Discussion [WLOs: 1, 2, 3] [CLO: 1] |
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, review this week’s readings, guidance, and announcements, including You’re Not Going to Believe What I’m About to Tell You (Links to an external site.). Reflect on what you found interesting, surprising, or confusing.
Here we examine cultures and how they affect the way people do what they do. Sometimes, this will mean looking more closely at our own culture to understand how the different concepts we are reading about in the textbook apply to us. Some of the ideas we are going to talk about may conflict with your own beliefs, preconceptions, and ideas. Please resist the urge to respond with your preconceived ideas! Instead, try to look at the information as an anthropologist would. Look at the information in the textbook and other required resources. Consider why the other side might believe or act as they do. You do not have to agree with them—just try to understand their perspective.
This discussion forum is an opportunity for you to explore topics that interest you, share critical insights and questions that you are working with, share your struggles and triumphs, and discuss difficulties that may have arisen this week. Your initial post should describe your experiences in the course this past week, prompting further discussion. Address at least two of the following questions:
- Was there anything that caused you to view the world around you differently or examine a topic from a different perspective?
- What struck you in particular as you explored the course materials this week?
- Do you have questions that your classmates might be able to help you with? (If you have a question for the instructor, be sure to contact your instructor via email).
- Review You’re Not Going to Believe What I’m About to Tell You (Links to an external site.) and consider the material you examined for this week’s discussion. What information did you encounter this week that caused mental friction for you? Why do you think it caused mental friction? Were you able to overcome the backfire effect?
Guided Response: You are required to post at least 150 total words in this forum this week. You can post one time or ten times, the only requirements are that you post at least 150 words total and that you engage in conversation related to course content. This Open Discussion forum is a place for you to collaborate and connect with your classmates as well as support one another. Ask questions, answer questions, provide extra resources you found that are interesting, or engage in a debate about something you learned this week.
When responding to your classmates, be sure to elaborate. For example, if you write that you also found a specific topic interesting, explain what about that topic you found interesting and why.
- Are they the same aspects of the topic that your classmate found interesting?
- If you notice a classmate is struggling with something that you can help with, use your responses as a way to support them.
- Helping out your classmates will not only benefit them, but it will also help to solidify your own knowledge.
All of your participation in this forum is due by Day 7 of the week. Students who post early in the week and use this forum to engage their classmates on a regular basis tend to do well and get more out of the course. If you have a question for your instructor, you should contact your instructor through email. Your instructor will monitor this board and may post, but she or he is not expected to answer all questions.