Essay Prompt 1 (answer in 750-1000 words) Choose two of the following authors: Max Gluckman, Ruth Benedict, Robert Redfield, or Julian Steward. Compare and contrast how these authors approach the topic of the anthropology of complex societies. What kinds of issues do they focus on in their study of complex social formations, and what does this reveal about how they think anthropologists should go about applying anthropological approaches to the study of large-scale or national societies? NOTE: Since this is shorter than the previous essay assignments, you only need to include a minimum of three direct quotations for each author you analyze, and probably won’t have room for an extensive introduction (try to introduce your analysis in just a sentence or two). Don’t forget a bibliography. Essay Prompt 2 (answer in 900-1200 words) Alexander Lesser develops an approach he calls “functional historicity,” which attempts to incorporate both changes to a particular practice, institution, or artifact over time (the ‘historicity’ part), and how different cultural elements fit together or relate to each other at a given moment (the ‘functional’ part). In your paper, explain how Lesser uses this approach in his own work and compare/contrast the various approaches of other authors from the course — choosing one author from each of our three themes —with Lesser’s approach to functional historicity. How does Lesser’s approach cast new light on the weaknesses and/or strengths of the work of your selected authors?