ANTHROPOLOGY.111 EXAM 1 USI W/ DR. DAUER
What is society? Culture?
Society: Organization of individuals of all types of animals (ants, bees, etc.) Culture: Fundtemently different, programmed (biologically). We think to solve problems.
As an anthropologist, you are conducting research in a small village in the foothills of northern India. Your daily routine involves interacting with locals and partaking in the experiences associated with daily life in the village. Activities that you engage in include living in a local household, working in the fields, taking care of animals, participating in important rituals, and generally experiencing life from the perspective of the insider. Your approach is best described as:
An emic approach
What is positivism?
Anthropologist felt free to apply scientific methods in any are of anthropological interset, from stone tools to religion, confident that the combined results of these efforts would produce a genuine "Science of Man"
What is postmodernism?
A broad movement that developed in the mid- to late 20th century across philosophy, the arts, architecture, and criticism, marking a departure from modernism
What is race?
A difference in physical traits that make you different from others The distinctiveness of different social groups of people
Anthropology is:
A holistic discipline that is approximately 130 years old
A diachronic study of language refers to:
A study of language from a historical perspective
Culture is also:
Adaptive, maladaptive, instrumental, dynamic & constantly changing
What is code-switching?
Alternating between two languages
What is fieldwork?
Anthropologist try to live for a year or more to study and record their long-term experience with specific group of people and their way of life
What is comparative discipline?
Anthropologists must consider similarities and differences in a wide a range of human societies as possible before generalizing about what it means to be human
You are conducting research relating to language distribution in the Brazilian Amazon. You encounter the following list of words. Apai, apa, apail, kapai, lluko, and llako. All words come from different languages and have the same meaning. They each mean "dog." Cognates of the word kapia include:
Apai, apa, & apail
What are symbols?
Something that stands for something else Human culture depends on it
You are conducting research in Australia with aboriginal Australians. In speaking with a consultant, you note that he speaks to you in English and then relays the information to other members of his group in a native language. What you are witnessing is:
Code-switching
We are all connected but all different. (Examples)
Connected: Belief, happiness, anatomy, emotions, social, & communication Diversity: Personality, environment, language (individual use), preferences Technology changes our behaviors (Example: Social media, & smartphones)
Which of the following is not a sub-field of anthropology?
Paleobotany
The cornerstone of ethnographic fieldwork is:
Participant observation
What is cultural universals?
Patterns or traits that are globally common to all societies
What are informants?
People who share information about their way of life with anthropologists
What is moral anthropology?
Reflects general moral principles of what is bad and what is good in terms of what one should not do and what one should do as a professional in the discipline (Distinguishing from good and evil)
The hypothesis that states that language influences culture is known as the:
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Which perspective argues that similarities in cultures are due to similarities in human thought processes and similarities in the human mind?
Structuralism
What is protoculture?
The passing of behaviors from one generation to another among non-human primates like chimps (They do not change/adapt/not flexible/they can copy but can not do it on their own)
Which example illustrates best the concept of cultural imperialism?
The presence of KFC, ESPN, and Facebook in China, Peru, and India.
What is cultural hybridity?
The process by which a cultural element such a food, language, or music blend into another culture by modifying the element to fit cultural norms (Where two cultures are combined, new, different forms of culture emerge)
Enculturation
The process by which culture is learned and transmitted across the generations (The way we obtain our culture)
What is enculturation?
The process by which people come to terms with the ways of thinking and feeling that are considered appropriate in the group
What is socialization?
The process of learning to live as a member of a group
What is language?
The system of arbitrary signs (Example: Spoken, signed, or inscribed)
What is culture?
The way of life for a group of people
What is indigenization?
To describe what happens when locals take something from the outside and make it their own
The first step in conducting ethnographic research is:
To make a map
All societies have some form of social structure. T or F
True
Anthropologists that focus on the examination of past cultures through looking at material remains are known as archaeologists. T or F
True
Anthropologists that focus on the examination of past cultures through looking at material remains are known as archaeologists. T or F?
True
Classical Evolution attempts to apply the concept of evolution to culture by arguing that all cultures evolve through a set number of stages. T or F
True
Ethnographic research can present the ethnographer with numerous ethical dilemmas and challenges and despite these challenges the most important thing is to limit the impact that research has on the culture being studied. T or F
True
Fieldwork requires the anthropologist to be immersed in the local culture. T or F
True
Humans developed the capacity for language more than 100,000 years ago. T or F
True
Learning the native language is an important component of ethnographic research. T or F
True
Pastoralism is associated with tribalism, social stratification, and loose social organization. T or F
True
Science is a methodology that involves generating a hypothesis, making multiple observations (test), and looking for patterns that support the hypothesis. T or F
True
What is objective knowledge?
Undistorted, and this universally valid, knowledge about the world.
What is modernism?
Viewed in terms of liberation from outdated traditions that prevent people from building better lives for themselves and their children
What does biology provide us?
With opportunities and limitations Clyde Kluckhohn suggests that "culture channels biological processes" (1949)
According to our readings and class discussion the Kung San are an example of:
A band society
What is the earliest definition of culture?
"The complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities acquired (learned) by man (humans) as a member of society." Edward Taylor (1871)
Basic Truths
1. All humans have the same ability to learn culture 2. Biology DOES NOT determine culture 3. Contemporary humans adapt primarily through cultural means
Achieved status is present in:
1. Band societies 2. Tribal societies 3. State societies.
Four Enduring Terms
1. Environment & landscape shape humanity 2. Culture is key 3. Unity & diversity 4. Humanity changes
What statements regarding language is true?
1. Language influences culture 2. Culture influences language 3. There is a strong correlation between size and complexity of vocabulary and cultural significance.
What are the reasons for language loss?
1. Movement of people away from their homelands 2. The spread of global languages 3. Lack of cultural value placed on traditional languages.
A capitalist economic system:
1. Work is isolated/alienated from one's social essence 2. Labor is a commodity 3. Individual gain (profit) is of utmost importance
What does not determine culture?
Biology. It allows us (We adapt via culture)
Tribal societies are:
Characterized by social differences based on rank
Which best describes Cultural Anthropology?
Cultural Anthropology is the study of contemporary culture
An ethnographic study that involves examining how access to water resources influences settlement patterns and belief systems of in South Africa is an example of:
Cultural ecology
The perspective that all cultures should be respected and understood on their own terms is referred to as:
Cultural relativism
Which is true according to our reading by Kluckhohn and our discussion of culture?
Culture influences and shapes biological processes
Which statement accurately describes culture as it relates to non-human animals?
Culture is unique to humans while some other primates exhibit protoculture
The spread of ideas and technology across geographic space is known as:
Diffusion
All children learn culture and generally subscribe to the dominant/appropriate cultural form. This process of learning culture is known as:
Enculturation
A friend of your tells you about her experience traveling to France. She complains about the fact that people would eat dinner too late (beginning at 9:00pm) and that there was a lack of personal space. Her comments reflect:
Ethnocentrism
The tendency to view one's own culture as superior is known as:
Ethnocentrism
What is multisided fieldwork?
Ethnographic research on cultural processes that are not contained by social, ethnic, religious, or national boundaries, in which the ethnographer follows the process from site to site, often doing fieldwork at sites and with persons who traditionally were never subjected to ethnographic analysis
Anthropological studies of a single culture are known as:
Ethnographies.
All Native American groups were organized into tribes prior to European conquest and colonization. T or F
False
All societies naturally evolve from bands to tribes to chiefdoms to states. T or F
False
Anthropologists always conduct interviews using a clearly defined set of questions that are prepared prior to the interview and that are asked of each consultant who is interviewed. T or F
False
Anthropologists are not required to complete paperwork approving research prior to conducting research. T or F
False
Displacement refers to the ability to change linguistic forms dependent upon context. T or F
False
Early cultural anthropologist recognized that culture was too complex to be investigated using a scientific perspective. T or F
False
Ethnographic research can be conducted in a short period of time with limited effort by passing out surveys and having limited interaction with consultants. T or F
False
Ethnographic research can only be conducted in far away exotic locations. T or F
False
Franz Boas supported classical evolutionism. T or F
False
Industrialized agriculture leads to overall health and fitness in human populations. T or F
False
Which of the following is not a pre-fieldwork consideration?
Feasibility, timeline, dangers & finances
Who is the "Father of American Anthropology"?
Franz Boas
What is the built environment?
Human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity (Example: sidewalks)
Which is not a characteristic of all economic systems?
Individualism
What is generalized reciprocity?
Is associated with mechanical societies
What is macro-ethnography?
Is the study of broadly-defined cultural groupings, such as "the English" or "New Yorkers."
What is tacit knowledge?
Knowledge gained from personal experience that is more difficult to express (Example: Elevator behavior)
What is explicit knowledge?
Knowledge that is easy to articulate, write down, and share
Culture is:
Learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, flexible & unique to humans
The standard time for a cultural anthropologist to conduct research is:
One year
Which anthropologist is credited with examining culture and personality in Samoa?
Margaret Mead
What is reflexive activity?
Means an act of self-reference where examination or action "bends back on", refers to, and affects the entity instigating the action or examination A low level of reflexivity would result in an individual shaped largely by their environment (or "society")
You want to study immigrant adaptation to the United States. You decide to conduct research in Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, and Dallas. Your research is:
Multi-sited
Which is not a characteristic of language:
Objectivity
What is participant observation?
Observer becomes part of the group being observed
What is ethnography?
Referred to the comparative study of two or more ways of life (Who write ethnographies are called: Ethnographers. Who compare ethnographic information on many different ways of life are called: Ethnologists)
You are conducting ethnographic research in rural China. As part of your research, you want to interview local political authorities in multiple communities. You develop a specific set of questions prior to conducting interviews and you use the questions for all of the interviews that you conduct with political authorities. Which research strategy did you use?
Structured interviews
Cultural knowledge gained from observation and personal experiences rather than direct instruction or being taught is referred to as:
Tacit knowledge
What is ethnocentrism?
The act of judging another culture and believing that the values and standards of one's own culture are superior - especially with regard to language, behavior, customs, and religion
_____________________________ is the geological epoch that begins with domestication at approximately 12,000 years ago and that is defined by pollution, climate change, deforestation, extinction, and an overall significant human impact on the environment.
The anthropocene
What is cultural relativism?
The idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another
Globalization refers to:
The intensifying flow of people, ideas, goods, and capital that is facilitated by technology
What is cognition?
The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses (Our brains are different/like fancy animals)
