Faculty Guide

Join us and get access to quiz banks, teaching tips, and more

Through the Google Group you can share and receive tips, materials, advice, discussion prompts, and more. Click here and ask to join. Your request should be approved within 48 hours. Once you join you also receive a 60 page Instructor’s Manual that includes class activities and a guide to implementing each lesson and challenge.

How it works:

Students read the lesson, watch great documentaries, and listen to related podcasts.
Students put their new knowledge into action by taking the challenge.
Students post their challenge results on the LMS. (Most instructurs use a discussion for each challenge so that students can see and comment on each other’s work.)

How to use the lessons:

You can use the lessons however you like. You can go all-in and use all of the lessons and recommended materials or you can pick and choose what you like. Each lesson includes an intro video, a chapter, and additional materials (podcasts, documentaries, movies, additional readings). Personally, I assign all of the materials in each lesson to my students. I quiz them over the chapter and video, ask them to summarize the documentaries, and hold online or in-person weekly discussions. However, you may want to use different materials. You are welcome to create your own syllabus on your learning management system and link to any of the materials you like, and leave out any of those you do not. For example, for Lesson One you might only assign the textbook reading and then find other materials to assign your class. And of course, you do not even need to follow the 10 lessons as laid out here. Simply link to whatever materials you like and disregard the rest.

Feel free to share your course materials on the Google Group. The more we share and learn with each other the better our classes will be.

Assessment and Grading:

The 10 Lessons are not simply to be memorized. Students have to “live their way” into them and make them part of their lives. For this reason, I make the 10 challenges a substantial portion of their final grade – usually about 50%. The other 50% is made up of content assessment (quizzes and exams) and participation in discussions (online and in class, depending on course format.) Here is how I break it down for my online class:

Task	Points
10 Challenges: (Challenges 1-5, 7, and 8 are worth 25 points. Challenges 6 is worth 50 points and Challenges 9 and 10 are worth 100 points. You also receive 25 points for your introduction.)	450
10 Quizzes x 20 points each	200
10 Challenge Discussions	100
25 Discussions (on 25 podcasts and documentaries) x 10 points each	250
Total	1,000

Rubric for Challenges:

Grade	%	Characteristics
A+	100	Above and beyond. Outstanding visual presentation and write-up. An A+ effort will involve several of the following: risk-taking, innovative thinking, resolving a difficult contradiction or paradox, and connecting or synthesizing ideas.
A	90	Excellent work overall. Clear evidence that the core ideas of the lesson have been understood an implemented,
B	80	Good work, but there is not clear evidence that the core ideas of the lesson have been understood, or the work could be improved through better writing, more writing, or better visuals.
C	70	Fair work. Work is complete but it appears rushed and unpolished, Or there is no evidence of understanding and some evidence of misunderstanding.
D	60	Poor work. Work was submitted but it is incomplete, wrong, or off the mark.
F	<59	Very poor work. Something was submitted but it is minimal, incomplete, wrong, or off the mark
X	0	No submission.

Rubric for Discussions:

Grade	Points	Characteristics
Complete	10	Outstanding contribution and follow-up comments that inspire a rich and fruitful discussion. Demonstrates understanding of material as well as an ability to tie the material to larger ideas, making rich connections and evoking deep and interesting questions.
Incomplete	0	No contribution or a contribution that feels rushed like it was “just something that had to be done for the grade”

Is everything really free?

Yes. Everything on this site is free. You do not need to ask permission to use the material. The only possible expense is the printed version of the textbook, but that is optional for each student. A pdf of each chapter is provided for free.

How is this site funded?

A portion of the tuition money from students taking the online course for credit goes toward paying the costs to run the site.

Why “10 lessons” vs. a traditional “topics” course?

For 12 years I taught anthropology the way most people teach it: by progressing through a series of 16 topics as indicated in the textbook. But as I worked day by day to engage my students I found that over many years I had found 10 big ideas that are central to anthropology. While I maintained the structure of the “topics” course, I was learning to take my students on a journey through these 10 big ideas. This website and the accompanying textbook represent my attempt to give these big ideas priority over the topics. I still think coverage and depth are important, but students need to be motivated for any learning to take place. The “10 lessons” read like a manifesto of ideas worth learning. They make a promise to students that learning the material of an anthropology class is valuable and potentially life-changing. If you are interested, here is the full story: