Readings-
Nanda and Warms: Chapters 1-3,5
Bodley: Chapters 1-2
Lee: entire book (including Appendix A and B)
Videos:
“First Contact”
“Bushmen of the Kalahari”
“N!ai”
Topics:
Concept of culture- The learned, symbolic, at least partially adaptive and ever-changing patterns of behavior and meaning shared by members of a group.
- Almost all behavior is learned
- Cultural norms and values are shared by people
- All Cultures change
Pidgin English- A simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common. (Masta- John Marshall, Bird- Airplane)
- Pidgins develop when people who speak different languages come together.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis- The language we speak affects the way we think. It plays a critical role in determining the way people understand the world.
- We perceive the world differently because we talk about the world differently
Culture shock- The feelings of alienation, loneliness, and isolation common to a person who has been placed in a new culture - Overcoming culture shock is a process of learning (language, customs, and social organization).
Ethnocentrism- Is the belief that one’s own culture is superior to any other.
Cultural relativism- Anthropologists must believe that all cultures are of equal value and need to study them from a neutral point of view in order to understand how cultural practices developed, how they work in society, and how they are experienced by the people who live them Participant observation- Gaining a close and intimate familiarity with a given group of individuals and their practices through intensive involvement with people in their natural environment.
- Anthropologists must learn the language and participate with the group their studying. (Ethics- Need to get worked out)
Impact
