What is Anthropology? | Anth 104 UnEssay Projects

What is Anthropology? | Anth 104 UnEssay Projects
February 18 - May 10, 2025

“Anthropology is, in its broadest sense, the study of what it means to be human. This can take many forms: studying present day societies, digging up the past, how language shapes culture (and vice versa), and who we are from a biological perspective. Perhaps most importantly, anthropology can be a lens; a way to interpret the world we live in and the systems we’ve created and think about why these were created and how they can be different.

In ANTH104, students are encouraged to look around their world with an anthropological lens. In my class, their final isn’t a traditional exam or paper but a project, an UnEssay. UnEssays are gaining popularity in some university classes as a way to allow students to demonstrate what they’ve learned in the class and challenge students to do it creatively. Students can propose any sort of project to demonstrate their knowledge gained: a business proposal, independent research, a video for social media.

Displayed here are some examples of ANTH104 students’ UnEssays. These examples showcase both the depth of anthropology as well as the breadth of Saluki creativity.”
~Dr Chris Stantis, Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Students who work will show cased include: Alex Brimer, Meegan Deer, Jupiter Engler, Madison Hercl, Gwenneth Jones, Oliver Korkus, and Mya Whitten.