Introduction

This guide is designed to help IB Social and Cultural Anthropology educators and students harness the power of generative AI. The prompts below are tailored to the specific concepts, skills, and assessment objectives of the latest curriculum (first assessment 2025). They move beyond simple information retrieval to facilitate deep learning, critical thinking, and effective preparation.

How to Use These Prompts:

Copy and Paste: Select a prompt that fits your needs.
Add Context: Replace bracketed text [e.g., topic] with your specific details (e.g., a particular ethnography, concept, or theorist).
Refine and Iterate: Treat the AI’s first response as a draft. Ask follow-up questions to refine the output until it meets your exact requirements. For example, ask it to “make this simpler for an SL student,” “add more detail about the methodology,” or “reformat this as a mind map.”

Section 1 – Educator Prompts (50)

These prompts are designed to streamline the teaching process, from curriculum mapping to creating engaging enrichment activities.

Group A: Planning & Preparation

Syllabus Breakdown: “Act as an IB curriculum developer. Create a year-long pacing guide for IB Social and Cultural Anthropology SL, breaking down the ‘Engaging with Anthropology’ and ‘Engaging with Ethnography’ units into weekly topics. For each week, suggest a key reading and a core concept to focus on.”
Unit Plan Outline: “Design a 4-week unit plan for the HL extension ‘Engaging with the Contemporary World,’ focusing on the topic of [e.g., global migration]. The plan should include weekly learning objectives, key anthropological theorists, suggested case studies, and formative assessment ideas.”
Lesson Plan Generation: “Generate a 90-minute lesson plan for an introductory SL class on ‘The Anthropological Imagination.’ The plan must include a hook activity, direct instruction on ‘making the strange familiar,’ a small group activity analyzing a cultural practice, and a concluding exit ticket. Specify materials needed.”
Resource Curation: “Curate a list of 5 high-quality, open-access resources (articles, videos, podcasts) to supplement a unit on the core concept of Materiality. For each resource, provide a brief summary and explain how it connects to the IB curriculum.”
Ethnography Selection: “Suggest three classic and three contemporary ethnographies suitable for an IB Anthropology class. For each, provide a one-paragraph summary, identify the key themes, and justify why it’s a good choice for exploring concepts like Power and Identity.”
IA Scaffolding: “Create a timeline and checklist for the HL Internal Assessment (Fieldwork Project). Break the process down into manageable steps, from formulating a research question to writing the final report, with suggested deadlines over a 6-month period.”
Concept Integration Map: “Generate a concept map that visually links the nine core anthropological concepts (Belief and knowledge, Change, Culture, etc.) to the central topic of [e.g., Kinship]. Show how different concepts can be used to analyze the same topic from multiple angles.”
Essential Questions: “Develop a set of 5 ‘essential questions’ to guide a unit on ‘Engaging with Ethnography.’ These questions should be open-ended, encourage critical thinking, and link directly to the skills needed for Paper 1.”
Differentiated Learning Goals: “For a lesson on [e.g., Victor Turner’s theory of social drama], create three tiers of learning objectives for students with different learning needs (developing, proficient, advanced). Ensure all objectives align with the core lesson goal.”
Case Study Bank: “Generate a brief summary of an anthropological case study that powerfully illustrates the concept of Symbolism. The summary should be accessible to an SL student and highlight the key symbols and their cultural meanings. Format it as a one-page handout.”
Theory-Concept Pairing: “Create a table that pairs 5 key anthropological theorists [e.g., Geertz, Foucault, Marx, Ortner, Appadurai] with the IB core concept(s) they are most associated with. Include a brief explanation of the connection for each pairing.”
SL IA Introduction: “Design a presentation to introduce the SL Internal Assessment (Critique of an ethnographic source). The presentation should cover the task requirements, assessment criteria, and provide examples of suitable ethnographic films, texts, and exhibits.”
Vocabulary List: “Generate a glossary of the 20 most important terms for the ‘Engaging with Anthropology’ unit. For each term, provide a simple definition and an example of its use in an anthropological context.”
Paper 2 Prompt Brainstorm: “Brainstorm 5 potential Paper 2 essay questions based on the core concept of Change. Ensure the questions require comparison and the use of ethnographic evidence.”
HL Fieldwork Ethics: “Create a classroom handout outlining the key ethical considerations for HL students preparing for their fieldwork project, based on AAA/ASA ethical guidelines but simplified for a high school audience.”

Group B: Delivery & Instruction

Discussion Starter: “Create a ‘think-pair-share’ activity to introduce the concept of Culture. The prompt should challenge students’ preconceived notions and lead into a discussion of anthropological definitions of culture.”
Role-Play Scenario: “Design a role-play scenario for an HL class. One student acts as an anthropologist conducting an interview, and another acts as an informant from [e.g., a specific cultural group being studied]. Provide a brief with objectives and potential ethical dilemmas for both roles.”
Analyzing Ethnographic Excerpts: “Provide a short, fictional ethnographic excerpt describing a ritual. Then, generate a set of 5 guided questions that help students analyze the text for evidence of Social Relations, Power, and Belief and Knowledge.”
Jigsaw Activity Design: “Design a jigsaw activity for a lesson on [e.g., different modes of subsistence]. Divide the topic into four sub-topics (foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, agriculture) and create a brief ‘expert sheet’ for each home group.”
Making the Familiar Strange: “Create a classroom exercise where students must describe a common cultural practice from their own society [e.g., a birthday party, a coffee shop visit] from the perspective of an anthropologist seeing it for the first time. The goal is to practice ethnographic description.”
Debate Topic: “Formulate a debate topic for an HL class related to the ‘Engaging with the contemporary world’ unit. For example: ‘This house believes that globalization inevitably leads to cultural homogenization.’ Provide starter arguments for both sides.”
Film Analysis Guide: “Create a viewing guide for the ethnographic film [e.g., ‘First Contact’]. The guide should include questions to answer before, during, and after viewing, focusing on representation, bias, and the filmmaker’s perspective.”
Concept Application: “Present a recent news article about [e.g., a social protest movement]. Generate a series of prompts asking students to apply three different core concepts (e.g., Power, Identity, Change) to analyze the event anthropologically.”
Guest Speaker Simulation: “Act as the anthropologist [e.g., Clifford Geertz]. Write a short script for a 5-minute ‘guest lecture’ explaining your concept of ‘thick description’ in a way high school students can understand.”
Differentiated Handout: “Take this complex academic text on [e.g., post-structuralism] and create two versions of a summary handout: one for SL students with key terms defined, and one for HL students that includes critical questions connecting it to other theories.”
Whiteboard Template: “Design a whiteboard template for a class brainstorming session on the HL fieldwork project. The template should have sections for ‘Potential Topics,’ ‘Possible Methods,’ ‘Ethical Concerns,’ and ‘Relevant Concepts.'”
Explaining Holism: “Generate three distinct analogies to help students understand the anthropological principle of holism.”
Connecting Papers 1 & 2: “Create a short activity that demonstrates how the analytical skills for Paper 1 (analyzing an unseen text) can be used to gather evidence for a Paper 2 essay.”
Ethical Dilemma: “Write a short (200-word) ethical dilemma scenario an anthropologist might face in the field. The scenario should not have an easy answer and be designed to provoke discussion about research ethics.”
Interactive Review Game: “Design the rules and provide 15 sample questions for a classroom review game (like Jeopardy or Kahoot) covering the key theorists and concepts from the ‘Engaging with Anthropology’ unit.”

Group C: Assessment & Feedback

Quiz Creation: “Act as an IB examiner. Create a 10-question multiple-choice quiz on the topic of [e.g., Kinship Systems]. The questions should test both factual recall and conceptual understanding. Provide an answer key with explanations.”
Short-Answer Questions: “Generate 5 short-answer questions that would be suitable for a formative assessment on research methods in anthropology. Ensure the questions require application, not just definition.”
Paper 1 Practice: “Find or generate a 500-word, family-friendly ethnographic text. Then, create a set of Paper 1-style exam questions based on this text, following the typical format (e.g., ‘Define X as used in the text,’ ‘Explain Y in context,’ ‘Analyze Z’).”
Paper 2 Essay Prompt: “Create a Paper 2-style essay question that requires students to compare and contrast two ethnographies in their discussion of the concept of Power. The question must be specific and encourage a nuanced argument.”
Paper 3 (HL) Prompt: “Create a Paper 3-style essay question for the HL extension topic [e.g., The Anthropology of Health and Illness]. The question should present a contemporary issue and ask for an analysis using anthropological theories and perspectives.”
Rubric Generator: “Generate a simplified, student-friendly rubric for a presentation on an ethnographic case study. The rubric should be based on IB assessment criteria but use ‘I can…’ statements.”
Feedback Comments: “A student has written an essay arguing that [e.g., globalization is destroying local cultures]. The essay is one-sided and lacks ethnographic evidence. Generate a set of constructive feedback comments that praise what is good, identify areas for improvement, and provide specific, actionable advice.”
Mark Scheme Creation: “For the Paper 2 essay prompt you created earlier, generate a detailed mark scheme that outlines the expected points for each mark band, including specific ethnographic examples that could be used effectively.”
IA Proposal Review: “Act as an IB teacher. A student has submitted the following HL IA research question: [Insert a weak research question, e.g., ‘I want to study my school’s culture’]. Provide feedback that explains why the question is too broad and guide the student toward formulating a more focused, anthropologically relevant question.”
Model Paragraph: “Write a model analytical paragraph for a Paper 2 essay. The paragraph should have a clear topic sentence, integrate a specific ethnographic example [e.g., from Bourgois’ ‘In Search of Respect’], and link it explicitly to the core concept of Social Relations.”
Peer Assessment Checklist: “Create a peer assessment checklist for students to use when reviewing each other’s SL IA drafts. The checklist should be structured around the official assessment criteria (e.g., ‘Does the critique identify the source’s theoretical perspective?’).”
Exam Wrapper: “Design an ‘exam wrapper’ worksheet for students to complete after receiving their mock exam results. The worksheet should prompt them to reflect on their preparation, analyze the types of errors they made, and create a new study plan.”
Identifying Bias: “Provide a short, fictionalized historical account of a ‘first contact’ scenario. Then, create a task asking students to identify and explain three instances of ethnocentric bias in the text.”
Command Term Practice: “Create a worksheet that lists the key IB command terms (e.g., ‘Analyze,’ ‘Compare,’ ‘Evaluate,’ ‘To what extent…’). For each term, provide a definition and a mini-prompt related to anthropology to practice.”
HL IA Viva Voce: “Generate 5 potential follow-up questions to ask an HL student after they have presented their fieldwork findings, designed to probe deeper into their methodology, analysis, and reflexivity.”

Group D: Enrichment & Extension

Connecting to Current Events: “Find a recent news article (within the last month) about [e.g., a climate change protest]. Write three discussion prompts that connect the article to the IB Anthropology concepts of Change, Power, and Society.”
Interdisciplinary Link: “Design a mini-project that connects IB Anthropology with [e.g., IB Visual Arts]. The project could involve students creating an art piece that represents a core anthropological concept and writing a short analytical statement.”
Anthropology in Film: “Suggest 3 popular, non-documentary films [e.g., ‘Avatar,’ ‘District 9,’ ‘Arrival’] that can be used to discuss anthropological themes like culture, ethnocentrism, and representation. For each film, create one critical discussion question.”
Beyond the Curriculum: “A student is very interested in [e.g., linguistic anthropology]. Suggest a book, a documentary, and a podcast that go beyond the IB curriculum to explore this subfield in more depth.”
Local Fieldwork Idea: “Design a ‘mini-ethnography’ project that a class can do on the school campus. The project should focus on a specific social space [e.g., the library or cafeteria] and task students with observing and analyzing its use of space, social interactions, and material culture.”

Section 2 – Student Prompts (50)

These prompts are designed to empower you in your learning journey, from understanding core concepts to mastering exam techniques.

Group A: Understanding Concepts & Content

Concept Explainer: “Explain the core concept of Belief and Knowledge as if you were explaining it to a 15-year-old. Use a clear example from an ethnography [e.g., Evans-Pritchard’s work on Azande witchcraft] to illustrate the difference between the two.”
Theorist Summary: “Act as a study partner. Summarize the main arguments of [e.g., Marcel Mauss] regarding the gift. Explain his key ideas in simple terms and list the top 3 things I need to remember for the exam.”
Ethnography Breakdown: “Provide a structured summary of the ethnography [e.g., ‘Argonauts of the Western Pacific’]. The summary must include: the main argument, the research methods used, key findings, and its primary contribution to anthropology.”
Compare and Contrast: “Create a table that compares and contrasts the concepts of Society and Culture. List key characteristics for each and provide an example that shows how they are different but related.”
ELI5 (Explain Like I’m 5): “Explain the anthropological concept of ‘participant observation’ like I’m 5 years old. Why is it important for anthropologists?”
Key Term in Context: “Explain the term ‘ethnocentrism’ and ‘cultural relativism.’ Provide a real-world scenario where confusing the two could lead to a misunderstanding.”
Visual Metaphor: “Generate a visual metaphor or analogy to help me remember the difference between ’emic’ and ‘etic’ perspectives in anthropological research.”
Connecting Concepts: “How does the concept of Power relate to the concept of Identity? Explain the connection and provide an example from an ethnography we have studied.”
Unpacking a Quote: “Take this quote from [e.g., Clifford Geertz: ‘Man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun…’]. Break it down line by line and explain what it means for the study of culture.”
HL Topic Overview: “Give me a beginner’s overview of the HL extension topic [e.g., The Anthropology of the Body]. What are the main questions anthropologists ask about this topic? Who are two key theorists I should know?”
Mind Map Content: “Generate the content for a mind map about [e.g., kinship]. The central bubble is ‘Kinship.’ The main branches should be ‘Types of Descent,’ ‘Marriage Patterns,’ ‘Key Theorists,’ and ‘Relevant Case Studies.’ Provide bullet points for each branch.”
Clarify a Misconception: “What is a common misconception about the concept of [e.g., culture]? Explain why it’s wrong from an anthropological perspective.”
Theory to Example: “I’m learning about [e.g., Foucault’s concept of biopower]. Can you give me a clear, modern-day example to help me understand how it works in practice?”
SL IA Source Analysis: “I’m considering using the ethnographic film [e.g., ‘The Nuer’] for my SL IA. What are some potential arguments, theoretical perspectives, and biases I should look for when critiquing this film?”
Research Methods: “Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative data in anthropology. Why do anthropologists typically favor one over the other?”

Group B: Practicing & Applying

Flashcard Creation: “Create a set of 10 digital flashcards for the topic of [e.g., Ritual and Symbolism]. Each card should have a key term or concept on the front and a concise definition and example on the back. Format it as a two-column table.”
Self-Quiz: “Act as my study tutor. Ask me 5 short-answer questions about [e.g., the research methods used by Malinowski in the Trobriand Islands]. After I answer, provide the correct answer and feedback.”
Apply a Concept: “Here is a link to a short news article: [paste link]. Read the article and explain how I could apply the anthropological concept of Materiality to analyze the situation described.”
Build an Argument: “I need to write an essay arguing that [e.g., social media is changing kinship relations]. Help me build a basic argument by providing three distinct points, each supported by a potential (hypothetical or real) ethnographic example.”
Deconstruct a Prompt: “Deconstruct the following Paper 2 essay question: ‘To what extent is resistance to power always a collective act? Discuss with reference to at least two ethnographies.’ Identify the command term, key concepts, and the specific requirements of the question.”
Ethnographic Comparison: “I need to compare the ethnographies [e.g., ‘Coming of Age in Samoa’ by Mead] and [e.g., ‘The Gebusi’ by Knauft]. Create a Venn diagram that outlines their similarities and differences in terms of research methods, theoretical focus, and key findings.”
Write a Thesis Statement: “Help me write a strong, arguable thesis statement for an essay about the impact of Change on Belief and Knowledge. The essay will use [e.g., the Azande and a contemporary example] as case studies.”
Find the Flaw: “Here is a weak analytical statement: ‘The Trobriand Islanders use the Kula ring for trade.’ Rewrite this statement to be more anthropologically precise, incorporating concepts like Social Relations and Symbolism.”
HL Fieldwork Brainstorm: “I live in [e.g., a large urban city]. Help me brainstorm three potential HL fieldwork project topics that are feasible for me to research. For each topic, suggest a possible research question and a primary research method.”
Practice for Paper 1: “Give me a short, fictional ethnographic paragraph. Then, ask me one question that requires me to identify a definition in context and one question that requires me to make an inference based on the text.”
Reflexivity Practice: “I am preparing for my HL fieldwork. Give me a list of 5 reflexive questions I should be asking myself throughout the research process to be aware of my own positionality and bias.”
Connecting Theory to Life: “How can I use [e.g., Bourdieu’s concept of habitus] to understand my own daily life and routines at school?”
Paragraph Structure: “Help me structure an analytical paragraph for a Paper 2 essay. Provide a template that includes a topic sentence, explanation of the point, introduction of ethnographic evidence, analysis of the evidence, and a concluding link back to the main thesis.”
Counterargument Practice: “My essay argues that [e.g., culture is the primary determinant of identity]. What is a strong counterargument to this position? Help me phrase it and suggest how I might acknowledge and refute it in my essay.”
Ethical Problem Solving: “I’m doing my HL fieldwork and [describe a minor ethical dilemma, e.g., an informant asked me for money]. Act as my supervisor and walk me through the steps I should take to handle this situation ethically.”

Group C: Revising & Consolidating

Personalized Study Guide: “Create a one-page study guide for my upcoming test on ‘Engaging with Anthropology.’ The guide should summarize the key ideas of the anthropological perspective, imagination, and toolkit, and list 5 essential theorists. I struggle with remembering names.”
Essay Outline: “Create a detailed 3-paragraph essay outline for the following prompt: ‘Compare and contrast how the concepts of Identity and Belief and Knowledge are explored in two ethnographies you have studied.’ Specify which ethnography to use for each body paragraph.”
Revision Mind Map: “Generate the text for a revision mind map on the concept of Power. It should include branches for ‘Definitions,’ ‘Key Theorists (Foucault, Marx),’ ‘Forms of Power (e.g., coercive, symbolic),’ ‘Power and the Body,’ and ‘Case Studies.'”
Synoptic Links: “How does the topic of [e.g., Kinship] from the ‘Engaging with Anthropology’ unit connect to the skills needed for the ‘Engaging with Ethnography’ unit and Paper 1?”
Key Concept Review Table: “Generate a revision table for the 9 core concepts. The columns should be: ‘Concept,’ ‘Simple Definition,’ ‘A Key Theorist/Thinker Associated With It,’ and ‘An Ethnographic Example That Illustrates It.'”
From Notes to Argument: “Here are my messy notes on [e.g., the work of Arjun Appadurai on globalization]: [paste 5-10 bullet points of notes]. Can you organize these notes into a coherent argument about cultural flows?”
Top 5 Mistakes: “Act as an experienced IB Anthropology examiner. What are the top 5 mistakes students make on Paper 2 essays, and how can I avoid them?”
Condense My Reading: “I’ve read a chapter on [e.g., medical anthropology]. Can I paste the text here so you can summarize it into five key takeaway bullet points for my revision notes?”
Audio Script: “Write a 3-minute audio script summarizing the main arguments of [e.g., Geertz’s ‘Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight’]. I want to listen to it while I’m commuting.”
Test Yourself: “Create a final ‘test yourself’ quiz with 3 short-answer questions and one essay prompt that synthesizes ideas from across the entire SL syllabus.”

Group D: Preparing for Final Assessments

Paper 1 Timed Practice: “Give me a 400-word unseen ethnographic text. I am going to set a timer for 20 minutes and write answers to three standard Paper 1 questions. After 20 minutes, I will show you my answers for feedback.”
Essay Opening Lines: “Give me three different options for a strong opening sentence for an essay on the topic of Materiality and its role in constructing social identity.”
Improving an Essay: “Here is a draft of my essay paragraph: [paste paragraph]. Act as a writing tutor and give me specific feedback on how to improve its clarity, analysis, and use of ethnographic evidence.”
Checklist Before Exam: “Create a final mental checklist for me to run through just before I start my Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams. What should I be thinking about?”
HL IA Abstract: “I have finished my HL fieldwork report. Here are the key sections: [paste brief summary of research question, methods, and findings]. Help me draft a concise, 150-word abstract that meets academic standards.”
Predict the Question: “Based on trends in past papers and the syllabus, if you had to predict one core concept that is likely to be a focus on this year’s Paper 2 exam, which would it be and why? Generate a sample question for it.”
Conclusion Paragraphs: “Help me write a powerful concluding paragraph for an essay. Remind me of the key components: restate thesis, summarize main points, and offer a final, insightful thought.”
Using Evidence: “What is the difference between ‘mentioning’ an ethnography and ‘using it as evidence’? Give me a ‘before’ and ‘after’ example of a sentence to show the difference.”
SL IA Critique Structure: “Provide a clear, paragraph-by-paragraph structure for the SL IA critique. For example: Paragraph 1: Introduction and thesis. Paragraph 2: Summary of source. Paragraph 3: Analysis of theoretical perspective…”
Final Motivation: “Act as a supportive teacher. I have my final IB Anthropology exam tomorrow and I’m feeling nervous. Give me a few last-minute tips and some words of encouragement.”

Section 3 – Bonus Universal Prompt (1)

This prompt is designed for creative exploration and can be used by an educator for a class project or by a student for an independent study.

The Speculative Ethnography: “Act as an anthropologist from the year 2200 studying our present-day society ([e.g., the use of smartphones, online communities, or fast fashion]). Write the introduction to your speculative ethnography. You must use the core IB concepts of Materiality, Social Relations, and Change to frame your analysis. Your tone should be one of ‘making the familiar strange,’ attempting to explain this ‘ancient’ cultural phenomenon to your 23rd-century audience. Conclude by posing your central research question.”