Teaching Anthropology: A Graduate Seminar

There is no way to tackle the depth and complexity of teaching in one blog posting, nor would I be qualified to do so. Instead, here I’d like to offer my experience of designing, executing, and revising my Teaching Anthropology graduate seminar. My goal is to share resources and perspectives to contribute to the growing interest in talking about teaching in Anthropology. read more…

  • dateSeptember 11, 2014
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  • posted byJill Fleuriet
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Going Public: Ethnography’s Challenges

In an overflowing room at the American Sociological Association meetings in San Francisco last week, Alice Goffman, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and daughter of the late Erving Goffman, faced her critics and supporters as they discussed her new book. There were far more critics than supporters in the room, and many came with the express intent of making their criticisms known. For those of you who don’t know the book (and the controversy that surrounds it)… read more…

  • dateAugust 26, 2014
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  • posted byAnne
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Studying Science, Studying Up

When I began my research at the bioscience facility at the University of Prince Edward Island—it’s also the campus where I teach—I didn’t have a particular audience in mind. At the time I was much more concerned with making the most of my opportunity to “study up,” in Laura Nader’s phrase. Toward the end, though, when I did have to start thinking about “writing culture,” and for whom, the idea of aiming for a primarily undergraduate audience, especially students in their first and second year, seemed like a good way to address problems I encounter as an instructor… read more…

  • dateAugust 5, 2014
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  • posted byUdo Krautwurst
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University Presses Under Fire

Having just read an excellent overview of the state of university presses I’m reminded of the Hydra—the multi-headed monster that terrorized the people of Greece. The Hydra had the body of a serpent and many heads which could never be harmed by any weapon, and if one head did manage to get severed, another would grow in its place. The challenges in scholarly publishing are many. And no sooner do we adjust to one challenge than another arises in its place… read more…

  • dateMay 13, 2014
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  • posted byAnne
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Ethnography and its Promises, Uncertain or Otherwise: Highlights from CASCA 2014

The cupcakes have been eaten, the rhino gone to bed, and CASCA 2014 has come to an end. This year’s organizers should be proud at the stellar lineup they put together. Conference-goers had plenty of options to keep busy. After all was said and done, though, it was ethnography that kept emerging as the major preoccupation of the conference—what is it, how does one do it well, and, in the end, does it matter? read more…

  • dateMay 5, 2014
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  • posted byAnne
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