Miner, H. (1956). Body ritual among the Nacirema . American Anthropologist, 58 (3), 503–507. Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html Please review the instructions for the Final Research Paper in Week Five before you begin working on this assignment. This assignment is designed to help you get started on your Final Research Paper by requiring you to choose the topic and sources you will use, as well as summarize those sources. It will also give your instructor a chance to provide you with feedback on your thesis statement and your topic. Please review the Tutorial for the Week 3 Worksheet before beginning to fill out the worksheet for this assignment. See the Final Paper Flow Chart for a quick overview of the Final Research Paper. Now that you’ve reviewed the Final Research Paper requirements, you are ready to complete the Week Three Assignment Worksheet , which contains further instructions. Wk. 5 Instruction In the Final Research Paper, you will examine your own culture from an etic (outsider’s) perspective and another culture from an emic (insider’s) perspective to demonstrate your understanding of cultural relativism and examine misconceptions and ethnocentric beliefs concerning each of these cultures. Keep the distinction between cultural relativism and moral relativism in mind as you write your final paper. Even if you do not personally agree with a cultural practice, demonstrate your understanding of the practice in its cultural context. Avoid opinionated or judgmental language in your paper. Cultural relativism is the idea that the beliefs and practices of a culture should be understood within the context of that particular culture’s background, history, and current events surrounding it. We should not ethnocentrically impose our own beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own enculturation. Cultural relativism is not the same as moral relativism, however. As Crapo (2013) notes We need not, for instance, come to value infanticide in order to understand the roles it may play in peoples’ lives in a society where it is customary. What cultural relativism requires of us is simply that we do not confuse our own feelings about such a custom with understanding it. To do the latter, we must investigate the meanings the custom has for those who practice it and the functions it may fulfill in their society. (section 1.4, “Cultural Differences: Cultural Relativism,” para. 3) Keep the distinction between cultural relativism and moral relativism in mind as you write your Final Research Paper. Even if you do not personally agree with a cultural practice, demonstrate your understanding of the practice in its cultural context. Avoid opinionated or judgmental language in your paper. Your Final Research Paper will consist of two main parts, framed by an Introduction and a Conclusion. See the Final Paper Flow Chart for a quick overview of the assignment. See the following instructions for information on each part of t ...

1. Miner, H. (1956).
Body ritual among the Nacirema
.
American Anthropologist, 58
(3), 503–507. Retrieved from
https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html
Please review the instructions for the Final Research Paper in
Week Five before you begin working on this assignment. This
assignment is designed to help you get started on your Final
Research Paper by requiring you to choose the topic and sources
you will use, as well as summarize those sources. It will also
give your instructor a chance to provide you with feedback on
your thesis statement and your topic.
Please review the
Tutorial for the Week 3 Worksheet
before beginning to fill out the worksheet for this assignment.
See the
Final Paper Flow Chart
for a quick overview of the Final Research Paper.
Now that you’ve reviewed the Final Research Paper
requirements, you are ready to complete the
Week Three Assignment Worksheet
, which contains further instructions.
Wk. 5 Instruction
In the Final Research Paper, you will examine your own culture
from an etic (outsider’s) perspective and another culture from
an emic (insider’s) perspective to demonstrate your
understanding of cultural relativism and examine
misconceptions and ethnocentric beliefs concerning each of
these cultures. Keep the distinction between cultural relativism
and moral relativism in mind as you write your final paper.

2. Even if you do not personally agree with a cultural practice,
demonstrate your understanding of the practice in its cultural
context. Avoid opinionated or judgmental language in your
paper.
Cultural relativism is the idea that the beliefs and practices of a
culture should be understood within the context of that
particular culture’s background, history, and current events
surrounding it. We should not ethnocentrically impose our own
beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own
enculturation.
Cultural relativism is not the same as moral relativism,
however. As Crapo (2013) notes
We need not, for instance, come to value infanticide in order to
understand the roles it may play in peoples’ lives in a society
where it is customary. What cultural relativism requires of us is
simply that we do not confuse our own feelings about such a
custom with understanding it. To do the latter, we must
investigate the meanings the custom has for those who practice
it and the functions it may fulfill in their society. (section 1.4,
“Cultural Differences: Cultural Relativism,” para. 3)
Keep the distinction between cultural relativism and moral
relativism in mind as you write your Final Research Paper. Even
if you do not personally agree with a cultural practice,
demonstrate your understanding of the practice in its cultural
context. Avoid opinionated or judgmental language in your
paper.
Your Final Research Paper will consist of two main parts,
framed by an Introduction and a Conclusion. See the
Final Paper Flow Chart
for a quick overview of the assignment. See the following
instructions for information on each part of the paper.
Introduction
Begin with an introductory paragraph that has a thesis statement
at the end. The introduction should set up your topic, giving a
preview and summary of the analysis you will present in the
body of the paper. The thesis statement is the last sentence or

3. two of the introduction and states what the main point
structuring your paper will be.
Here is an
Example of an Introduction
.
Part I
Using the article by Miner (1956) and the feedback you received
from your instructor on your worksheet in Week Three, describe
one aspect of your own culture from an etic perspective. See the
appropriate Sections in the Textbook in the
List of Topics
, based on your chosen topic from Week Three, for information
on how to approach your paper from an anthropological
perspective. You can describe American culture in general, as
Miner does, or you can describe an American subculture, such
as a specific geographical group (e.g., New Yorkers), a
particular ethnicity (e.g., African Americans), or an age-related
category of Americans (e.g., millennials).
Use reputable statistics and/or scholarly research to support any
factual statements. Do not rely solely on personal experience or
opinion.
Here is an
Example of Part I
.
Part II
Refer to the article you chose for Part II of the worksheet
assignment in Week Three and describe an aspect of another
culture from an emic (insider’s) perspective. You do not have to
do research beyond reading your chosen article; however, if you
do choose to conduct additional research make sure to use
reputable statistics and/or scholarly sources to support any
factual statements. Do not rely upon personal experience or
opinion.
Here is an
Example of Part II
.

4. Conclusion
End with a concluding paragraph that reinforces your thesis.
Summarize and tie together your main points for the reader.
Provide a brief self-reflexive analysis of what you learned while
writing this paper.