by Brad Huber, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Charleston
Note by the editors: Dr.
Huber uses this short paper assignment as extra credit.
Goal: The goal of this project is to have you do a
little research on the topic of marriage using eHRAF World Cultures (eHRAF), a database that
College of Charleston (CofC) subscribes to.
Note: I'll add up to 5 pts. to your third exam for this
assignment. Extra-credit is due at the beginning of
class on Wednesday, April 25th, the last day of class.
Introduction:
eHRAF stands for the electronic collections of HRAF.
HRAF is an acronym for Human Relations Area Files, a
non-profit institution founded in 1949 at Yale
University. HRAF is a consortium of educational,
research, and cultural organizations, and government
agencies. Its mission is to encourage and facilitate the
comparative study of human culture, society, and
behavior. This mission is accomplished mainly through
the compilation, indexing, and distribution of a
collection of ethnographic and other texts that are
indexed by culture and subject.
At CofC, eHRAF is usually accessed by going to CofC's
Homepage, clicking on Library, then Databases, and then
Subject List. HRAF (Human Relations Area Files) is
listed under Social Sciences.
You can also access the eHRAF (and other online
databases) from an Off-Campus Computer.
1) Go to the CofC Homepage
2) Then click Library
3) Then Databases
4) Then Off-Campus Access to Databases/Ejournals
5) You will be asked to type in your:
LOGIN ID (Your Social Security Number)
Password (Cougar)
6) After you have logged on, scroll down and select Human
Relations Area Files
Note by the editors:
Access to the eHRAF database is restricted to CofC
users.
Assignment:
Using the web version of the HRAF, write a
paper that discusses the Basis of Marriage (OCM
581) in one culture and Arranging A
Marriage (OCM 584) in another culture.
Your paper should be typed, double-spaced, have a
bibliography, and be between 3-4 pages long.
To find this information, in the database click on
"browse the OCMs" or "the OCM Alphabetic
Index".
View the eHRAF User Guide at http://www.yale.edu/hraf/userguides.html on how to use the database.
Citing eHRAF documents:
You should include a standard bibliographic reference
for the material, i.e.
Appadurai, Arjun
1996 Modernity at
Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Don't forget to include page numbers when citing material in the text! You should also include the basic retrieval statement for an on-line database: Retrieved [month day, year,] from [source] on-line database ([name of database], [item no.--if applicable]).
Brad R. Huber is an Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at College of Charleston, SC.