ANTH 1003 Week 2 (Auburn University, Monica Cox)

4 subfields of anthropology

Cultural anthropology Archaeology Biological anthropology Linguistic anthropology 1 bonus field **** Applied anthropology

Ethics and Ethical Approaches in Anthropology

Ethics= moral questions about right and wrong and standards of appropriate behavior "do no harm" - anthropologists research culture's moral standards - anthropologists have to have ethical relationship b/w researcher and others Ethics of Anthropology= the moral principles that guide anthropological conducts-- not just "dos and don'ts" Moral dilemmas- effects research has on people, objects, or animals they stud

Historical archaeologists only excavate sites where written historical documentation exists that provide an accurate description of the way the people actually lived. True False

FALSE

In science, a theory is an educated guess and is not well-accepted among the scientific community. True False

FALSE in science, a theory is a well-supported, well-tested statement about how something works

Ethnocentrism

The assumption that one's own way of doing things is correct, while dismissing other people's practices or views as wrong or ignorant. judging others according to values of own society all societies are ethnocentric, western ethnocentrism has had large impact on the world -opposite of cultural relativism

Colonialism

The historical practice of more powerful countries claiming possession of less powerful ones. -one of three key shifters in ANTH

why science?

a method to maximize the probability that what we think we know matches reality science is testable two ways people collect info: -- directly through own experiences -- indirectly through sources such as friends, internet, family, news, etc.

Theory

a tested and repeatedly supported hypothesis, NOT a guess no theory is ever complete! explains a large set of factual patterns

Evolution

adaptive changes in populations of organisms across generations -one of three key shifters in ANTH

Qualitative methods

aim to produce an in-depth and detailed descriptions of social behaviors and beliefs -common in cultural anthro

Applied Anthropology

anthropological research commissioned to serve as an organization's needs (5th subfield to some) make practicial use of the knowledge of differences among cultures tries to improve lives of people must be sensitive to the needs perceived by the people you are trying to help

Practicing Anthropology

anthropological work involving research as well as involvement in the design, implementation, and management of some organization, process, or product (applied anthropology) -applied anth (unofficial 5th subfield)

Historical Archaeologists

archaeologists excavates sites where written historical documentation about the sites also exists -often find people live different than what was described on paper

Evolutionary perspective

behaviors came into existence as a result of adaptations to living conditions

Who are the Narcerima? a) A group of Mesoamericans conquered by the Aztecs. b) A previously isolated indigenous group from the Amazon c) Americans d)They are a fictitious group of people made up by Horace Milner to fool gullible people

c) Americans

Which of the following is NOT one of the four major sub-fields of anthropology? a) Physical/Biological Anthropology b) Linguistics c) Paleontology d) Archaeology

c) Paleontology

The subfield of anthropology that studies human diversity, beliefs, and practices is called...

cultural anthropolgy

During fieldwork, cultural anthropologists a) learn the local language b) record people's economic transactions c) study how environmental changes affect agriculture d) all of the above

d) all of the above

The subfield of anthropology that studies the material remains of past cultures is called a) biological anthropology b) linguistic anthropology c) cultural anthropology d) archaeology

d) archaeology

why study anthropology?

different perspective improves understanding of human variation, and helps you appreciate it provides critical thinking skills

Fieldwork

draws upon an actual field project to explore the special methods used by anthropologists to address specific questions and problems

Industrialization

economic process of shifting from an agricultural economy to factory based one -one of three key shifters in ANTH

Assuming your culture's way of doing things is the best is described as...

ethnocentrism

Cultural Anthropology

focuses on social life of living communities -economic transactions, religious rituals, political organizations, families, etc.

Salvage paradigm

held that it was important to observe indigenous ways of life, interview elders, and assemble collections of objects made and used by indigenous people because this knowledge of traditional languages and customs would soon disappear

Ethnographic method

involves prolonged and intensive observation of and participation in the life of a community

Scientific Method

process of conducting scientific inquiry (process of testing) standard methodology of science that begins from observable facts, generates hypotheses from these facts, and then test these hypotheses

EE Evans Pritchard

prominent British anthropologist that pronounced anthropology should be group with the humanities, especially history, rather than normal sciences he argued that describing other people required deeper understanding of inner lived and beliefs that no scientific methodology could grasp

Techniques that classify features of a phenomenon and count, measure, and construct statistical models are collecting and analyzing...

quantitative data

Comparative method

research method that derives insight from careful comparisons of aspects of 2 or more cultures or societies

Science vs. Belief Systems

science: method of inquiry that require the generation, testing, and acceptance or rejection of a hypothesis belief systems: idea that are taken on faith and cannot be tested for an example to be defined as scientific, must be testable

Renato Rosaldo

studied head-hunting in a Filipino society, Ilongot disregarded scientific ideal, not supposed to talk about how researchers feel concluded ethnographic knowledge is an open ended process

Archaeology

study of past cultures by excavating sites where people lived, worked, farmed, or conducted some other activity subfield that studies the human cultural past and reconstructs past cultural systems goal: reconstruct past ways of life including patterns of production, trade, and consumption prehistoric archaeology (life before written records) ---transition from hunter gathering to agriculture ---rise of cities and states when complex situations arose historic archaeology ---excavate sites where historical written documents already exist ---few people lived as they described themselves in documents ------artifact= any object that has been consciously manufactured by a human ------feature= non-portable evidence of a culture

Cultural relativism

studying another culture from its POV w/o imposing our our cultural values the moral and intellectual principle that one should withhold judgement about seemingly strange or exotic beliefs and practices -opposite of ethnocentrism coined by Franz Boas

moral relativism

the position that there is no way for us as individuals to judge right from wrong this would mean that, as individuals, we would never disapprove of what any society did -NOT PRACTICED BY ANTHROPOLOGISTSG

Diversity

the sheer variety of ways of being human around the world -both differences and similarities

Culture

the taken for granted notions, rules, moralities, and behaviors, within a social group two senses: general and particular general approach = development of culture is THE defining feature of our species' evolutionary history (Biological anth) particular approach = refers to face ppl live their lives within particular cultures or ways of life, ex: "American way of life" (archaeologists, linguistic anth, cultural antho)

Empiracal

verifiable through observation rather than through logic or theory

EB Taylor

wrote "Primitive Cultures" primary concern was developing evolutionary sequence that explained how people evolved from "primitive savagery" to more "advanced" levels of civilization (ANTH reject his evolutionary perspective) he coined "culture"

Quantitative methods

a methodology that classifies features of a phenomenon, counting or measuring them, and constructing mathematical and statistical models to explain what is observed -common in biological antho and archeology

The subfield of anthropology that studies human evolution, including human genetics and human nutrition, is called a) biological anthropology b) linguistic anthropology c) cultural anthropology d) archaeology

a) biological anthropology

Which of the following is NOT studied by anthropologists? a) Dinosaur bones b) Primates c) Human culture d) Forensics

a) dinosaur bones

In anthropology, holism refers to: a) seeking to understand how all aspects of our species are related b) promoting the use of traditional medicine in contemporary society c) using religion to guide research d) the idea that we can never know anything fully, and all research is filled with "holes"

a) seeking to understand how all aspects of our species are related

A qualitative approach to studying social life in your university would emphasize all of the following except a) prolonged and intensive participation and observation in the community b) the construction of statistical models to explain activities in the community c) the use of field notes, recordings, images, and documents to understand life in the community d) your own subjective impressions

b) construction of statistical models to explain activities in the community

Charles Darwin

coined "natural selection" developed his theory or evolution in late 1830s wrote "On the Origin of Species"

Holism

efforts to synthesize distinct approaches approaches and findings into a singe comprehensive interpretation --cannot be understood without reference to the whole -American anthro most holistic -Franz Boaz, "Founder of American Anthropology", Holism was his legacy

Linguistic Anthropology

study of how people communicate with one another through language and how language use shapes group membership and identity subfield that describes the characteristics of human language and studies the relationships b/w languages and the cultures that speak them

Anthropology

study of human beings, their biology, their prehistory, and their changing languages, cultures, and social institutions today, ANTH is a "global discipline"

Biological Anthropology

study of the biological and bicultural aspects of the human species, past, and present, alone with those of our closest relatives, the nonhuman primates (also called "physical anthropology") --- primatology, forensics, evolution, health and disease, genetics, primate behavior, etc.

According to the lecture, in order for an explanation to be defined as scientific, it must be...

testable

Franz Boas

"Founder of American anthropology" called for research like fieldwork "Holism" was his legacy

3 Key Concerns shaped foundation of professional anthropology in 1850s:

1. Disruptions caused by INDUSTRIALIZATION in EU and US 2. Rise in EVOLUTIONARY theories 3. The spread of European COLONIALISM

When did anthropology arise as a scientific discipline?...

1800s

Natural selection

A process through which certain inheritance traits are passed along to offsprings because they are better suited to the environment --key mechanism to evolutionary theory --coined by Charles Darwin