ANTH 363 Evaluation & Assignments

* * Assignments and journal are DUE: Friday, June 26, 3pm * *

Participation (15%)
You will share a comment or experience from your journal, twice each week. In addition, there will be regular debriefings following each unique activity. This will allow you to discuss readings (be informed, read in advance!), as well as to question (and to learn) from the activity. Each student’s ability to cooperate with one another in a field situation, including food prep and cooking, will be assessed. Everyone is expected to actively participate in scheduled events, as well as, to engage in discussions. As always, the quality of comment is more important than quantity.

Journal Writing (15%)
Most of the assignments will be completed once you have returned to Nanaimo. For this reason, the kind of journal notes made will be critical to your success. You should be recording impressions, observations, and any interactions related to the assignments and/or your interests. Make sure you date each entry, including the day of the week (even time, if appropriate), so if you need to reconstruct activities, you know when they occurred. Among the reasons for maintaining a field journal, Lester and Lester (2006:119-120) state:

  1. Gives evidence to support your hypothesis
  2. Maintains a commentary that might form the basis of your report [in this case, your writing assignments]
  3. Collects drawings, maps, designs, tables, and figures that are pertinent to your work
  4. Records paraphrases or direct quotes

In addition, journal writing also serves as a place to reflect on your experiences, which there are likely to be many. In writing, try to ensure that you recognise the type of note written—personal reflection versus objective observation, or direct quote versus paraphrase. Remember you will be sharing a portion of your journal in regular debriefings. This is NOT a scrapbook of your time in Italy!

The journal is one of the most important activities that you will do.

Reflective Writing Assignments
Assignment #1 (10%): Topic given during an on-campus class. On our return, you will reflect and comment on what you wrote. A minimum of 1-page (ca. 250-300 words) is expected.

Assignment #2 (10%): At the end of our first 24-hours in Florence, write a ONE-page impression of your “introduction” to Italy. Tuck it away. On our return, reflect on that early “impression” and comment on whether your perspective has changed and how. Include your initial one-page impression with this assignment. A minimum of 2-pages is expected (ca. 500-600 words), excluding the impression statement.

Comparative Writing Assignments
1. Markets (4-5pgs) (20%): This assignment is to compare grocery stores or markets;
choose a or b.

a) There are a number of markets in Florence and elsewhere, compare two, e.g., Mercato Centrale, Mercato San Lorenzo, Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, Mercato Nuovo, etc.

b) When grocery shopping, like in Canada, there are chains, compare two, e.g., CONAD, COOP, Esselunga, Punto Simply, etc.

Questions to consider for either: How are the two similar or different? What kinds of products are generally available? How are these presented to the consumer? What are the costs for staples, produce, etc.? Who are they serving? What are their hours of operation?

For the SECOND, choose 2A, 2B, 2C or 2D (2-3pgs) (10%):
2A. Globalization: What evidence is there for globalization?
2B. Dining out: There will be opportunities to eat other foods besides local fare. Especially in areas with a high proportion of tourists, a range of cuisines are available, such as, Indian and Chinese, even fast food chains! How do these cuisines compare with those you might find in Nanaimo or your hometown? What are the characteristics of each? If you eat in a Chinese restaurant, what makes it “Chinese”?
2C. Cultural differences: Identify and comment on observable cultural differences compared to those found in Canada. Depending on where we are and what we do, you might be able to observe gender roles, behaviours associated with hierarchy, and general customs and traditions.
2D. City differences [NEW]: Compare and contrast characteristics (be explicit) that you have identified in examining Firenze, Certaldo, or Parma.  You can even consider the hilltop towns of Certaldo Alto and San Gimignano for comparison.

Mapping Assignment (20%):
When in Florence, in groups of 2 or 3, you will look at a street block. The goal is to map physical space as it can potentially inform a researcher regarding social, economic, and political relationships. This is obviously a type of observation and by walking along the street you can see how the space is used and occupied. Note whether there are residences, businesses (what type) or empty areas (under construction/demolition) at street level; be explicit in your description. Are the buildings single or multi-storey? What kinds of information are presented on the buildings, i.e., signage, decoration, etc.? Where possible, take a photograph (ask for permission if people are present, not everyone will want to be photographed). Where is this street located in relation to major landmarks in the city? Thanks to Google and bing, you can look at these streets as aerial images. What did you learn from this exercise regarding geographic space? Provide copies of your field notes (or flag in your journal). No page limit as this will depend on your observation and the particular block noted. I will be looking for detail in your notes and in the paper.

Following this exercise, we will debrief during an evening. Since groups will be assigned different blocks, this will provide an opportunity to compare and contrast observations.

Papers will vary in length depending on the location.  In general, the written portion should be 3-5 pages, with accompanying supporting material, i.e., drawings, tables, figures, photographs, etc.

ALL written assignments should follow the guidelines offered on my webpage: On Writing.

REFERENCE
Lester, James D. and James D. Lester, Jr.
2006 Writing Research Papers in the Social Sciences. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education.

So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.
–Franz Kafka, novelist (1883-1924)


Created 2015-03-17; last updated 2015-05-30.