Teaching and Learning Anthropology

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of Course Preparation Assignments (CPAs), informal writing assignments that ask students to respond to the reading, on the student learning experience in an Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course. In this study, I measure 1) students’ engagement with critical reading strategies; 2) students’ demonstration of critical thinking around core concepts in cultural anthropology; and 3) students’ participation in the course. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative data collected from 2019–2021 in pre-COVID in-person courses and during-COVID online and in-person courses. I evaluate these learning outcomes based on a survey as well as comments from students’ course evaluations. Using the pedagogical frameworks of critical reading and ungrading, I make an argument for using CPAs or similar assignments to encourage students to engage with assigned materials, read critically, and quite possibly, learn.