FINAL TAKE HOME EXAM
ANTH 202 Introduction to Culture
Concordia University Winter 2021
Date Due: Friday April 30 by 11:59 pm via Moodle
CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL GRADE: 20% as per course outline
FORMAT: essay, typed and double-spaced, paginated (numbered pages) 11.5 or 12 size font, standard Word margins, printed on both sides.
Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day, including weekends and holidays. Any assignment submitted AFTER Sunday May 3rd will receive a grade of zero.
Take home exams are to be individual exercises and confidentiality of questions and answers must be maintained. Individuals suspected of working in teams will be subjected to Concordia’s Student Code of Conduct.
Instructions:
The take home exam consists of essay-type questions that you will answer using material from the entire course lectures and all the readings. Questions are thematically divided into three sections. YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE FROM SECTION 1 and 2, and also answer the ONE question in Section 3, for a total of 3 answers that must be submitted. Each essay question should be 400 – 550 words.
Examples used for one answer may not be used for another answer. Your answers can refer to the same course readings.
Use quotes and references only when absolutely needed; in other words, try your best to write in your own words as much as possible. Don’t forget to reference wherever appropriate.
Class material includes: lectures, all the readings, and in-class discussions.
Referencing lectures: Make sure to write date of lecture, name of professor, etc.
Referencing readings: Make sure to cite properly as you would with any other academic source. If the reading is from a textbook and the source is not provided, then write the name of chapter, and the week it was assigned as a reading.
Referencing other sources: Make sure to write title of movie or documentary and year of production.
Do NOT give an answer composed mostly of direct quotes from the Power Point presentations or the readings. Whenever possible, USE YOUR OWN WORDS. GOOD LUCK!
QUESTIONS
SECTION ONE: Anthropological perspectives
CHOOSE ONE QUESTION:
1-Throughout the semester, you have heard the term “constructivism” used for understanding various aspects related to culture such as gender, race, ethnicity. What is constructivism, explained IN YOUR OWN WORDS, and how does it contribute to understanding these aspects? Be sure to reference ethnographic examples for each aspect (gender, race, and ethnicity) in order to illustrate your arguments.
2-In socio-cultural anthropology’s focus centered on culture, it is differentiated from other disciplines by its holistic and comparative approach. Explain these two terms (holistic and comparative) IN YOUR OWN WORDS and provide one example for each from the class material to illustrate their application in anthropology.
3-Religion is a key component of culture. Explain what a myth is and what a ritual is. Provide examples for both and explain how technology is connected to myth and/or ritual.
SECTION TWO: Understanding various dimensions of culture:
CHOOSE ONE QUESTION :
4- Sex and gender are often used interchangeably in everyday speech, and come across as being natural (as in, something we are born with). How does anthropological theory and ethnography challenge those assumptions?
5 – Suppose someone argues with you that the world is divided into specific “races” based on visible, biological differences. Provide an academically-informed, concise and well-argued reply based on the content introduced in this course.
6- Anna Tsing writes that “all human cultures are shaped and transformed in long histories of regional-to-global networks of power, trade, and meaning” (p. 3). 1) Explain how this applies to what was reviewed in class throughout the semester and answer the following question: Are people’s lives getting better or worse in the wake of globalization? Explain your answer.
SECTION 3: Anthropology beyond the classroom: Covid -19 Special Case Question
YOU MUST ANSWER THIS QUESTION:
7- In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, what are the themes seen in this class that can be applied to better understand the transformational changes we are currently undergoing? Choose 2 themes and show explicitly how they apply to the pandemic.
