Essays and Research Papers on Anthropology

A 3 page research paper that argues in favor of the implementation of the death penalty in Michigan. The essay attempts to refute argument against the death penalty and focuses on the stance that it can be implemented justly. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 6 page paper examines Haitian vodou and Shamanism. Research is provided to support the assumptions. Bibliography lists 12 sources.

A 5 page book review of Jody Glittenberg’s text To the Mountain and Back, The Mysteries of Guatemalan Highland Family Life (1994, Waveland Press), which describes how the author’s understanding of this culture evolves from her visits to Guatemala, which took place in the 1970s, first as a missionary nurse, and then as an ...

This 5 page paper is an annotated bibliography of 15 items for the subject "hieroglyphics."

A 5 page research paper that presents a hypothetical field observation of two middle school classrooms in relation to the topic of studying microcultures. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 10 page consideration of what constitutes child abuse. The author defines child abuse and describes some of the traditional practices that are considered abuse from a Western perspective. The emphasis is made that when a child is being psychologically or physically harmed the interest of that child must outweigh that of the ...

A 3 page research paper that examines Hawaiian newspaper articles that were published between October 20, 1866 and February 2, 1871, in which Samuel Kamakau recorded information on Hawaiian culture at a time when native Hawaiians still recalled much of their heritage. However, today references that were perfectly clear to his Hawaiian readership are intriguingly ...

A 3 page overview of the process of natural selection. The author details how natural selection influenced speciation in Darwin's finches and in man himself. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper takes a look at the book and uses it as a springboard for discussion. Technology is given a lot of attention. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 6 page address of three specific questions regarding what factors influence social structure and organization. This paper addresses city states, territorial states, kinship and residence, ecological factors and economic factors that are important in social organization. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page discussion of the governmental structure and rulers of these cultures. The author emphasizes the span of time covered by each and observes that the rulers were at the head of a strongly stratified system. This arrangement allowed these leaders to achieve great cultural accomplishments. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page paper which discusses band societies as it relates to the centrality of the relations of production in shaping the band society’s political, social, and cultural conditions. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page paper discussing the types of economic exchanges that take place at or near a marriage. In developed economies such as that in the United States, couples are likely to open a joint checking account (or not) and agree to combine all household income among the working and middle classes. In ...

This 5 page paper discusses Marvin Harris's book "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches: the Riddles of Culture. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page overview of mummification. This paper concentrates on illuminating what we know regarding Egyptian mummification and credits much of that knowledge to classic scholars such as Herodotus. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page exploration of the ancient cultural practices of these indigenous cultures. This paper focuses on the oral tradition of these cultures and notes the common theme of a powerful god or gods who created the earth. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page essay that summarizes and analyzes the first sections of Pope John Paul II's eleventh encyclical, Evangelium vitae, which is addressed "To the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and women religious, lay Faithful and all People of Good Will." As this indicates, John Paul is not simply emphasizing the Church's expectations for Catholics ...

This 4 page paper looks at the shift to institutionalised social inequality in prehistory and the way this occurred along with the changes that were associated with it; including increasingly complex social systems, population density and access to resources and the different styles of leadership. The bibliography cites 19 sources.

This 3 page paper answers questions about clines, race, society and the human species. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 4 page paper discusses fossil species, missing links, and indicators of bipedalism. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 4 page overview of these three environmental movements. The author emphasizes that these movements have been the desperate acts of traditional peoples to save their indigenous lands, lands upon which their very survival as a people depends. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page paper delves into assimilation in America. The relationships that governed external and internal life amongst Japanese-Americans and Spanish-speaking Americans are discussed in the context of two works: Translation Nation by Tobar and Growing Up Nisei by Yoo. Some quotes are included. No additional sources are used.

A 5 page discussion of how we as a society have transitioned from a time when things were retained until they were no longer useful to where we toss away our material culture on a whim. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

15 pages in length. The writer discusses rituals, neoevolution, feminist anthropology, Marxist perspective and postmodernism. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 8 page paper discusses the discovery of Kennewick Man and the legal controversy over the disposition of the remains. Bibliography lists 6 sources.