ANTH 398: Intermediate Special Topics in Anthropology

ANTH 398 at the University of Maryland Global Campus is the intermediate special topics course in anthropology.

Its description matches ANTH 298: a presentation of anthropological perspectives on selected topics of broad general interest, worth 1 to 3 credits and repeatable to a maximum of 6 credits when topics differ. What changes is the level. As a 300-level course, ANTH 398 expects more theory, more independent reading and more developed arguments.

The topic changes from offering to offering, so the challenge is to bring intermediate-level skills to whatever subject your section covers. Students who did well in introductory courses by describing and defining often need to shift towards analyzing, comparing and arguing with evidence.

The good news is that these skills transfer: once you can frame any topic with theory and evidence, the changing subject matter becomes an advantage rather than a hurdle.

What Changes at Intermediate Level

Using Theory in a Topic Paper

At intermediate level, theory gives your paper its spine. Rather than describing a topic, you choose a theoretical lens and show what it reveals.

Common anthropological lenses include political economy (how wealth and power shape the topic), interpretive or symbolic anthropology (what it means to participants), practice theory (how everyday actions reproduce or change structures) and globalization studies (how local and global forces interact).

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Assignments vary by topic and instructor. At this level they often include:

Planning an Intermediate Topic Paper

A dependable plan for any ANTH 398 paper has five parts. Start with a focused research question about one aspect of the topic, rather than the topic as a whole. Next, state your thesis: the answer you will argue. Then introduce the theoretical lens you will use and explain briefly why it suits the question.

The body works through two to four pieces of ethnographic evidence, each analyzed through that lens, with at least one counter-argument or complicating case. The conclusion returns to the question, states what the analysis shows, and notes its limits.

Drafting the thesis and paragraph topics first, then checking each against your evidence, keeps the paper argued rather than descriptive, which is the main step up from lower-level work.

Finding and Using Scholarly Sources

Intermediate courses often expect you to go beyond assigned readings. Use your library's databases to find peer-reviewed ethnographies and journal articles on your topic. Anthropology journals and ethnographic monographs are the strongest sources; news articles can provide current examples but should not carry your argument.

When reading, note each author's argument, method and evidence, then look for agreements and disagreements between sources. Organizing a short source table (author, argument, method, evidence, how it helps your paper) makes writing much quicker and keeps your citations accurate.

Where Students Get Stuck

• Staying descriptive. Build an argument, not a summary of the topic.
• Theory as decoration. Use theory to explain your evidence, not just mention it.
• Too many lenses. One or two well-applied frameworks beat a list.
• Weak sources. Prioritize peer-reviewed anthropology.

Study Tips for ANTH 398

• Write your thesis in one sentence before drafting.
• Keep a source table as you read.
• Ask of every paragraph: how does this support my argument?
• If you took ANTH 298, revisit what worked and build on it.

How We Help with ANTH 398

Send the syllabus or topic, assignment prompt, readings, rubric and feedback. A writer with anthropology knowledge prepares a custom paper or outline, suggests theoretical framings, or edits your draft. Our research paper help guide covers research skills in more depth.

GradeEssays is independent of the University of Maryland Global Campus. Our work is a study and reference aid: use it to learn, then write and submit your own work under UMGC's academic integrity policy. Every order is written from scratch, includes free revisions within the scope of your original request, and is refunded in full if it is late.