Tutor profile: Annalise M.

What are some of the questions that you can ask yourself to ensure that a topic sentence in a paper is effective?

When writing topic sentences, the focus should be on clarity and accuracy to the paragraph. It can be helpful to ask yourself questions such as "Do I know what the paragraph is about just from this sentence?" or "Does this sentence connect to the thesis that I have presented?" Asking yourself questions is one of the most helpful ways to improve writing.

When studying, why can it be helpful to take notes by hand?

Note taking on the computer has been scientifically proven to create less cognitive engagement than taking notes by hand. The need to condense and summarize in note taking by hand may be one reason why writing rather than typing creates more cognitive engagement and more effective learning.

Noted theorist Clifford Geertz is most famous in anthropology for his theory of "thick description." What is thick description and what did it change about anthropology?

Thick description refers to a style of writing and research that emphasizes the context of actions in order to find their meaning. An example given by Geertz is the "wink" scenario in which context is needed in order to tell if a boy is winking in a flirtatious way, winking to make fun of someone, or simply suffering from an eye twitch. Geertz' emphasis on thick description led to a form of anthropology that relied more on meaning as determined by research participants rather than anthropologists and acknowledged the subjectivity of actions and how they are viewed.