Teaching and Learning Anthropology

As a central method of ethnographic research, participant observation is often utilized in college-level courses to prompt the development of applied and anthropological thinking. This article examines the possibilities of participant observation as a mode of experiential environmental learning that can encourage reflection upon understandings of urban nature. We draw from the writing of, and interviews with, undergraduate and graduate university students enrolled in an environmental anthropology course to explore these possibilities. Specifically, we ask: How does participant observation serve to engage students in thinking relationally about urban environments? We conclude with pedagogical suggestions.

The debate technique has the potential to encourage students to critically think and engage in anthropology courses in higher education. But debates can be challenging, especially when taking place in an online environment. This article presents the implementation of a debate in a high-enrollment, online archaeology course. Mainly, we seek to answer these questions: (1) How did students perceive their critical thinking, engagement, and interaction while participating in the online debate? (2) What was the instructor’s experience related to the quality of student responses as well as the grading time and effort? At the conclusion, we offer recommendations for educators interested in incorporating debates into their own practice.

Teachers navigate funding cuts, political machination, sexual harassment and assault investigations, racism and White supremacy amid various locally constructed crises. Using bureaucratic violence and institutional betrayal – two interlinked, yet distinct, theoretical frameworks – in this brief commentary I propose that academic working conditions constrain pedagogical choice, with significant implications for teaching and learning.

Science education relies heavily on observable phenomena or imagery, making it by and large inaccessible to blind and low vision (BLV) students. As laboratory science courses are frequently necessary to complete general education requirements in higher education, teaching practices that are not inclusive to BLV students inhibit their retention and scientific literacy. While many disciplines and some anthropological subdisciplines has resources for BLV students, no resources exist for biological anthropology. As introductory courses to biological anthropology fulfill laboratory science requirements at many institutions, it is fundamental that educators consider accommodations for BLV students. This paper describes laboratory activities, adapted for BLV and their sighted peers, satisfying three commonly included conceptual modules (genetics, primatology, and skeletal anatomy) of an introductory biological anthropology course with a lab component. Best practices and student and instructor reflections are also presented to emphasize peer-learning focused on auditory and kinesthetic strategies for learning.