ANTH 2301 exam 1 – Flashcards

-traditions and customs, transmitted through learning, that form and guide the beliefs and behaviors of the people exposed to them.

-study of the humans species and its immediate ancestors -holistic science

the study of the whole of the human condition: past, present, and future; biology, society, language, and culture.

1. archaeology 2. biological/physical 3. linguistic 4. sociocultural

-the study of human society and culture, the subfield that describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains social and cultural similarities and differences -engage in ethnography and and ethnology to study and interpret cultural diversity

-requires field work to collect data -provides an account of a particular community, society, or culture -is group and community specific -is often descriptive -live in small communities and studied local behaviors, customs ect.

-examines, compares, analyzes and interprets the results of ethnography - the data gathered in different societies -uses data collected by a series of researchers to make generalizations about a culture -is usually synthetic -is comparative and cross-cultural

-reconstructs, describes, and interprets human behavior and cultural patterns through material remains (artifacts) -study plant and animal remains, wild/domesticated grains, animal remains to reconstruct patterns of production, trade, consumption -study potsherds (fragments of earthenware) to estimate population size/density -examine paleoecology = ecosystems of the past to reconstruct ecological patterns -infer cultural transformations by observing changes in the size and type of sites & distances between them. -number of settlement levels in a society is a measure of social complexity = buildings offer clues about political and religious features -excavating = digging through a succession of levels at a particular site which documents changes in economic, social, political activities.

-human biological diversity in time and space

1. human evolution as revealed by the fossil record (paleoanthropology) 2. human genetics 3. human growth and development 4. human biological plasticity (body's ability to change as it copes with stresses such as heat, cold, altitude) 5. the biology, evolution, behavior, and social life of monkey's apes, and other non-primate species

-studies language in its social and cultural context, across space and over time -make inferences about universal features of language, linked perhaps to uniformities in the human brain -reconstruct ancient languages by comparing contemporary descendants -study linguistic differences to discover varied perceptions and patters of thought in different cultures

-investigates relationships between social and linguistic variation -variation = geography, ethnic groups

-refers to the application of anthropological data, perspective, theory, and methods to identify, assess, and solve contemporary social problems. -the field of inquiry concerned with the relationships between anthropological knowledge and the uses of that knowledge in the world beyond anthropology. -applied in public health, family planning, business, economic development, and cultural resource management -used to solve problems -ex: applied medical anthropologists consider both the sociocultural and biological contexts and implications of disease and illness.

1. universal human trait 2. learned - enculturation 3. symbolic - something verbal/nonverbal in a culture that stands for something else 4. shared - beliefs, values, memories, expectations 5. all-encompassing 6. adaptive and maladaptive 7. normative concept 8. seizes natures 9. studied through emic/etic perspectives 10. integrated - core values distinguish one culture from another

process by which a child learns his or her culture

-the process of evaluating the information with an awareness of the assumptions behind the information -must consider carefully the purpose of the publication, the evidence used by the author, the point of view of the author

first person, in-depth investigation of a particular culture

theoretical, comparative study of multiple cultures

research strategy that focuses on native explanations and criteria of significance

research strategy that emphasizes the observer's rather than the natives' explanations, categories, and criteria of significance

-direct, firsthand observation of behavior -taking part in the events one is observing and analyzing -live with the culture, speak the language

-conversation with varying degrees of formality, interviews and chit chat

-procedures by which ethnographers discover and record connections of kinship, descent, and marriage using diagrams and symbols.

expert on a particular aspect of local life who helps the ethnographer understand that aspect

long-term study of a community, society, culture usually based on repeated visits

provides a personal cultural portrait of existence or change in a culture

coordinated research by multiple ethnographers

ethnographer talks face to face with people, asks questions, and writes down the answers.

-collecting data only relevant to a specific problem

-research from publish data

• Selecting a research problem • Formulating a research design • Collecting the data • Analyzing the data • Interpreting the data

• Measurement • Sampling • Statistical relationships • Meaning-centered and symbolic description • Emic narrative