Mental health essay

Assignment:

#1) Read the articles, listen to the podcasts, and/or watch the videos associate with your chosen topic for this week (see options below).

#2) Review the three anthropological theories below: Post structuralism, structuralism, and functionalism. You have already been introduced to these ideas throughout the course of this class. However, I am including a link to the unit where we learned about the idea, a brief definition, and a short video explaining the idea to help remind you of the theory.

#3) Choose one (or more) of the three theories and write a short essay applying this knowledge to your chosen topic.

• This essay demonstrates the student’s ability to take a theoretical framework and test it by putting it by applying it to a topic in anthropology.
• You must:
  1. Write a three pages minimum (750 words minimum).
  2. Summarize the ethnographic articles you read. Be sure to:
     • Identify the Main Issue: A statement of the main issues or problems addressed by the texts/films/podcasts. This is a summary that pays special attention to the authors themes, topics, and arguments.
       • Be sure to answer the following questions:
         • In what ways do the people’s beliefs inform or shape their practices?
         • How does the method of ethnography provide a unique perspective on the topic you chose?
         • In what ways are anthropologists particularly positioned to examine the topic that you chose?
     • Include a Critical Analysis: Here, you will draw out the implications of the text and present your own assertions or questions about it.
       • Be sure to answer the following questions:
         • Is there anything the author overlooked, asserted, or brushed aside?
         • What seems novel or conventional about the inferences or arguments of the text?
  3. Summarize your chosen theory (or theories)
     • Discuss whether or not these theories can shed any light on the ethnographic material you read. Explore questions like:
       • Did you see any use of theory in the articles you read? If so, where you convinced by the arguments or could application of one (or more) of these other theories shed more light on the topic?
       • What other kinds of subjects could you investigate around your chosen topic? How would your chosen theory shape the research topic and conclusions?