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 religion 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 Nutrition (OCM 146) in two cultures.
Nutrition could include topics such as: malnutrition and dietary
deficiencies; adequacy of the diet of subgroups and of the
population as a whole; chemical analyses of native foods; etc.
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 then SUBJECTS then choose between A-Z INDEX, MAJOR SUBJECTS, or OCM CODE.
View the eHRAF User
Guide 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]).