CAAssessments

All non-graded assessments count towards class participation grade. These items are simply checked off if students complete them.

Key:

T = appropriate for traditional class

O = appropriate for online class

Unit 1

Culture Map (non-graded assessment) [T]: Students create a collage that represents their culture. Students are instructed to use primarily pictures although some words are fine. I usually allow students some freedom in how they present this, e.g., poster, PowerPoint slide. Each student briefly presents their culture map in class. This assessment allows me to 1) get to know students better and 2) get students thinking more critically about what their personal culture looks like and what influences their responses and worldview. This assessment should be done at the end of Week 2 or beginning of Week 3.

Materials: Overhead projector and/or document camera

NOTE: I tried this online once. It didn't work all that well, but I think it could if the students were provided with clear instructions on how to create a collage on a PowerPoint slide.

Theory (non-graded assessment) [T]: Students work in small teams to design a graphic representation of a theory. I usually explain to students that they should imagine that they are trying to explain the theory to someone who doesn't speak English. Each team is given a handout with a general overview of one theory. After the teams have drawn their theory, they are put up on the walls and in a somewhat chronological order are presented to the class. I make a copy of each handout available online so students have access to it for the midterm.

Materials: Handouts about theories (click here for example), easel pad (I like the giant sticky notes that make it easy to attach student work to the wall), crayons or other drawing implements (I like using crayons--you'd be amazed at how much the students like using crayons)

Reading Ethnography (homework) [T, O]: Students locate an ethnography either in the campus library or online to read and analyze using a specific set of questions. This assessment also includes a component that requires students to research key terms in cultural anthropology, evaluate websitse, and apply the key terms to the ethnography they found to read. Click here for complete instructions.

Some online ethnographies (links worked as of 9/4/2010):

• Mithila
  
• Internet Archive -- use to search for an ethnography
  
• Venda Girl's Initiation Schools
  
• Soobookee -- use to search for an ethnography
  
• Project Gutenberg -- a list of some older anthropological work
  
• Barnes & Noble -- search ebooks for free ebooks
  
• Online Books Page -- search for "ethnography" in the title
  

Team Exam (in-class) [T]: Student teams work together to answer several essay questions. I only hand out one set of questions to each team, which means they have to work together in order to even read the questions. I allow open-books and notes. I've found that students learn more during the process of discussing the answers than simply regurgitating what they know in a standard exam. Each team turns in a set of answers and each student turns in a Team Member Evaluation (click here for example).

Unit 2