...I. Human Adaptability Anthropology is the exploration of human diversity in time and space. Anthropology studies the whole of the human condition: past, present, and future; biology, society, language, and culture. Of particular interest is the diversity that comes through human adaptability. A. Adaptation, Variation, and Change 1. Adaptation refers to the processes by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stresses. 2. Humans use both biological and cultural means of adaptation. For example, human bodies can adapt biologically in three ways to high altitude: genetic adaptation, long-term physiological adaptation, and short-term physiological adaptation. Culturally, humans have developed technologies, such as pressurized airplane cabins equipped with oxygen masks, to deal with extreme environments. 3. As human history has unfolded, the social and cultural means of adaptation have become increasingly important. Much more recently, the spread of industrial production has profoundly affected human life. II. General Anthropology B. The academic discipline of anthropology, also known as general anthropology or "four-field" anthropology, includes four main subdisciplines or subfields. They are sociocultural, archaeological, biological, and linguistic anthropology. This four-field approach is distinctly American. 4. There are historical reasons for the inclusion of four subfields in a single disciple, with origins...
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...Nicholas Painchaud Anthropology Essay 1 The four standard sub-fields that we study in general Anthropology today are Archaeology, Linguistic Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, and Sociocultural Anthropology. Each sub-field has it’s own area of study but many work hand in hand to continue the research of the human specie and its immediate ancestors. By definition, Archaeology is the study of human activity in the past, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that has been left behind by past human populations. Such studies are conducted on artifacts, architecture, biofacts (or eco-facts) and cultural landscapes. While we, in the United States, view Archaeology as a Anthropological study, other countries view it as a study in History or even Geology, thus proving that Archaeology has many different disciplines. Understanding the history of human beings and their behaviors can give us clues as to what possibly went wrong or actually what went right. Linguistic Anthropology is the study of how language influences social life. It focuses on how different languages shape communication in regards to social identity and within groups. It also looks into how a natural world, and also a social world, can develop and this giving it a common representation. By knowing how language shapes certain cultures and societies, we can use the findings to learn of the development process that has happened over time and try to continue...
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...The relation between sociology and anthropology is widely recognized today. In fact, anthropologist Kroeber pointed out that the two- sciences are twin sisters. Robert Redfied writes that viewing the whole United States, one say that the relations between sociology and anthropology are closer than those between anthropology and political science, which is partly due to greater similarity in ways of work. Anthropology is a general science like sociology. 'The word anthropology' is derived from two Greek words, 'anthropos' and 'logos' meaning the study of man. More precisely, it is defined by Kroeber as the science of man and his works and behavior. Anthropology is concerned not with particular man but with man in-group with races and peoples and their happenings and doings. There is a great deal of similarities between anthropology and sociology. A number of subjects include society, culture, family religion, social stratification, etc. For this reason an eminent anthropologist like A.L. Kroeber regards "Sociology and Anthropology as twin sisters" Etymologically, anthropology means the study of the science of man. It traces the development of human race, and studies, in particular, the primitive preliterate people and their culture. Anthropologists are sure that anthropology is deeply concerned with the physical and cultural development of human beings from the time of their origin to this day. There cannot be two opinions about the fact that the field of its investigation is...
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...that a species undergoes genetic change over time. Over many generations a species can evolve into something different. These changes take place because of changes in DNA, which originated as mutations. Not all species evolve at the same rate. The theory of evolution does not prove that species will constantly evolve or how fast the species will change when it does (Park, 2008). 2) Discuss what evolution is in terms of physical anthropology. Evolution refers to "change over time". In terms of physical anthropology, evolution is changes over time in living organisms. This means that living things have passed their traits from one generation to the next. There are very little changes that occur with each generation, but over time these changes accumulate in each living organism. It is believed that all life on Earth has common ancestry that lived more than 3.5 billions of years ago (Park, 2008). Discuss how physical anthropologists examine/investigate evolution Paleoanthropology is a branch of paleontology that falls under physical anthropology. Paleoanthropologists study extinct primates and fossils. They use these examinations to further investigate the evolution of humans. They examine ancient humans, like the anthropoids. Anthropoids are considered humans closest relative and have been linked to human evolution (Coyne, 2009). 3) Find at least one outside source related to your answer for Question 2 (e.g. the genome project for DNA). Conduct original research...
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...The Four Sub-Fields of Anthropology Anthropology is the discipline that examines all human beings and their beliefs. Since anthropology is extremely broad, no single anthropologists can master the entire discipline, therefore most of them specialize in one of the four principal subfields. This is so because the discipline of anthropology is subdivided into four discrete subfields, which include physical, Archaeology, Anthropological linguistic and cultural anthropology. Therefore, what brings the four sub-field of the anthropology together as a discipline is the history of the theoretical approaches, which promote cultural diversity and field research as a unique methodology. Therefore, the paper focuses on the four sub-fields of anthropology and what hold them together as part of one wide discipline. It also evaluates the historical reasons for their developments and example of the area of anthropological research that brings these four fields together. The physical anthropology deals with humans as biological organisms. This branch is concerned with two broader fields of investigation, which include reconstructing the evolutionary record of the human species and the evolution of human beings. The evolution fields try to explain how and why the physical characteristics of human population differ throughout the world. This field of investigation is referred to as human variation. Therefore, the physical anthropology investigates how culture and environment have influenced...
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...Q1) As an anthropologist, you find out about the existence of a group of humans in the amazon rainforest that have never been contacted. How would you the four subfields of anthropology to investigate this human community? Ans: The Amazon rainforest also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses 7,000,000 square kilometres (2,700,000 sq mi), of which 5,500,000 square kilometres (2,100,000 sq mi) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations contain "Amazonas" in their names. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and comprises the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest in the world, with an estimated 390 billion individual trees divided into 16,000 species. Q2) How do anthropologists utilize the scientific method in their studies? What are the limitations of the scientific method in anthropological studies? Ans: The scientific method is described as "a method of investigation involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or...
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...Anthropology in Action As we learned in our very first lecture video by Dr. Stacey Camp, anthropology is considered a holistic field- meaning anthropology encompasses almost every aspect of human life, whether it is in the past, present, or future. Anthropologists Study everything that was involved in a certain time period or in a certain place, or even with a certain group of people. There are four fields of anthropology; physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeological anthropology, and linguistics. Without anthropology, we would not know about our past, which will affect how we live in the present and how people will live in the future. Anthropology is a field that continues to grow, just like any other science. Boston University encourages students to major in anthropology, stating “Anthropologists are careful observers of humans and their behavior, maintaining an intense curiosity: What does it mean to be human?” An anthropologist studies every aspect of human life. They provide explanations for why we talk the way we do, why we walk on two feet instead of on all fours, and how we raise our children. They also help to answer questions about the reasons cultures wage wars against each other, and why human beings decided to start making sophisticated tools such as the wheel. It is an anthropologist’s job to seek out the truth and provide factual evidence. People need to study anthropology for all of these reasons and more; their knowledge benefits people in...
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...Assignment #1 Ant 101 1. The four sub-fields are as followed: * Physical anthropologist- focuses on humans as biological organisms they particularly emphasize tracing the evolutionary development of the human animal and studying biological variation within the species today. * Cultural anthropologist- study humans in terms of culture, the often unconscious standards by which social groups operate. * Linguistic anthropologist- study human languages and may deal with the description of a language with the history of languages or how languages are used in particular social settings. * Archaeologist- study human culture through the recovery and analysis of material remains and environmental data. (pgs 5-13, 26) 2. Applied anthropology entails the use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems. An example of applied physical anthropology is forensics. An example of applied linguistic anthropology is language preservation. (pg 5,26) 3. Sickle cell anemia is an adaptation to life in the regions in which malaria is common. The sickle cell trait plays a beneficial role but in other parts of the world the sickling trait is no longer advantageous, while the associated sickle cell anemia remains injurious. Sickle cell anemia favored heterozygous individuals with normal and sickling hemoglobin. The mutation that causes hemoglobin to sickle consists of a change in a single base of DNA so it can arises readily by change. The loss of alleles...
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...What can anthropology offer to help understand global issues and problems? 2.How can anthropology contribute in our attempt to make sense of things that happen in or affect our everyday lives? 3.How do anthropologists think through things and how do they explain things? Emotional Knowledge Thinking and Feeling, Mind and Heart Anthropological Imagination What’s special about anthropology? ANTHROPOLOGY Clyde Kluckhohn ( Mirror for Man, 1944:16): “Ordinarily we are unaware of the special lens through which we look at life. It would hardly be fish who discovered the existence of water. Students who had not yet gone beyond the horizon of their own society could not be expected to perceive custom which was the stuff of their own thinking. Anthropology holds up a great mirror to man and lets him look at himself in this infinite variety” Anthropology subfields. -biological/physical – archeology –Linguistics – Social/Cultural Ethnology –comparative study of cultures or people Ethnography – a systematic study of a culture or people. History of Anthropology - Herodotus = father of anthropology? Age of Discovery (16th and 17th century) - Xuanzang (7th century chinese) - xuanzang said that the Indians were very clean, why has that changed? Ethnocentrism: evaluating other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of ones own culture. Edward Tylor –(1832 – 1917) 1st professor of Anthropology at Oxford...
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...ounding A History of Anthropology: Chapter 3 – Four Founding Fathers Introduction: End 19th century: cultural globalisation, cultural imperialism, colonialism → evolutionist theories give a legitimation for ‘superior western culture’ Authoritarian, conformist, evolutionist Begin 20th century: Modernity/modernism: ambivalent view on truth, morality and progress More liberal and tolerant thought (cfr. 18th century - Enlightenment) WW I: 4 founding fathers [in what follows ‘4ff’] of anthropology: Franz BOAS (USA) Bronislaw MALINOWSKI (Britain) Alfred RADCLIFFE-BROWN (Britain) Marcel MAUSS (France) → caused modern, largely non-evolutionist revolution in respectively American, British and French anthropological thinking. German tradition remains: diffusionism → 4ff no shared programme, significant methodological & theoretical differences → evolutionism had failed, but evolutionists (Morgan, Tylor) established basic parameters of anthropological discipline Boas and historical particularism: • Influence from German diffusionism (critical to evolutionism) • Development of theory = sufficient empirical grounding → collect and systematize detailed data on particular cultures → theoretical generalisations (but with great care) • Four-field-approach: linguistics, physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology (↔ France, Britain: not specialized, but generalistic...
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...Does Race Exist? * Posted 02.15.00 * NOVA The concept of race is one of the most intellectually and emotionally charged subjects, not only in society but in science as well. NOVA Online asked two leading anthropologists, Dr. Loring Brace of the University of Michigan and Dr. George Gill of the University of Wyoming, who fall on either side of the debate about whether race exists in biologic terms, to state their points of view. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, we think you will find their arguments well-reasoned and thought-provoking. Loring Brace and George Gill come down on different sides of the question Does race exist biologically? Read their viewpoints here. EnlargePhoto credit: © andipantz/iStockphoto AN ANTAGONIST'S PERSPECTIVE by C. Loring Brace I am going to start this essay with what may seem to many as an outrageous assertion: There is no such thing as a biological entity that warrants the term "race." The immediate reaction of most literate people is that this is obviously nonsense. The physician will retort, "What do you mean 'there is no such thing as race'? I see it in my practice everyday!" Jane Doe and John Roe will be equally incredulous. Note carefully, however, that my opening declaration did not claim that "there is no such thing as race." What I said is that there is no "biological entity that warrants the term 'race'." "You're splitting hairs," the reader may retort. "Stop playing verbal games and tell us what you really mean...
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...Evolution within the field of Physical Anthropology is the Idea that “species change over time and have a common ancestry”(Park 2009, p36). With this in mind, the field of Physical Anthropology, also known as Biological Anthropology, can be used to explore and investigate the evidence of the human evolution. Within Biological Anthropology, evolution is observed as the change of humans and human ancestors over time. These changes that occur do not take place over night, nor do they happen over a decade. It takes thousands of years to produce changes in an organism to the effect that it would be classified as evolution. Physical Anthropologists study the remains of Hominins and other ancestors of humans to discover the link that connects us all. They also study other creatures to compare them to humans in an effort to understand where humans come from and what makes us human (Gonder, 2013). One way that Physical Anthropologists have found links of evolution from early Humans and Neanderthals is through dental evidence found and investigated by Professor Alan Mann. He concluded that modern humans did in fact evolve from Neanderthals by finding links in the dental history of each species. Though his evidence is disputed by some, like any other scientific evidence, there have been some that support him and have come to the same conclusion of the relationship between Humans and Neanderthals. One piece of evidence that supports his theory is from a group of researchers from Germany...
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...Definition The word ‘Anthropometry’ is derived from a Greek word ‘an-thropos’ meaning ‘human’ and ‘metron’ meaning ‘measure’. According to Merriam -Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th ed, anthropometry is defined as ‘‘the measurement of the size and proportions of the human body, especially as an aid for comparative study in physical anthropology’’.The Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary 21st by Donald Venes, 2009 defines , ‘‘anthropometry is a science of measuring the human body, including craniometry, osteometry, skin fold evaluation for subcutaneous fat estimation, and height and weight measurements.” Milestones of anthropometry In the 13th century Marco Polo described the different body builds and sizes he encountered. Anthropometry...
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...Examining Evolution from Two Subfields in Anthropology ANTH 101 Professor Rosh March 25, 2012 Evolution overall is the change and adaptation of all living things on this planet. In the past this idea was thought to be absurd and still in today’s society some people still don’t believe in the theory of evolution. Thanks to a man named Charles Darwin who was brave and smart enough to publish scientific books on this subject some of our society now accepts the concept and studies it. To think that living species does not change and adapt over time is nonsense. With the study of evolution humankind can learn from its past and better prepare for the future by studying how humankind has developed over the past. Evolution is defined in biology as the idea that all species can change over time and have a common ancestry (Parker, 2008). A physical anthropologist could study primatology in order to study evolution for humankind. Primatology is the study in physical anthropology that began with morphological comparisons of primates to reconstruct the evolution of humans (Rodman, 1999). Studying primatology can help the study of evolution because it is a very good example of basic evolution and primates and human beings have a lot of similar traits and also the primate is the closest living example that is like a human genetically. This source was chosen because it helps break down the meaning and understanding of primatology and provides the basics and in depth terms to...
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...Anthropology: A Definition Learning Objectives 1 1. Define anthropology as a discipline. 2. Enumerate and define the subdivisions of anthropology. 3. Outline the history of anthropology. 4. Discuss the research methods of anthropological research. 5. Explain the causes of culture shock. 6. Analyze the values of cultural relativism. 7. Identify the uses of cross-cultural comparison. After reading this chapter, you should be able to: iStockphoto/Thinkstock iStockphoto 8. Explain the basic ethical questions of anthropological research. 9. Explain the different concepts used in an anthropological analysis of culture. 10. Explain the difference between humanistic and scientific approaches to culture. Chapter Outline 1.1 The Breadth of Anthropology • • • • • The Four Traditional Subfields Anthropology as Science and Humanity Etic Versus Emic Perspectives The Holistic Perspective Breadth in Time and Space 1.3 Methods of Anthropological Research • • • • Participant Observation The Fieldwork: A Case Study Cross-Cultural Comparison Ethics in Anthropological Research 1.2 The History of Cultural Anthropology • • • • • The Evolutionary Period The Empiricist Period The Functionalist Period The Contemporary Period The Period of Specialization 1.4 Cultural Differences • Culture Shock • Ethnocentrism • Cultural Relativism 1.5 Employment in Anthropology 1 cra80793_01_c01_001-032.indd 1 5/23/13 2:23 PM Section 1.1 The Breadth of Anthropology CHAPTER...
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