Course Description

The goal of this course is to help students craft a senior thesis based on their ethnographic fieldwork. The scope of this thesis may vary depending on the nature of the project, ranging from preparing a journal-article length piece for publication or something less concise but more comprehensive. Typical theses range from 8,000 to 14,000 words.

Readings

Readings will be periodically offered as they contribute to our collective quest to come up with a good argument and articulate it. Reading (at least those assigned in the course) will not dominate majority of time spent toward this course, which will largely be taken up by actual writing, reading your peers’ writing, and re-writing. The majority of reading that you will need to process will be the literature with which you are engaging in your thesis.

GRADING STRUCTURE

Peer Review (15%)

You will spend a good amount of time having your peers critique your writing, as well as critiquing their writing. It is critical that you work hard at this, since critiquing others’ writing really is critical to developing yourself as a writer. It is also the case that one should all expect the same level of critical feedback as that tendered by oneself. To this end, students in the course will anonymously rate the quality of feedback received by the others in the course with whom they exchanged writing. These anonymous ratings on the quality of your feedback will constitute this portion of your grade (sample form), and we will make an effort to have everyone critique everyone else.

Writing Log (10%)

Yes, it is just what it sounds like. Sort of. This assignment is to encourage you to write consistently on your thesis. You will log the number of days in which you spent beyond 20 minutes writing actual prose on your thesis - not reading sources or data, or simply outlining, but actually producing prose—words and complete sentences (assuming you want your thesis to consist of these). The 100% mark for this assignment will be set by the number of days that the instructor logs doing the same for some publications or formal grant proposals that he is working on.

Presentation (15%)

We will hold a departmental symposium for students in this course to present conference-paper versions of their theses. They will have the opportunity to receive feedback on their projects from faculty and students in the department and university. This will tentatively be held March 14th.

The Final Thesis (60%)

A good thesis (or empirical journal article) should include the following elements (note: these are not necessarily sections of the paper, but rather constitutive elements, something like a rubric for bases to cover):

An argument. And a sexy one at that. The argument in the paper should be original, and it should contribute something to our understanding of the human condition. Arguments vary in their scope. The scale of the argument is not necessarily what matters here, but rather the extent to which it contributes to a body of scholarship and pushes a scholarly conversation forward in some interesting way. In other words, you will stake a theoretical claim on something, and preferably do so in a logically consistent manner. Make sure your final thesis includes a concise abstract that gives a clear sense of the logical structure of your argument.
Literature review. In order to place an argument in a body of literature, one ought to read, organize, and cite scholarly contributions that are involved in the conversation where one is situating one’s argument. The literature review is not necessarily a section of a paper, but ought to be a well-crafted weaving of existing scholarship into the thesis in dialogue with your own contribution. Be sure to clearly cite all of your sources, using the Chicago (Author-Date) citation format (or some other standard system, such as APA, if you are already versed in another format) for in-text citations and your references cited list.
Presentation of data (evidence) in conjunction with theory. All hail the THEORY-METHOD-DATA triangle! (I will explain in class). In order to back up an empirically-rooted argument, one needs to first actually have evidence of the trend to be argued, and then to make the logical connections between what is being argued and the evidence on which it is based.
Methods. Not all anthropologists care about “methods.” This one does. All ethnographic observation, experience, data, etc. comes from somewhere. It should be clear where, and the logical justifications that underpin the particular evidence that you wield in favor of your claim are critical here. This does not mean a stoic methods section as exists in a requisite manner in many other disciplinary journals, but it does entail making it clear to the reader both the strengths and limitations of the data you gathered and the means you employed to gather them. This is essential for others to be able to critically assess the empirical basis of one’s argument.
Style. Even if all of the aforementioned elements are present and filled out in the resulting document, if it is communicated poorly, all is for naught. In anthropology, we tend to care about the actual quality of the writing that we produce (despite everything you have read). Crafting a strong narrative is just that - a craft. We will work to help each other develop the skills of ethnographic writing, such that it is not only interesting to consider your data and argument, but a joy to read your thesis as well.

Book to Purchase

(other readings will be provided as PDFs)

Williams, Joseph M., and Joseph Bizup. 2017. Style: lessons in clarity and grace. Boston: Pearson. (ISBN: 9780134080413)

Reading Schedule

University and Course Policies

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Honor Code

In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and every instructor's expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.

COVID 19 Statement

While COVID 19 conditions persist and until further notice, students and faculty are required to wear face coverings at all times during class; faculty are not at liberty to waive this expectation. Students who feel sick, including exhibiting symptoms commonly associated with COVID 19 (fever; cough; shortness of breath/difficulty breathing; chills; muscle pain; sore throat; new loss of taste or smell; etc.) should not attend class and should work with their instructor to develop a study plan for the duration of the illness.

Respectful Environment

"Sadly, from time to time, we do hear reports of those who are at best insensitive and at worst insulting in their comments to and about others... We hear derogatory and sometimes even defamatory comments about those with different political, athletic, or ethnic views or experiences. Such behavior is completely out of place at BYU, and I enlist the aid of all to monitor carefully and, if necessary, correct any such that might occur here, however inadvertent or unintentional. "I worry particularly about demeaning comments made about the career or major choices of women or men either directly or about members of the BYU community generally. We must remember that personal agency is a fundamental principle and that none of us has the right or option to criticize the lawful choices of another." President Cecil O. Samuelson, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010 "Occasionally, we ... hear reports that our female faculty feel disrespected, especially by students, for choosing to work at BYU, even though each one has been approved by the BYU Board of Trustees. Brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be. Not here. Not at a university that shares a constitution with the School of the Prophets." Vice President John S. Tanner, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010

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Academic Honesty

The first injunction of the Honor Code is the call to "be honest." Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. "President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education" (The Aims of a BYU Education, p.6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.

Inappropriate Use of Course Materials

All course materials (e.g., outlines, handouts, syllabi, exams, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, audio and video recordings, etc.) are proprietary. Students are prohibited from posting or selling any such course materials without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course. To do so is a violation of the Brigham Young University Honor Code.

Plagiarism

Intentional plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft that violates widely recognized principles of academic integrity as well as the Honor Code. Such plagiarism may subject the student to appropriate disciplinary action administered through the university Honor Code Office, in addition to academic sanctions that may be applied by an instructor. Inadvertent plagiarism, which may not be a violation of the Honor Code, is nevertheless a form of intellectual carelessness that is unacceptable in the academic community. Plagiarism of any kind is completely contrary to the established practices of higher education where all members of the university are expected to acknowledge the original intellectual work of others that is included in their own work. In some cases, plagiarism may also involve violations of copyright law. Intentional Plagiarism-Intentional plagiarism is the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one's own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote. Inadvertent Plagiarism-Inadvertent plagiarism involves the inappropriate, but non-deliberate, use of another's words, ideas, or data without proper attribution. Inadvertent plagiarism usually results from an ignorant failure to follow established rules for documenting sources or from simply not being sufficiently careful in research and writing. Although not a violation of the Honor Code, inadvertent plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct for which an instructor can impose appropriate academic sanctions. Students who are in doubt as to whether they are providing proper attribution have the responsibility to consult with their instructor and obtain guidance. Examples of plagiarism include: Direct Plagiarism-The verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source. Paraphrased Plagiarism-The paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, of ideas from another that the reader might mistake for the author's own. Plagiarism Mosaic-The borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and blending this original material with one's own without acknowledging the source. Insufficient Acknowledgement-The partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source. Plagiarism may occur with respect to unpublished as well as published material. Copying another student's work and submitting it as one's own individual work without proper attribution is a serious form of plagiarism.