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Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
-
Unit 1

Margaret Mead in American Samoa

A dark-haired woman sits cross-legged in a dress and black Mary Jane shoes, leaning against a wall imprinted with leaves and other designs.

In this unit (to accompany SAPIENS podcast S6E1), students will be introduced to anthropology, focusing on the field in the early 20th century. Students will examine Margaret Mead as a historical figure, her work in American Samoa, and her impact on anthropology.

Learning Objectives
  • Summarize the development of anthropology.
  • Explore the significance of Margaret Mead’s work in American Samoa.
Sapiens articles
essay / Decoded

The Life and Meaning of Margaret Mead

Sam Dresser
The famous anthropologist argued that non-Western cultures offered alternative, often better, ways to be human. Why was she so vilified for it?
A group of people with white tunics and animal pelts on walk up a narrow street. One person holds a flare that gives off a red glow. A person wearing dark clothing photographs the event.
essay / Ask SAPIENS

What Do Anthropologists Do?

Chip Colwell
Anthropologists study humans in all our extraordinary history and diversity. Check out this overview of professional anthropology.
Keywords
View All in Methods
An ape-like mannequin, with protruding facial features and a body covered in fur, stands in a museum exhibition under dramatic lighting. Next to it, a text panel starts, “The human story begins.”
essay / Origins

Lessons From Lucy

Denise Su
Fifty years ago, the remains of an Australopithecus afarensis ancestor, named “Lucy” by archaeologists, rewrote the story of human evolution.
Two people crouch down to create colorful chalk art on a street. Intricate designs and language characters surround a central circular moti
essay / Expressions

Tackling the Impossibility—and Necessity—of Counting the World’s Languages

Damián Blasi
A language scientist delves into historic and current efforts to catalog the planet’s 7,000-plus languages, uncovering colorful tales and Herculean challenges.
A serene lake is surrounded by a dense forest of evergreen trees. The calm, blue water reflects the clear sky above.
essay / Crossroads

On the Tracks to Translating Indigenous Knowledge

Alicia Colson, Michael “Mike” Makwa Auksi, and George “Choch” Kenny
A team of researchers will journey by railway to Lac Seul First Nation in Canada to better understand alternative ways of seeing the world.
Two side-by-side graphics depict skulls, one facing forward and the other in profile. Both images are outlined in blue and have sections shaded in yellow. The profile image has three red lines spanning across it in two V shapes.
essay / Unearthed

Learning From Snapshots of Lost Fossils

Christian Tryon and Shara Bailey
Not all fossil discoveries happen in the field. In museum archives, researchers found photos of remains from Paleolithic children who had belonged to a group of early Homo sapiens in Eurasia.
Against a black background, two faces in profile look in opposite directions. The one on the left has straight brown hair with pale skin, and the one on the right has slightly darker skin and disheveled orange hair.
essay / In Flux

Excavating the Coexistence of Neanderthals and Modern Humans

Rick Schulting
An archaeologist explains how remains recently recovered from a cave in present-day Germany suggest that Neanderthals and modern humans populated Europe together for at least 10,000 years.
In a wooden structure without walls, three people wearing loincloths and no shirts, and two individuals wearing T-shirts surround and point to spots on a large tan and green map.
essay / Cultural Relativity

Finding Footprints Laid at the Dawn of Time

Mariana Petry Cabral
In the Brazilian Amazon, a university-trained archaeologist and Wajãpi Indigenous people understand traces from the past differently—but their partnership bears fruit for both.
View All in History
A large moose stands in the shallow waters of a lake at sunset, with the water reflecting vibrant golden and orange hues.
essay / Counterpoint

Do Moose “Belong” in Colorado?

William Taylor, Chance Ward, Emily Lena Jones, Jonathan Dombrosky, and John Wendt
As moose populations multiply in the Southern Rocky Mountains, decision-makers are questioning whether the animals are endemic or invaders. Archaeology can offer answers—and potential solutions.
Two people crouch down to create colorful chalk art on a street. Intricate designs and language characters surround a central circular moti
essay / Expressions

Tackling the Impossibility—and Necessity—of Counting the World’s Languages

Damián Blasi
A language scientist delves into historic and current efforts to catalog the planet’s 7,000-plus languages, uncovering colorful tales and Herculean challenges.
A bearded man in a vest and red scarf holds up his two hands in loose blue gloves, with a small tooth in each hand.
essay / Unearthed

Unraveling a “Ghost” Neanderthal Lineage

Ludovic Slimak
Remains in France found by archaeologists and geneticists suggest at least two lineages—not just one—of late Neanderthals in Europe.
Massive vertical and horizontal stones stand in a field at night, with the sliver of a silver moon above.
essay / Unearthed

The Distant Origins of a Stonehenge Stone

Nicholas Pearce, Richard Bevins, and Rob Ixer
After two decades of research, scholars find that Stonehenge’s giant Altar Stone came from northeast Scotland.
An ancient circular stone structure lies exposed under the ground surface. In the distance, light-red and tan mesas and flat desert expanses lie under a piercing blue sky with scattered fluffy white clouds.
interview / Counterpoint

Digging Into an Ancient Apocalypse Controversy From a Hopi Perspective

Chip Colwell
When producers for a popular Netflix series sought a permit to film on public lands in the U.S. Southwest, many Native leaders objected. A Hopi tribal official, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, shares his views.
A person in a dark-blue velvet coat stands face to face with a replica of an ancient dark-colored statue of a man and places their hands on its chest.
essay / Viewpoint

Can Embracing Copies Help With Museum Restitution Cases?

Pınar Durgun
Many museums are wrestling with returning looted or unethically obtained ancient objects. An archaeologist considers how a shift in public attitudes toward plaster and 3D copies could make a difference.
Glossary
American Samoa

  1. A U.S. territory 40 miles east of Samoa that consists of seven islands and atolls.

Anthropology

  1. The study of “everything human”; consists of archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.

Culture

  1. The customary norms, values, beliefs, rituals, and traditions of a social group that are handed down to succeeding generations.

Eugenics

  1. A scientifically inaccurate theory that strives to select and reproduce desirable hereditary characteristics in order to improve future generations.

Franz Boas

  1. (1858–1942) A German-born American anthropologist who founded the relativistic, culture-centric American anthropological school of thought that developed as a dominant 20th-century paradigm.

Margaret Mead

  1. (1901–1978) A renowned American cultural anthropologist who studied under Franz Boas and who wrote several noteworthy works, beginning with Coming of Age in Samoa, about gender, sexuality, and motherhood; Mead became a famous public figure through her writing and radio and TV appearances and was also known for her commentaries on race relations, environmental protection, and nuclear nonproliferation.

Participant Observation

  1. A research methodology in which the researcher is immersed in cultural activities as both a participant and an observer.

Samoa

  1. A Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands and several smaller islands and officially known as the Independent State of Samoa; “Samoa” can also be used to describe both the Independent State of Samoa and American Samoa, including its culture and people.

Sociocultural Anthropology

  1. The branch of anthropology that deals with human culture, specifically social structure, language, law, politics, religion, art, and technology; many sociocultural anthropologists document the meanings humans make of the different worlds they inhabit.

Professor Talking Points
  • Anthropology is the study of the development of human biology, language, material objects, society, and culture. Discuss with students the four fields of anthropology: archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.
  • Modern anthropology has its roots in 18th-century Europe, as part of the cultural movement to advance knowledge and reason. Lead a discussion about the history of the science.
  • Explore how anthropology, as in other sciences, is continually evolving, and anthropological theories that were once considered sound have changed or been rejected as anthropologists gain more information.
  • Margaret Mead was a student of Franz Boas, who is credited as the “father” of modern American anthropology and who famously advanced the theory of cultural relativism.
  • In 1925, Mead traveled to American Samoa to explore how culture and biology can impact the experience of adolescence. Discuss with students how she sought to discover if adolescence was as traumatic and stressful there as it was in the United States or whether it is culture that shapes the experience.
Academic Articles

  1. Garver, Kenneth L., and Bettylee Garver. 1991. “Eugenics: Past, Present, and the Future.” American Journal of Human Genetics 49 (5): 1109–1118.

  2. Rubin, Vera. 1979. “Margaret Mead: An Appreciation.” Human Organization 38 (2): 193–196.

  3. Willis, Matthew. 2019. “The Life and Times of Franz Boas.” JSTOR Daily, December 1.

Student Discussion Questions
  • In her book, Coming of Age in Samoa, Mead describes her research method as “speaking their language, eating their food, sitting cross-legged upon the pebble floor. I did my best to minimize the differences between us.” This type of participant observation was a relatively new method at the time. How do you think this approach helps reveal a culture and its dynamics? What are this method’s limitations?
  • In your own words, define anthropology.
  • How has anthropological research helped people from different parts of the world understand cultures and societies that are not their own?
Activities
  • Watch the video An Introduction to the Discipline of Anthropology under Additional Resources. Create a timeline with four points that summarize the development of anthropology. Describe each point and how it has helped anthropology evolve.
  • In a two-page essay, explain how Mead’s methods in American Samoa differed from those used prior to that period and how they impacted future anthropological study.
  • An anthropologist from the mid-19th century is debating with an anthropologist from the early 20th century. Explain one point of likely disagreement in how each of them compares societies. You may use “History and Branches of Anthropology” in Additional Resources as a reference.
Slides

Infographic: “Get to Know Margaret Mead”

Presentation: “Margaret Mead in American Samoa”

Additional Resources

  1. Article: National Geographic’s “History and Branches of Anthropology”

  2. Book: Margaret Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa

  3. Book: Paul Shankman’s The Trashing of Margaret Mead

  4. Film: Frank Heimans’ Margaret Mead and Samoa

  5. Video: Macat iLibrary’s An Introduction to the Discipline of Anthropology

  6. Video: Alan Macfarlane–Ayabaya’s Coming of Age: Margaret Mead

Unit By

Aimee L. Richards, Freedom Learning Group

Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
-
Unit 2

Adolescence as a Social Category

Portrait of two female friends with arm around outdoors on sunny day. One friend has dark curly hair and lots of jewelry, while the other girl has bangs and short cropped hair.