question

Define anthropology; understand its breadth, especially its interest in global diversity.

answer

Study of people and their origins, their development and their contemporary variations, wherever and whenever they have been found. Includes fossilized skeletal remains of early humans, artifacts and other material remains from prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, as well as all of the contemporary and historical cultures of the world

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Describe the four-field approach to anthropology and how the fields are interrelated.

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Physical anthropology, which deals with humans as biological organisms; archaeology, which attempts to reconstruct the cultures of the past, most of which have left no written records; anthropological linguistics, which focuses on the study of language in historical, structural, and social contexts; and cultural anthropology, which examines similarities and differences among contemporary cultures of the world. Specialized areas sometimes include two branches, bridging them together.

question

Identify two broad areas of interest to physical anthropologists.

answer

Paleoanthropology, primatology, and human variation

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Understand why archaeologists analyze material remains of historic and prehistoric cultures.

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Reconstructing prehistoric and historic cultures to understand the cultural adaptations of ancient peoples

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Describe the three types of material remains of interest to archaeologists.

answer

Artifacts Features Ecofacts

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Artifacts

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A type of material remain (found by archaeologists) that has been made or modified by humans and that can be removed from the site, such as tools and arrowheads

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Features

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Archaeological remains that have been made or modified by people and cannot easily be carried away from the site, such as house foundations, fireplaces, and postholes

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Ecofacts

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Physical remains- found by archaeologists- that were used by humans but not made or reworked by them (for example, seeds and bones)

question

Describe the four distinct branches of linguistic anthropology.

answer

Historical linguistics Descriptive linguistics Cultural linguistics (ethnolinguistics) Sociolinguistics

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Historical linguistics

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Deals with the emergence of language in general and how specific languages have diverged over time

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Descriptive linguistics

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The study of sound systems, grammatical systems, and the meanings attached to words in specific languages

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Cultural linguistics (ethnolinguistics)

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The branch of antnhropological linguistics that examines the relationship between language and culture

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Sociolinguistics

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Examines the relationship between language and social relations, like how social class influences the particular dialect a person speaks, or how a person speaks to a roommate as opposed to a grandparent

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Explain the difference between ethnography and ethnology.

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Ethnography is descriptive, based on direct field work, and focuses on a single culture or subculture, whereas ethnology is comparative, based on data collected by other ethnographers, and generalizes across cultures or subcultures.

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Identify five areas of specialization within cultural anthropology.

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Urban anthropology Medical anthropology Development anthropology Environmental anthropology Psychological anthropology

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Urban anthropology

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began after World War II when anthropologists turned their attention from rural to urban social systems. There was more interaction between rural and urban areas, so anthropologists began studying the interactions between the groups

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Medical anthropology

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studies the relationship of biological and sociocultural factors to health, disease, and illness both now and in the past. Includes paleopathology

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Development anthropology

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help in development of major projects by asking the question: Will this benefit the target population? If the answer is yes, they find out local cultural factors to consider in order to make the project a success. Projects may include reduced poverty, equitable economic growth, environmental protection, and respect for human rights

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Environmental anthropology

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examines how human populations interact with their environments. Concerned with the questions: What role does the physical environment play in the formation and evolution of specific cultures, and how do specific sociocultural groups perceive, manage, and modify their environments? Some concerns include air and water pollution, deforestation, human rights, soil erosion

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Psychological anthropology

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looks at the relationship between culture and the psychological makeup of individuals and groups. Examine how culture may affect personality, cognition, attitudes, and emotions

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holism

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1. Looks at both biological and sociological aspects 2. Contains the longest possible timeline 3. Studies all varieties of people wherever.

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ethnocentrism

answer

The belief that one's culture is superior to all other cultures.

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cultural relativism

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Culture must be viewed in its proper context rather than from the viewpoint of the observers culture.

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Understand the nature and limitations of ethnocentric reactions and give several examples of ethnocentrism.

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Ethnocentrism can allow for a strong group solidarity because most of us are born into a single culture and therefore it seems more natural than any other culture. ex. Societies that practice polygamy are evil (only because that's what we believe)

question

Present a clear explanation of cultural relativism and its importance to anthropology.

answer

If culture isn't viewed in its proper context we are more likely to be biased when we report such behavior/acts. It brings up the notion of how should one deal with ethical conflict? Also, if we do adhere so strictly to the concept then no behavior would be deemed immoral. Ex. genocide.

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List four contributions of the holistic, cross-cultural perspective of anthropology to the scientific understanding of humanity.

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1. showing a broad perspective 2. appreciating other perspectives 3. balancing contradictions 4. developing cognitive complexity

question

Understand the difference between basic and applied research in anthropology.

answer

Basic anthropology lends/contributes to a field of knowledge Applied anthropology emphasizes applications to solve social problems.

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Understand how the study of anthropology develops skills and competencies necessary for success in the 21st century.

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1. Being open minded 2. Allowing for cross-cultural compatibility 3. developing a broad perspective

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Appreciate the wide range of non-academic career opportunities for anthropology majors.

answer

1. Public health official 2. Museum curator 3. Refugee counselor 4. Translator

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Begin to appreciate how the study of cultural anthropology is intimately relevant to our everyday lives.

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It allows us to appreciate our culture and who we are as individuals as well.

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Give a clear definition of the anthropological concept of culture and recognize what is included in this concept.

answer

Everything that people have, think, and do as members of a society. According to the Anthropological definition, all people have culture. The anthropologist does NOT distinguish between cultured people (those who have finer things) and uncultured people.

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Explain the significance of the shared nature of culture.

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Because people share a common culture they are able to predict, within limits, how others will think and behave. (i.e., in the U.S. we greet new people by shaking their hands, but in other parts of the world they greet new people in different ways.)

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Define culture shock and explain when it is likely to be experienced.

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Culture shock is a form of psychological distress that can result in depression, overeating, or irritability.

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Three basic components of culture:

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1. Material Objects 2. Ideas, Values, and Attitudes 3. Behavior Patterns

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Understand how the three basic components of culture are interrelated.

answer

These all come together to form cultures. (i.e., certain cultures place high importance on what type of car one drives, but in another the material object that is seen as important could be shoes.)

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Explain the importance of learning for culture acquisition.

answer

Learning is important for culture acquisition because in different cultures people learn different cultural content (attitudes, values, ideas, and behavioral patterns) and that they accomplish this with similar efficiency.

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Give several examples of how humans do things because of what they have learned from their culture.

answer

From the book: "A male child in Kansas will probably watch a good deal of TV; attend schools with books, desks, and professionally trained teachers; learn to drive a car; and marry one wife at a time. In contrast, a male child who is born among the Jie of Uganda is likely to grow up playing with cows, learn most of what he knows from peers and elders rather than teachers, undergo an initiation ceremony into adulthood, and have at least 4-5 wives at one time."

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Understand the symbolic nature of culture.

answer

Symbols help people identify, sort, and classify things, ideas, and behaviors. In different cultures the same symbol can have drastically different meanings.

question

Be able to distinguish between a culture and a subculture.

answer

Subcultures are subsets of the wider culture. They share a number of cultural features with the mainstream, but they retain a certain level of cultural uniqueness that sets them apart.

question

Explain how culture can affect our physical bodies and biological processes.

answer

Culture can affect our physical bodies by the way beauty and statues is perceived in certain cultures. In the U.S. earrings are a normality, but in other countries elongating the neck by gold coils is the normality. Culture can affect our biological processes by, for example, serving sandwiches at a party and letting everyone finish the "tuna/chicken" sandwiches before informing them that it was really a rattlesnake meat sandwich.

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innovation

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a recombination of existing cultural items; can be both unintentional or intentional Examples: Unintentional- 3M post it notes, velcro, corn flakes, Play- Doh, microwave, penicillin, etc. Intentional- the cotton gin (Eli Whitney), polio vaccine (Jonas Salk), and MANY more!

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cultural diffusion

answer

the spreading of a thing, an idea, or a behavior pattern from one culture to another-- responsible for the greatest amount of change in any society Positive Examples: China-town in New York People in the U.S. celebrating Cinco De Mayo Negative Examples: The spread of HIV and AIDS Slaves and Indians being moved from their home

question

Understand why anthropologists are interested in the similarities as well as the differences among human cultures.

answer

Anthropologist are interested in both the similarities and the differences among human cultures because they want to be able to understand how cultures work and function. They also want to be able to further understand what works as well as doesn't work for some cultures. Additionally, it is an anthropologist's job to find everything that they can about a particular culture.

question

Understand what cultural universals are and be able to give several examples of such universals.

answer

cultural universals- despite variations in specific details, all cultures have certain common features, such as systems of governing, patterns of producing and distributing food, forms of enculturation, and family patterns Examples: communicating with a verbal language using age and gender to classify people raising children in some sort of family setting DIfferent cultures have developed their own specific way sof carrying out or expressing these general traits

question

Describe how, for all human societies, culture is an important form of adaptation to environment.

answer

People are now able to live in many previously uninhabitable places, such as deserts, the polar region, the ocean, and even outer space

question

Explain what it means to say culture is integrated and what that implies about the process of culture change.

answer

Cultures are logical and coherent systems that are connected and influenced by each other. Therefore, if changes occur in one part of a culture, then it may cause changes in another part as well.

question

Understand the difference between ideal and real behavior.

answer

ideal behavior- the behavior that you think a person should have real behavior- actually how the person behaves

question

Be able to distinguish between the concepts of culture and race.

answer

culture- the beliefs, arts, customs, etc. of a particular society, group, place, or time race- a subgroup of the human population whose members share a greater number of genes and physical traits with one another than they do with members of other subgroups

question

Be able to differentiate between the concepts of culture and civilization.

answer

culture- the beliefs, arts, customs, etc. of a particular society, group, place, or time civilization- the condition that exists when people have developed effective ways of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.

question

Understand how certain biological or social disorders can have their roots in a specific culture.

answer

Multiple personality disorder is only prevalent in Western Culture and in some European Countries.

question

Understand the differences and similarities between applied and pure anthropology, as well as recognize their mutually supportive relationship.

answer

Pure anthropology is the study of humans, their origins, development, and contemporary variations. Applied anthropology is the application of anthropological knowledge, theory, and methods to the solution of specific societal problems. While pure anthropology is simply studying the life and culture of humans, applied anthropology deals with the tools and means that are needed to resolve the problems within the society.

question

Understand the history of contemporary applied anthropology and the cultural anthropologist's involvement in applied projects.

answer

Applied anthropologists were working to help solve problems of social inequity at the turn of the 20th century. Throughout the 20th and into the 21st century, they have conducted research in a wide variety of areas. WWII provided many opportunities for applied projects. The post-war boom in higher education lured many anthropologists back to academia in the 1950s and 1960s. A decline in the number of academic positions since the 1970s has coincided with more jobs outside academia.

question

Participant-Observation

answer

a fieldwork method in which the cultural anthropologist lives with the people under study and observes their everyday activities.

question

Holistic Perspective

answer

forces us to look at human problems in their historical, economic, and cultural contexts; reminds us that the various parts of a socio-cultural system are interconnected and therefore a change in one part of the system is likely to cause changes in other parts; encourages us to look at problems in terms of both the short and the long run.

question

Regional expertise

answer

cultural anthropologists often return to their research sites for subsequent field studies, becoming culture-area specialists; long-term association with a cultural region provides a depth of geographic coverage that most policy makers lack.

question

Emic View

answer

whatever the setting of a particular project, the applied anthropologist brings the perspective of the local people to the project. By describing the emic view rather than their own technical/ professional view, anthropologists can provide information that can seriously affect the outcome of programs of planned change.

question

Cultural Relativism

answer

fosters tolerance; helps anthropologists cross class lines and relate to a wide range of people within a complex organization (such as a hospital or school system) in which they are working.

question

Topical Expertise

answer

topical knowledge gleaned from studies in one part of the world is likely to have policy relevance in other parts of the world. EX) knowledge about East African pastoralism can be applied to Central Asian or Middle Eastern pastoralism.

question

Policy Researcher

answer

provides cultural data to policymakers to help them make informed decisions

question

Evaluator

answer

uses research skills to determine if a program is successful

question

Impact assessor

answer

measures the effect of a project, program, or policy on the local community

question

Planner

answer

helps design programs and policies

question

Needs assessor

answer

conducts research to determine if a program or project is necessary

question

Trainer

answer

teaches professionals working in cross-cultural situations about the culture of a population

question

Advocate

answer

actively supports a particular group of people

question

Expert Witness

answer

presents culturally relevant research as part of judicial proceedings

question

Administrator/ manager

answer

assumes administrative responsibility for a project

question

Cultural Broker

answer

acts as a liaison between program personnel and local ethnic communities

question

Understand and be able to evaluate different types of challenges that are associated with applied anthropological projects.

answer

-Richard Dembo's ethnographic research of teenage cocaine dealers in Florida. -Penny Van Esterik's advocacy involvement in the Nestle baby formula controversy. -Li Jian's study of the sociocultural barriers to the use of biogas as an alternative fuel in rural China -Susan Andreatta's research on the agrochemical effects of biocides on three Caribbean islands.

question

Better understand what job opportunities are available for students of applied cultural anthropology.

answer

Agriculture, Alcohol and drug use, Architectural design, community action, Criminal justice and law enforcement, disaster research, economic development, education and training, employment and labor, environment, fisheries research, forestry, geriatric services, health and medicine, housing, human rights, industry and business, land use, language policy, media and broadcasting, nutrition, missions, peace and conflict resolution policy making, population and demography, public administration, recreation and tourism, resettlement, urban affairs, water resource management, and wildlife management.

question

anthropological linguistics

answer

the branch of anthropology that studies human speech and language.

question

archaeology

answer

the subfield of anthropology that focuses on the study of prehistoric and historic cultures through the excavation of material remains.

question

artifact

answer

a type of material remain (found by archeologists) that has been made or modified by humans and that can be removed from the site, such as tools and arrowheads

question

cultural anthropology

answer

the scientific study of cultural similarities and differences wherever and in whatever form they may be found.

question

cultural relativism

answer

the idea that cultural traits are best understood when viewed within the cultural context of which they are a part.

question

cultural resource management

answer

a form of applied archaeology that involves identifying, evaluating, and sometimes excavating sites before roads, dams, and buildings are constructed

question

descriptive linguistics

answer

the branch of anthropological linguistics that studies how languages are structured

question

ecofacts

answer

physical remains (founded by archeologists) that were used by humans but not made or reworked by them (ex. Seeds and bones)

question

ethnocentrism

answer

the practice of viewing the customs of other societies in terms of one's own while often believing that one's own culture is superior to all others

question

ethnography

answer

a strategy of anthropological research and an anthropological description of a particular contemporary culture by means of direct fieldwork.

question

ethnolinguistics

answer

the branch of anthropological linguistics that studies the relationship between language and culture.

question

ethnology

answer

the comparative study of cultural differences and similarities.

question

features

answer

archaeological remains that have been made or modified by people and cannot easily be carried away from the site, such as house foundations, fireplaces, and postholes

question

historical linguistics

answer

the branch of anthropological linguistics that studies how languages emerge and change over time.

question

holism

answer

a perspective in anthropology that attempts to study a culture by looking at all parts of the system and how those parts are interrelated.

question

human variation

answer

an area of investigation in physical (biological) anthropology that examines genetically inherited traits (sex, skin color, body proportions, head shape, and facial features) of contemporary human populations throughout the world

question

paleoanthropology

answer

the study of human evolution through fossil remains.

question

paleopathology

answer

The study of disease in prehistoric populations.

question

physical anthropology

answer

the subfield of anthropology that studies both human biological evolution and contemporary physical variations among people of the world.

question

primatology

answer

the study of nonhuman primates in their natural environments for the purpose of gaining insights into the human evolutionary process.

question

race

answer

a subgroup of the human population whose members share a greater number of genes and physical traits with one another than they do with members of other subgroups.

question

sociolinguistics

answer

the branch of anthropological linguistics that studies how language and culture are related and how language is used in different social contexts.

question

acculturation

answer

a specific form of cultural diffusion in which a subordinate cultural adopts many of the cultural traits of a more powerful culture.

question

adaptive nature of culture

answer

the implication that culture is the major way human populations adapt or relate to their specifc habitat in order to survive and reproduce.

question

cultural diffusion

answer

the spreading of cultural trait (that is a material object, idea, or behavior pattern) from one society to another.

question

cultural universals

answer

those general cultural traits that are found in all societies of the world.

question

culture shock

answer

a psychological disorientation a person experiences when attempting to operate in a radically different cultural environment.

question

enculturation

answer

a process by which human infants learn their culture

question

ethnic groups

answer

a group of people who share many of the same cultural features

question

innovations

answer

a recombination of already existing items within a culture

question

invention

answer

a new combination of existing cultural features

question

linked changes

answer

changes in one part of a culture brought about by changes in other parts of the culture.

question

monochronic culture

answer

a culture in which people view time in a linear fashion, place great importance on being punctual and keeping on schedule, and prefer to work on one task at a time.

question

organic analogy

answer

the early functionalist idea that cultural systems are integrated into a whole cultural unit in much the same way that the various parts of a biological organism (such as a respiratory system or a circulatory system) function to maintain the health of the organism.

question

polychronic culture

answer

a culture in which people typically perform a number of tasks at the same time and place a higher value on nurturing and maintaining social relationships than on punctuality for its own sake.

question

race

answer

a subgroup of the human population whose members share a greater number of genes and physical traits with one another than they do with members of other subgroups.

question

subculture

answer

a subdivision of a wider culture that shares some features with the larger society and also differs in some important respects.

question

symbol

answer

something, either verbal or nonverbal, that stands for something else

question

applied anthropology

answer

the application of anthropological knowledge, theory, and methods to the solution of specific societal problems

question

participant-observation

answer

a fieldwork method in which the cultural anthropologist lives with the people under study and observes their everyday activities

question

problem-oriented research

answer

a type of anthropological research designed to solve a particular societal problem rather than to test a theoretical position.

Anthropology, Chapters 1/2/3, Heather Kemper – Flashcards

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