Term Paper
You will write a 5-page paper (see syllabus for formatting guidelines) on Mark Schuller’s Humanity’sLast Stand: Confronting Global Catastrophe book. The paper is due November 17th at 11:59 PM via Brightspace.
This book engages major problems facing the human species today. By examining the recent past, Schuller shows the lineage of these issues and how they connect with one another. In addition, Schuller offers suggestions for how we can address these issues to create a more equitable, humane, and sustainable version of humanity. In your paper, address the following questions based on the book chapters and class discussions. You must cite specific examples from the book for full credit.
1) How can viewing things through an anthropological lens (utilizing
anthropological data, theories, and approaches) shape our understanding of major social, economic, political, and environmental issues?
2) What is an ‘anthropological imagination’? How does an anthropological
imagination help us to see the interconnection of humanity’s experiences and issues?
3) What is ‘radical empathy’? What does it mean to you to practice radical empathy in your daily life?
4) How can radical empathy inspire movements of solidarity and eventually, social and structural changes?
Grading Criteria
Total – 250 points
Clearly, completely, and correctly identifies the author’s argument.
50 points per question x 4 questions = 200 points
Note: For Q3, half of the question should be a description of radical empathy and the other half should illustrate how the student views the practical application of radical empathy in their lives.
Note: Each question should be answered in roughly the same length.
Incorporates direct citations to examples from the book in each of the 4 questions.
5 points per question x 4 questions = 20 points
Situates overall paper within larger anthropological frameworks employed in the course.
10 points
Overall Organization of the Paper - unique, original, well-constructed, consistent, logical analysis, how well tied together, etc.
10 points
Technical Aspects – grammar, ease of writing, consistent citation style, etc.
10 points
Page Length
A minimum for the paper is 5 pages of TEXT (not taken up by huge headers or wacky font or titles, etc.). Each page is worth 50 points. So even if your paper is absolutely fantastic, but only 4 pages, the maximum you could score would be 200 points.