Some of the most recent articles from open access anthropology journals (beta)
Common terms used by students to describe a good professor, especially on websites like ratemyprofessor.com, a website that allows students to rate their professors, include “understanding,” “nice,” “engaging,” “lenient” and “kind,” all of which are in…
In this article we argue for a slow, methodical, and collaborative approach to difficult texts. This article is the story of how, thanks to the efforts of the students and professor, a book that rewards diligent effort, and some creative pedagogical st…
Anthropology classrooms challenge instructors to critically engage students in theories of the field and how these are visible in everyday life. At the same time, the rise of online education has made new technologies and tools available that allow for…
Review of The Capitalist University: The Transformations of Higher Education in the United States Since 1945
This article calls for revisiting how we teach anthropology in light of three mutually reinforcing “moments” – the #MeToo Movement, the development of the American Anthropological Association’s first Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Policy, and shi…
Interviewing assignments are frequent components of cultural anthropology courses. In this exercise, students focus on the content of person-centered ethnographic interviews by providing the material themselves. Students write autobiographical narrativ…
Review of Decolonizing the University, edited by Gurminder K. Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial, and Kerem Nişancıoğlu
High impact learning experiences are associated with positive trends in student retention and graduation. I developed a course, Historic Mortuary Archaeology, that incorporates two high impact strategies: engaging undergraduate students in research and…
Review of Essentials of Linguistics
Elements of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP), or teaching and learning in the Jesuit tradition, can be successfully integrated into both formal anthropology courses and informal environments such as museum exhibits to advance anthropological ped…
The articles in this special collection were presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology meeting in 2018 on a panel affiliated with the organization’s Issues in Higher Education Topical Interest Group. This topical interest group focuses on exami…
In light of the fact that nontraditional students (those age 25 years or older) outnumber traditional students on many US college campuses, it is important to understand their needs and experiences in higher education. A key characteristic distinguishi…
Review of Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology
Research has shown that negative effects of stress on undergraduate students can have a significant impact on their college experience. Most of what we know about this topic is quantitative, based on surveys that provide self-reported information for l…
As American universities become more diverse, it is necessary to consider if existing pedagogies remain relevant and meaningful for all students. This paper examines service-learning, a community engagement pedagogy originally developed for white, midd…
This paper explains how to play and debrief the Exchange Game. Suitable for play in first year anthropology courses and in lectures on economic anthropology, the game reinforces core concepts including reciprocity, cooperation, and altruism.
Who is Juan?
Doing and Teaching Anthropology: An Interview with David McCurdy
One of the key challenges for undergraduate students is learning to read, understand, and synthesize academic literature. To help students develop these skills, a research grid assignment using Microsoft Excel was developed. This assignment breaks down…
In the Appalachian mountains, residents experience disproportionately high rates of poverty, exorbitant rates of incarceration, above-average mortality rates across the lifespan, and epidemically low educational attainment rates. The complexities of th…
Combating fake news and fradualent science can be incredibly taxing. In this paper, I reflect on teaching introduction to biological anthropology at a large university and incorporating old academic literature as a teaching document. By utilizing old b…
Curriculum development in biological anthropology requires instructors to generate learning outcomes for both anthropology and biology majors. However, these students have substantially different backgrounds. Anthropology curricula do not always requir…
New Solution to the Classroom Blogging Problem