Anthropological Narrative on Dominant versus Minority Group Status

Hi, please read carefully the file of "Essay 2(1)", because this is a requirement of this essay. And another file "Essay 2 sample" is the sample of this essay that the professor shows to us, so I recommend you can read it to realize what the structure and contents of this paper should be before starting the essay. Because this paper has to describe one experience as a minority group to participate in some activity, you can fabricate any activity that seems reasonable and reliable. Plus, I think it is better for you to know some basic information about me to fabricate an experience in an essay because I want an experience you select to describe is appropriate for my identity. I'm a Chinese girl, coming to the U.S.A when I was 18 years old and study here.
I recommend you can think of the topic of me as a gender minority or religious minority to write this essay. This essay is really important, so please pay much more effort on it. Thanks for your precious time. Thank you so much. If you have any problems, you can just let me know!

Ethnographic Essay #2: Anthropological Narrative on Dominant versus Minority Group Status

Fieldwork:

Dominant and minority group are relational terms, and our status can shift depending on context. Fieldwork is often an experience of minority status for the anthropologist.  In this exercise, you are tasked with going someplace where you are a minority and try (respectfully) to participate in some activity.  Some possibilities might include attending an ethnic festival, going to a meeting of an ethnic or racial student group, attending a religious ceremony of a different religion, or having a drink at a gay club or a biker bar.  Refer to Brown pp 37-59, “Navigating Field-Based Assignments” as a guide to preparing for and taking notes during and after your experience.

Important note: Many of us experience minority status on a daily basis.  The goal of this essay is to gain some analytical distance on the experience of being positioned as an ‘outsider’ (in other words, defamiliarization of our own position in a group, rather than defamiliarization of an object like Coke).  It is, therefore, helpful to explore a new and different situation.  There are always new settings in which we can find ourselves classed as a minority.  However, if you really wish to draw on a previous experience, you must a) focus on a specific event and b) reflect on how your perspective at the time was different from the anthropological perspective that you now bring to your analysis.

If you have a topic in mind and are unsure that it meets the essay requirements, please consult with your TA before writing the draft.

Draft:

After you complete your fieldwork, draft a 5 page reflexive paper (see Brown pp. 59-61) using an essay format (see Brown pp 62-63).  Although the genre of this essay calls for the use of ‘I’ and a personal recounting of experience, you should still have a thesis and use the anthropological perspective to offer analysis and interpretation of your experience.  Consider how you would answer the question: what is the point of my story?  It is not required to use scholarly sources for this paper; if you choose to do so, make sure they are properly cited. 

Revision Guidelines: 

Based on your TA’s feedback and your own self-assessment using the Writer’s Checklist, revise your paper.  You should also refer to Brown chapter 6, “Editing for Style” to improve your writing.  Your final draft should be 5 pages plus your completed Checklist.