To promote active, discovery-mode learning, the authors have experimented with the SilverPlatter Cross-Cultural Data Base and the electronic Human Relations Area Files in a variety of courses, from introductory to advanced. These include classes in cultural anthropology, archaeology, and ecological anthropology. The Probability Sample Files of 60 cultures has been used both as the central focus of the class and as a supplementary focus. After describing several of these classes, the authors review some of the decisions that must be made in designing a course using one or both of the databases. Both the benefits and the problems of this teaching approach are discussed.
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