Final Paper Template

Grounded in ethnographic methods, cultural and linguistic anthropology emphasize an
'inductive" approach to research and cross-cultural/linguistic understanding. We seek
ways to bring our own deeply held cultural and linguistic assumptions into critical
dialogue with those of others. We do this in order to avoid as much as possible projecting
our values, categories and worldviews onto others' experiences and situations. The
aspiration is for the approach to be more "bottom up" than "top down" (e.g., in
"deductive" forms of research that start with a preconceived model). This also means that
anthropologists must constantly test the applicability of social theories that claim to
explain human experience across vast cultural and linguistic differences.
Thus any good anthropology paper includes both explicit discussion of theory and
method and compelling ethnographic and/or historical description. We try to make our
theoretical and methodological assumptions, as well as any potential problems with
them, clear at the beginning of the paper.

Here is a typical structure of an anthropology paper aimed at analyzing a specific
ethnographic case or event.

Title: reflects the thesis or main point of your paper

1) (Optional) 1-2 paragraph descriptive vignette from the event

-using a narrative voice: compellingly written in narrative form
-draws reader into the setting, introduces main participants
-provides spaces for others' voices (direct quotes, prose in others' styles)
-gives reader glimpse of the issues and stakes

2) 1-2 pages opening section explicating main theory/methods

-using a more "academic" voice: start with a compelling opening sentence that
points to the main issues or questions.
-This section should answer the question: what can a cultural anthropological
approach contribute to understanding the sex/gender/sexuality dynamics of this
event/phenomenon?
-lay out your main questions and define principle methodological terms (don't
assume your reader knows these terms or why they're important!)
-describe main problems or issues to address
-give a sense of how the paper will be organized and follow it
-draw on readings from the syllabus to discuss main relevant debates
-use multiple forms of citation to directly engage texts (direct quotes, paraphrase
and in-text citation, mentions of theorists' names, etc)
-give the reader a sense of what a theorist's main goal is in a piece you cite for
the first time
-end with a thesis statement: the controlling idea of the essay, presents topic and
writer's perspective on it. Explicitly state what you will argue is going on in
this event.
-In anthropology papers, we regularly situate ourselves by using the first person:
"I argue that...", or "In this paper, I claim that..", or "I will show that..."

3) 3-5 paragraphs introduction to the social, cultural and/or political economic
nature of the event or phenomenon to be analyzed.

-Briefly discuss the relevant history of the event/phenomenon, and how it was
impactful, discussed in the media, etc.
-Describe the social space and structure of relations of the event/phenomenon.
-Give a sense of the demographics of participants (how many, race, class, gender,
age, occupation, what social roles, etc.)
-Give a sense of the nature of relevant organizations and their goals
-Focus in on describing the key aspects of the event you think are most
illuminating and why.

4) 5-8 pages main analysis of the sex/gender/sexuality aspects of the event or
phenomenon

-each paragraph should have clear topic sentence, linked to main thesis and
supported by evidence.
-Return to the theorists or terms you introduced in the opening paragraphs
-Show how they apply to understanding important social/cultural politics in the
event
-Quote and paraphrase theorists and any secondary sources by name to back up
your points or critique theirs': providing credible evidence is crucial.
-Bring in relevant media (including perhaps images) to illustrate or evidence
aspects of the analysis.

5) 1-2 paragraphs conclusion

-Return to your main terms and the questions you raised in the opening
-Clarify and render compelling (don't just summarize) what you concluded
-Emphasize the larger stakes of these dynamics (power, inequality, resistance, etc)

6) Bibliography