Week 1
Due: Saturday, 9/1, at 5pm, uploaded to your dropbox folder on Collab

After our first week of class, I’d like to you answer the questions I brought up in our first lecture: What is theory good for? Why do you think this anthropology department’s most inflexible requirement is a course about theory?

These questions are not soliciting sycophantic answers that take for granted that theory is obviously vital to all lives. Take this seriously as a chance to articulate how you understand theory to matter, or not, as the case may be. You absolutely must support your assertions and a strong answer will not only make a good point but also think through the possible implications of it.

As usual, answers should be at least one page, double spaced, although you are always allowed to use whatever space you think a good answer requires.