Anthropology

A holistic study of what it means to be human

Subfields of Anthropology
Four basic fields of Anthropology:

Archaeology
Linguistics
Physical
Cultural

Characteristics of Research

Holism
Ground-up research
Descriptive vs.
experimental vs.
predictive
Seeks to be in the field
Insiders
Perspective
Attention to contexts

Comparative

Ethical representation: of those we study and of the research

process, including:

Disclosure of researchers
position
Showing research as a
process
Showing complexity of
research process

Examples of Stuff and Style:

Language

Religion

Clothing

Food

Dance

Past/ Historical events

Tragedies
Homeland
Heritage/blood

Phenotype/race

Just about
anything

Participant Observation
Advantages

Develops familiarity with everyday life or normative

contexts.

Provides insights into behaviors and practices.

Helps with understanding what people do versus what they

say they do.

Disadvantages

Time Consuming

Data Heavy

Requires researcher to be aware of personal bias and

previous experiences that might cloud the data.

Types of Interviews
Structured

Unstructured

Asked same questions

Asked open-ended questions

Same order

Respond in own words

Same Conditions

Can be in different order

Interviewer has more control

Informant has more control