There are four forms of assessment in this unit:

The essay is due on September 9, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. both online and in hard copy. We will post a supplemental reading and instructions for the essay sev­eral weeks before the deadline. Basically what we want you to do is to consider key claim made by many anthro­pologists: When a culture comes in contact with new ideas, technologies, and commodities, it finds ways to modify these foreign forms and make them serve local purposes. You will then defend this claim by doing a com­parative analysis of at least three different ethno­graphic descriptions, including the supplemental read­ing, reveal­ing this common pattern across different con­texts. The essay asks to you find evidence from specific ethno­graphic examples, analyze them, and use this ana­lysis and evidence to support an argument. We will be discussing strategies for making an argument in an essay leading up to the due date.

The final examination will consist of a series of differ­ent kinds of questions, some of which ask you to demon­strate your understanding of key ideas from the class, and others which ask you to synthesize the differ­ent ideas and arguments we have read in terms of unify­ing themes. It will be held at the designated time and place for this unit's final exam. We will announce more information about this toward the end of the semester. As this is an exam, if you are ill or otherwise unable to attend the scheduled time, you will have to sit a different exam.

Every week, we will post a question for discussion on Blackboard. You submit a response online only. These are not graded assignments. We will not be checking if you have the right answer, because in fact, these questions are debatable and every person could answer them in their own way. Instead you will re­ceive one point for submitting a good faith effort on time each week. A good faith effort is something that shows you've done the reading, thought about it, and written something in complete sentences. You only need to write about 50-100 words. These are not meant to be tests. They are opportunities for you to reflect on your own ideas and get ready to talk about your own ideas in tutorial.

Your grade is based on how many you submit. You must do at least 10. If you submit 9 out of 10, you get a 90% times 10% or nine marks out of 100 of the final mark. If you submit more than 10, you will only get 10/10 or 100%. Your tutor will give you guidance on how to do this as­signment. Each week, tutors will send a digest email summarizing all the different opinions and give general advice.

Finally, your tutor will be noting your class participation, including preparing an 'Author X argues…' statement to read to the class. Each week, a student will take a turn presenting the main claim or conclusion made by the au­thor of one of the required readings for the week. Class participation also consists of how much you join in and contribute to the activities and debates of the class. This is why we assign the weekly writings and the tutori­al exercises. It helps you get ready for class, and also gives you a reason to go and share your ideas. For all of your work for this class, especially the essay and weekly writing assignments, be sure to save a copy for yourself before you submit it online, and also regu­larly back up your work to a separate disk. Fun fact: losing or accidentally deleting your written work is not a 'misadventure' and cannot be used as grounds for an ex­tension or special consideration.