Ethnographic Critical Review Essay Assignment
In this assignment, you are asked to critically review an ethnography of your choice. A critical review answers the question of how well an author makes and supports their main argument/point/thesis. Your purpose is two-fold: First, you must briefly summarize the book and explain the author’s point of view, and second, you must make a judgment about the book, and support your judgment through critical evaluation. This latter portion is the meat and potatoes of your essay; thus, no more than one-third of your essay should be devoted to summary of the book. It is crucial that you have your own main argument as well as addressing the author’s main argument.
Note that your critical review can (and should) include both positive and negative elements. I ask that you cite AT LEAST 3 articles that have been assigned throughout the semester (your ethnography does not count toward these three) while evaluating the book.
Farmingdale State College Course Title and Code 2 Sociology & Anthropology Sociocultural Anthropology ANT 110 2 Ethnographic Critical Review Essay Assignment In this assignment, you are asked to critically review an ethnography of your choice. A critical review answers the question of how well an author makes and supports their main argument/point/thesis. Your purpose is two-fold: First, you must briefly summarize the book and explain the author’s point of view, and second, you must make a judgment about the book, and support your judgment through critical evaluation. This latter portion is the meat and potatoes of your essay; thus, no more than one-third of your essay should be devoted to summary of the book. It is crucial that you have your own main argument as well as addressing the author’s main argument. Note that your critical review can (and should) include both positive and negative elements. I ask that you cite AT LEAST 3 articles that have been assigned throughout the semester (your ethnography does not count toward these three) while evaluating the book. Questions to address in your critical review: · What is the author’s main argument/point/thesis? Why did she write this book? · Who is the intended audience of this work? Is the author effective in addressing that audience? · What evidence does she use to support that her argument/point/thesis? Is her evidence accurate/trustworthy? · Does the author accurately represent all relevant points of view. · How is the ethnography structured? Is the structure effective in lending support to the ethnographer’s argument? · Did you have a particular point of view on this topic before reading the book? Did the author support your point of view and/or change your mind? · Does this ethnography fit into the realm of classical ethnographies or is it more towards experimental ethnographies after the ontological turn? (i.e. is it more like Malinowski or Rosaldo?) · What is the larger context that this ethnography is speaking to? Is it about politics? Economics? Gender? Race? Neoliberalism? Environmental? There is always a larger argument at play within an ethnographic work. Make sure you address what everyday aspects of life the ethnography is looking at, as well as the larger social context it is addressing. · Please cite at least 3 articles or readings from the course within your evaluation of the book, and how these readings may relate to the themes within the book. Formatting requirements: · Minimum of 5-7 double spaced pages, include your last name and pg # in the header or footer · One-inch margins · Times New Roman 12 pt. Font · include a reference page in MLA, APA, AAA, or Chicago: “Author, Date” format Submission instructions: Essays are due by 11:59 pm on Friday November 16th. Essays must be submitted via Turnitin. Turnitin is an academic plagiarism checker; it will check your paper against other papers in the class, at other universities, and against search engines and websites (like Wikipedia). To submit your essay, go to the ‘Ethnography Midterm” link on the course navigation portal on the left-hand side of the Blackboard page. Then, click on ‘View/Complete’. Fill out the ‘Submit Paper’ form, including your first and last name, and the title of your essay. I advise you to turn your paper in several hours or days before the deadline to allow time for possible technological issues. Remember, no late assignments are accepted for any reason.