UNIT 1: DEFINITION, SCOPE, NATURE OF ANTHROPOLOGY

MS. CARIN ALEJANDRIA ENDERUN COLLEGES, INC.

Anthropos+ Logos It is the study of peopletheir origins, their development, and contemporary variations, wherever and whenever they have been found on the face of the earth.

What is anthropology?

1900s: non-western, preliterate, and technologically simple societies 20th century: cultural and subcultural groups in industrialized societies

What is anthropology?

American Anthro has four fields: 1. Physical/biological 2. Archaeology 3. Linguistics 4. Cultural

What is anthropology?

Paleontology Primatology Human variation Forensic anthropology

The study of humans from a biological perspective

Physical Anthropology

The study of the lifeways of people from the past through excavating and analyzing the material culture they leave behind. Historical Prehistorical Artifacts, features, ecofacts

Archaeology

The discipline that studies human speech and language Historical Descriptive Ethnolinguistics Sociolinguistics

Anthropological Linguistics

The discipline that deals with the study of specific contemporary cultures (ethnography) and the more general underlying patterns of human culture through cultural comparisons (ethnology)

Cultural Anthropology

Areas of Specialization

Urban anthro Medical anthro Educational anthro Economic anthro Psychological anthro

Cultural Anthropology

The application of anthropological theories to solve contemporary problems

Applied Anthropology

Holism Holistic approach to the study of human groups 1. bio+social 2. Timeframe 3. Varieties of people 4. Entire human experience

Guiding principles

Ethnocentrism The belief that ones own culture is more desirable and superior to all others

Guiding principles

Cultural relativism The notion that any part of a culture must be viewed in its proper cultural context rather than from the viewpoint of the observers culture. A cognitive tool in understanding cultural variation

Guiding principles

Develop a broad perspective Appreciate other perspective Balance contradictions Emphasize global teamwork Develop cognitive complexity Build emotional resilience Develop perpetual acuity

Applications in the 21st century

How does anthropology differ from other social and behavioral sciences? What is the four-field approach to the discipline of anthropology? What are the 3 guiding principles in anthropology?

Questions: