HRAF News Vol. 2020-9
Starting a new academic year with HRAF
As a new academic year begins, faculty are looking for innovative ways to engage their students, whether online or on campus. HRAF’s member services manager Matthew Longcore reflects on his experience teaching Introduction to Anthropology with the new eHRAF Workbooks. HRAF Jeoparody, an interactive learning game, provides another fun option for the classroom. Since announcing the creation of the eHRAF Workbooks, we have released an additional set of Introduction to Cultural Anthropology activities. Please join us in extending a very warm welcome to our new Melvin Ember Interns!
During the Summer 2020 term, HRAF’s member services manager Matthew Longcore taught an online course for the University of Connecticut. ANTH 1006 Introduction to Anthropology introduces students to the four sub-fields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and biological anthropology.

Matthew was pleased to have the opportunity to incorporate the recently launched eHRAF Workbooks into his summer course. eHRAF Workbooks have been designed with flexible, distance, and hybrid learning in mind. With an enrollment of 12 students, the intensive 5-week online summer course provided an ideal setting for observing the new eHRAF Workbooks in action as a "proof of concept" for teaching and learning.

We are happy to announce our first interactive game, produced by HRAF's digital anthropologist, Dr. Francine Barone. The knowledge quiz is a play on the popular American television game show, Jeopardy!

HRAF Jeoparody contains six categories ranging from general anthropology trivia and cross-cultural topics to facts about HRAF and the eHRAF databases. True to the original TV quiz show, the "answers" are provided as prompts, and responses should come in the form of a question.

The game runs in an animated PowerPoint format complete with sound effects, transitions, and a "Final Jeoparody" round. To view the full category descriptions, related study materials, and suggestions for classroom use, download the notes to instructors in Teaching eHRAF.

The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) at Yale University is pleased to announce our Melvin Ember interns for 2020-2021: Benjamin Gonzalez and Daniel McCloskey. The internship, named in honor of former HRAF President Melvin Ember, is intended to give recent graduates of anthropology the opportunity to learn about cross-cultural research through practical experience.

Daniel graduated with high honors from the University of Connecticut in 2020, receiving a B.A. with a double major in Anthropology and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and a minor in Human Rights, while Benjamin graduated with honors from Trinity University with a B.A. in Anthropology.

Please join us in welcoming Benjamin and Daniel to HRAF. Read more about their research interests and projects below.
Since the debut of the eHRAF Workbooks, we have been hard at work producing new activities in the Introduction to Cultural Anthropology workbook. There are now 20 activities across 13 subject areas corresponding to popular topics covered by most introductory anthropology textbooks.

Some of our latest activities include:

·        The Four Fields
·        Understanding Culture
·        Language & Identity
·        Ethnographic Fieldwork
·        Property
·        Religion: The Afterlife

We have enjoyed positive feedback from our member faculty and instructors planning to teach with eHRAF Workbooks. Watch this space to see what additional workbook topics will be released in the coming weeks and months.

HRAF at Yale University|hraf.yale.edu