ANTHROPOLOGY 5450 – Writing Anthropology Creatively
Instructor: Bilinda Straight
Office Hours Wed 1:30 – 2:30
1020 Moore Hall
Description
In this class we will
discuss and produce alternatives to scholarly anthropological writing for the
purpose of reaching broader audiences with our work. We will pursue this
through a workshop format, with each two-week period devoted to a single genre.
The reading for this course will be modest, sufficient to stimulate discussion
about the craft of writing in that genre, the kinds of audiences reached, and
the impact expected. Every one of us – instructor included – will
write a short piece (500 - 1000 words) for each genre and engage in
constructive critical dialogue about the writing of our peers. The final
product for the course will be a revised and expanded version of the piece we
created in the genre of our choice. These will be due on the last day of class
(not finals week). By finals week, I will circulate a compiled pdf of all
productions to share with each other. (Film and other visual media will be
shared through dropbox or another means, but a text synopsis will be required,
and this will be in the compiled pdf.)
In order to produce
anthropological writing, we need something to write about. Therefore, I am
obtaining HSIRB approval for this class and the first assignment for everyone
(by Monday, January 13th) is to conduct at least one digitally recorded
interview, probably with someone you know. You can record with a tape recorder,
a digital recorder, or an app on your cell phone or iPad – whatever you
have available to you. You will need to transcribe the interview by next
Wednesday (January 15th) so you may as well get started. As a rule
of thumb, it takes four hours to transcribe one hour of speech. Listen, type,
listen, type – a simple and tedious necessity that creates rewarding
surprises as we read the transcripts. You need only record and transcribe one
interview that you can draw on throughout this class, so donŐt be daunted. Interview
possibilities: your grandparentŐs life history, the life history of any senior
you have access to who will give informed consent, interview of someone of any
age about a particular topic that interests you. Possible topics (youŐre not
limited to these):
á
experience
of being a student from a particular social group;
á
aspects of
sexuality;
á
a personŐs
political philosophy and their explanations for that philosophy;
á
someonŐs
understanding of economic inequality;
á
someoneŐs
understanding of birth, death, and personhood;
á
someoneŐs
experiences of architecture, space, and walking/moving through a particular
city based on gender, age, financial ability, physical ability, etc.;
á
someoneŐs
history of their neighborhood
Required Text: Anthropology off the Shelf: Anthropologists on
Writing, 2011. Alisse Waterston
and Maria D. Vesperi, eds. Malden, MASS: Wiley-Blackwell. ALL OTHER READINGS:
In elearning or Waldo Library e-books.
Grading
Attendance/Participation: 20% (canŐt participate if absent)
Feedback on Fellow Students: 20%
Genre Writings (6): 30% total
Final Project: 20%
Schedule
Introduction
Week 1 – Jan 6th & 8th
Reading: Anthropology off the Shelf: Foreword and first two chapters (pp. xiii-xvi & 1-20).
Assignment: Conduct at least one interview (60 minutes approximately) DUE Jan 13th
Assignment: Transcribe at least one interview DUE January 15th
Week 2 – Jan13 & 15th
Reading for Monday: Anthropology off the Shelf (AOS): Chapters 6 (2 ½ pages) & 7
Reading for Wednesday: AOS Chapter 17, and excerpt from Paul FarmerŐs The Uses of Haiti
Assignment: Attach to Discussion Board by Sunday, Jan 19th at 11:59 p.m. a piece of creative nonfiction of 500-1000 words.
Creative Non-Fiction
Week 3 – Jan 20th (NO CLASS MLK) & 22nd (Group 1 pieces workshopped)
Reading: Narayan 2006 (tools for writing anthropological creative non-fiction)
Assignment: Read each otherŐs pieces and write comments in margins, line notes, and summary note to hand to each author. Do this for every author for every workshop all term.
Week 4 – Jan 27th & 29th: We will workshop Group 2 on Monday; Group 3 on Wednesday.
Ethnographic Fiction
Week 5 – Feb 3rd & 5th
Reading for Monday: First read this from HemingwayŐs Moveable Feast:
Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it
going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the peel of the little
oranges into the edge of the flame and watch the sputter of blue that they
made. I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, ŇDo not
worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to
do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.Ó So
finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy
then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had
heard someone say. If I started to write elaborately, or like someone
introducing or presenting something, I found that I could cut that scrollwork
or ornament out and throw it away and start with the first true simple
declarative sentence I had written.
Reading for Monday continued: Frank Conroy (on writing) required; Spielvogel required. Baker on LeGuin recommended. And I very much, much recommend – all of HurstonŐs Their Eyes Were Watching God. I will put an excerpt in elearning that you will be required to read.
Writing by Tuesday 8 a.m. attached to Discussion Board. (ethnographic fiction, 500-1000 words)
Wednesday Assignments: Do critiques for fellow students.
Wednesday in Class: Workshop Group 1.
Week 6 – Feb 10th & 12th: We will workshop Group 2 on Monday; Group 3 on Wednesday.
Ethnographic Poetry & Prose Poetry
Note on poetry: You will create two pieces of poetry, each a 200 word minimum. One piece will be a transcribed piece, verbatim excerpt from an interview transcribed as poetry (we will discuss in class). The other piece will be your original poetic creation, inspired by your interview.
Week 7 – Feb 17th & 19th
Monday reading: TedlockŐs On the Translation of Style; Behar ŇEverything I KeptÓ (in elearning, not the chapter in AOS, although you can read that if you wish); Turner 2012; Glasser 2012; Silber 2012.
Writing by Tuesday 8 a.m. attached to Discussion Board. (ethnographic poetry, 500-1000 words)
Wednesday Assignments: Do critiques for fellow students.
Wednesday in Class: Workshop Group 1.
Week 8 – Feb 24th & 26th: We will workshop Group 2 on Monday; Group 3 on Wednesday.
NO CLASSES Feb 28th thru March 7th SPR BREAK
Journalism
Week 9 – March 10th & 12th
Reading for Monday: AOS Chapters 13 (recommended); 14 & 18 (both required); Hill (required)
Writing by Tuesday 8 a.m. attached to Discussion Board. (journalism, 500-1000 words)
Wednesday Assignments: Do critiques for fellow students.
Wednesday in Class: Workshop Group 1.
Week 10 – March 17th & 19th: We will workshop Group 2 on Monday; Group 3 on Wednesday.
Film and Visual Media
This genre will be about film & visual media, not writing per se. YouŐll do a one page visual essay (photos with text captions around a theme – to make a point) or a 2-3 minute film (a short film is more work than you think so only do it if you can work ahead of time and are highly motivated to do it).
Week 11 – March 24th & 26th
Special Visit: Kelly Askew (anthropologist & filmmaker) will screen her film. Please consider staying late if you donŐt have another class after this one.
Reading for Monday: Impossible Mourning excerpt (ŇTraumatic Witnessing,Ó pp. 61-85).
Writing by Tuesday 8 a.m. attached to Discussion Board. (film or visual media, see above)
Wednesday Assignments: Do critiques for fellow students.
Wednesday in Class: Workshop Group 1.
Week 12 – March 31st & Apr 2nd: We will workshop Group 2 on Monday; Group 3 on Wednesday.
Activism
Week 13 – Apr 7th & Apr 9th
Monday Reading: AOS Chapter 3; Kline & Newcomb 2013
Writing by Tuesday 8 a.m. attached to Discussion Board. (activism, 500-1000 words)
Wednesday Assignments: Do critiques for fellow students.
Wednesday in Class: Workshop Group 1.
Week 14 – Apr 14th & 16th: We will workshop Group 2 on Monday; Group 3 on Wednesday.