One year ago we launched the Teaching Culture blog at the American Anthropological Association meetings in San Francisco. Despite getting off to a bit of a slow start, we’ve really picked up speed, especially this fall with regular weekly postings related to teaching and publishing in anthropology. As well, we’ve carved out a unique space on Twitter and continue to engage new followers by the day.
Some of the highlights of the last year include guest blog posts on teaching collaboration while trying to do it (Andrew Walsh), a two-part series on integrating methods and writing into undergraduate courses (Lindsay A. Bell), and a look at how to engage students in both anthropology and stewardship through use of a community garden (Laura T. Gonzalez). We’ve also shared various syllabi and assignments and we’ve tried to provoke some re-thinking of what a textbook should look, feel, and sound like, and the role these books might play in the changing undergraduate classroom.
The Teaching Culture ethnography series continues to gain support and interest from anthropologists across North America. And, we recently updated the Teaching Culture series description to address the most common question: what distinguishes a classroom ethnography from a scholarly ethnography?
Finally, we’re about to launch a new series geared towards undergraduate teaching in anthropology. Anthropological Insights is designed to offer very short (80-100 page) books that provide instructors and students with foundational information about key topics and ethnographic regions that are covered in many undergraduate classrooms. Competitively priced, the books can accompany and complement more comprehensive textbooks, readers, and ethnographies. They can also stand on their own as handy reference works or serve as the main component in class modules. Stay tuned for more on this front!
A blog is only as good as the community it supports, so we want to thank our community members for their enthusiastic participation. You’ve made this endeavor an incredibly rewarding experience. Here’s hoping that the second year will prove to be as much fun!
Anne Brackenbury, Anthropology Editor
P.S. If you’re in Chicago next week for the AAA, please drop by our booth (#211) and say hello!