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Course Reflection

Anthropology is the science of humanity that focuses on understanding people's

conditions both culturally and biologically. Generally, anthropology aims at determining what

humans are, how they evolved, and the diversities among them. Cultural anthropology,

biological anthropology, and archaeology are the major subfields of anthropology. Cultural

anthropology will be our main focus in this course. It typically focuses on studying communities`

beliefs, culture, practices, and how individuals who share a common cultural system shape the

social world surrounding them. Linguistic anthropology is a crucial part of cultural anthropology

that focuses on studying the use of languages in diverse societies and inspects the structure of

language. Understanding this course will require one to focus on what makes a community, how

shared identity is created, how communities from the past were different from those of today,

and ethnography.

A community is simply a group of individuals who share something in common. Several

aspects are known to make a community. A definite locality is one of the aspects that makes a

community. Community only exists when individuals reside in a particular territory. Living in a

definite locality usually contribute to strong bond and solidarity among the members of a

community. Community sentiment is another element that ensures that a community is complete.

Community sentiment is a strong feeling of belonging to a particular group. Living in a particular

area for a long time creates community sentiment. Community sentiment cannot exist where
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individuals are not united as a social group. A group of people is a primary element that of any

community. A community can't exist without a group of individuals. People must live together

and share and share common life to be regarded as a community.

A community is usually formed by individuals who share a common sense of identity.

Expanding our knowledge on community ties such as family, ethnicity and kinship typically

enables us to understand our shared identity. Every individual belonging to a particular

community must be committed to their respective identities. Commitment to one's identity is

accepting that every individual has a motherland, mother tongue, beliefs, and family. It is usually

impossible for people belonging to a specific community to put away their community identities

because most of them find a way to identify those community members mysteriously.

Community is known as the most crucial part of every person's identity because it gives people a

chance to socialize with their surroundings, such as family and community at large. Knowledge

of individuals on their identities in various cultures significantly helps shape their thinking and

perceptual environment, which results in forming value preferences.

Today's communities differ from those of the past in diverse ways. In the past

communities, the concept of religion was very important to each community member, and it

dictated their whole lives. Today everything has changed; people lack time to pay attention to

their religion and beliefs. The development of science and technology has greatly contributed to

modern people questioning their religion. In terms of education, parents from the past

communities rarely had a chance to educate their children. Farmers ensured that their children

had the skills to plot a farm. Through the industrial revolution, children were sent to towns to

learn how to operate machinery. Females from the past communities were kept home to perform

daily tasks like sweeping and cooking. People in modern communities have access to books and
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the internet, which plays a major role in acquiring knowledge. In today's communities, women

have access to education and can acquire better jobs regardless of race, religion, and ethnicity.

An ethnography is usually a written report of research carried out by an ethnographer. It

is also qualitative research which involves an ethnographer exploring cultural phenomena and

examining the behaviors of a given subject of study. It enables one to understand some social

dynamics and diverse communities' cultures deeply. The concept of ethnography was developed

by Gerhard Friedrich Müller, a Russian geography and history professor. Ethnography from this

era was less efficient in data collection when compared to modern ones. Digital ethnography

allows ethnographers to look at diverse cultures and societies. Modern ethnographers use social

media platforms to study the behaviors and cultures of different communities. A contemporary

ethnography is based on the use of an ethnography to focus on the current circumstances rather

than historical events. It also focuses on a community rather than an individual.

It is crucial to understand what makes a community, how shared identity is created, how

communities from the past were different from today, and what an ethnography is. Community is

made up of several elements. Living in a definite locality, community sentiment, and individuals

are the main aspects that make a community. Shared identity in a community is created through

expanding one's knowledge on community ties such as family, ethnicity, and kinship. Research

has shown that today's communities differ from those of the past in diverse ways. Modern

ethnography is more efficient in data correction compared to the traditional one.