Using Zotero to manage references

A few weeks ago in class, I recommended Zotero, a free tool for managing references and producing bibliographies. Yesterday, Inside Higher Ed published a detailed review of Zotero that will help you decide if it’s right for you. The best part about the review is that the author, Scott McLemee, is a self-proclaimed newbie with no particular technical expertise. He identifies the key strengths and weaknesses of Zotero and gives a good sense for how you would get started using it.

Whether it’s Zotero or something else, I encourage you to develop a system for managing references. It will save you time and headaches later on.

Obesity: health or hype?

Yesterday we discussed the question that Wayt Gibbs posed in a recent issue of Scientific American: Is obesity an overblown epidemic? This question is also the focus of a three-part debate that took place last week in the Los Angeles Times. The LA Times pits Kelly D. Brownell, a professor of psychology and public health at Yale, against Paul F. Campos, a professor of law at the University of Colorado. Campos is featured in the Gibbs article you read, too.

This debate has also played out recently in the scholarly literature. For example, see the series of point and counterpoint articles in the February 2006 issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology. What do you make of this debate?

Annotated bibliography due Tuesday

I neglected to remind you in class yesterday that your annotated bibliographies are due next Tuesday in class. From the syllabus:

An annotated bibliography with at least 10 carefully selected references from the scholarly literature is due on Oct. 2. The references should clearly relate to your paper topic. Your annotations should briefly evaluate the content of the source and identify how, it at all, it will contribute to your research paper. Consult the guidelines for how to identify scholarly sources and how to make an annotated bibliography in the Guide to Library Research from Cornell University.

The UF Libraries has a useful web page about citation style guides. It’s not important to me which citation style you use, so long as you use it correctly and consistently. One good option would be to use the American Anthropological Association style. Other good alternatives include the Chicago Manual of Style or APA style.

If you have questions about this assignment, please leave a comments here on the blog.

Research paper proposals due Tuesday

As you know, on Tuesday you are required to submit a 250-300 word proposal defining the topic of your research paper. Please bring six copies of your proposal to share with classmates in your peer review groups.

Developing a well-defined problem is the key to a successful research paper. As you finish your proposal, keep in mind that a research problem is more than just a topic. Whereas a topic identifies some general phenomenon (e.g., Native American healing traditions), a research problem raises interesting questions of theoretical or practical value (e.g., How do contemporary Native American healing traditions interact with biomedicine?). Your paper will be more fun to write (and to read) if you tackle a specific research problem than it will be if you address a broad, ill-defined topic.

Begin to narrow your focus by doing some exploratory reading on a topic that interests you. You may find that the course readings are a good place to start. As you read, take note of exciting ideas or unresolved puzzles, and try to formulate interesting “what,” “how,” or “why” questions about your topic. Do a preliminary literature search early on to make sure that you’ll have enough—but not too much—material to draw on.

The paper proposal should identify the problem and articulate why it is important. Try to relate your problem to the broader themes of the course, and indicate how you plan to approach the problem.

Many university libraries have useful suggestions for finding appropriate research topics. See, for example, this page at the Cornell University Library.

NPR: Western influences disrupt Mediterranean diet

In class yesterday, you worked through the ways that medical anthropologists from different theoretical perspectives might approach the study of obesity. Some of you took on the role of ecological or evolutionary anthropologists; others became critical medical anthropologists; still others applied an interpretive perspective.

A recent story on NPR provides a perfect follow-up to our discussion. The story deals with the causes and consequences of dietary change on the Greek island of Crete over the last 60 years. There’s a lot to chew on (so to speak). What strikes you most about the story? How do the major theoretical perspectives we discussed apply to this case?

Mom’s diabetes and kids’ obesity

Yesterday in class I mentioned a study that has been in the news this week about the links between mother’s diabetes during pregnancy and their children’s risk of obesity five to six years later. This study is the latest in a growing body of research that shows how health is influenced by early-life experiences, including exposures in utero and even in previous generations.

This work draws on life course epidemiology and on research in developmental plasticity and health. It’s a thoroughly interdisciplinary field and has a new professional society to show for it. This area of research is fertile ground for biocultural approaches to medical anthropology, because it helps us to understand how sociocultural factors impact human biology over the life course and even across generations.

Of course, news coverage of this week’s study focuses narrowly on the links between gestational diabetes and children’s subsequent weight. It doesn’t address the sociocultural factors that put women at risk of developing gestational diabetes in the first place. Where would you begin to look for answers to that question?