1. Challenges for Anthropology

Undergraduate students taking anthropology classes often struggle to write an anthropological research paper. Beyond issues of formatting, feasibility, and argumentation, the challenges can include:

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• Pursuing original research using secondary sources and grey literature;

• Using anthropological literature as both case studies (historical, geographical, evidence-based) and conceptual or theoretical contributions;

• Understanding what makes a research paper anthropological (rather than a sociology, history, cultural studies, or area studies paper);

• Developing a critical perspective on the interplay between structural forces and the cultural capacity for human creativity and agency

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2. Addressing Challenges through Workshops and Exercises

Discipline-specific anthropological writing skills are rarely formally taught in post-secondary education. Thus, students benefit from workshops and lessons that explicitly demonstrate how to begin a feasible undergraduate research paper and address these challenges. Incorporating writing and research exercises into lectures, seminars, labs, or tutorials is an excellent way to ensure student success. 

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I have also found that students benefit from a reminder of the wealth of cultural information and data at their fingertips outside of the library database. These include conversational, observational, and internet or social media-based data, as well as accessible archives and library collections. This reminder can help cultivate passion and curiosity for the study of culture and society.

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3. Workshop Format

Since 2017 I have developed and revised a set of four workshops on researching and writing an anthropology paper. These workshops generally take 30–45 min each to complete, including exercises. They are designed to present in a smaller lecture or tutorial. I've included "blank" slides to add campus- and assignment-specific resources and materials.

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Students can also read through the slides and work on the exercises individually or with small study groups. 

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These resources have been used by lecturers and teaching assistants at: The University of Toronto, York University, and the University of Pennsylvania.