ANT 210 General Anthropology

1
ANT 210General Anthropology
Instructor Kristina Killgrove Class Times
M/W 545-745 Classroom TECH 911
Website http//www.killgrove.org/ANT210
2
Course Preliminaries

• Handouts
• Course Description
• Course Outline
• Syllabus
• ANT 210 Policies (please sign)
• Labeled World Map
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Miner article, The Nacirema

3
Course Goals

• The goals of this course are for the student to
  understand and explain
• 1. Four-field approach
• 2. Evolution of humans
• 3. Relationship between humans and primates
• 4. Concept of culture, ethnocentrism
• 5. Cross-cultural comparisons
• 6. Culture change

4
What is Anthropology?

• From the Greek anqropo? (human) and logo? (study
  of)
• Scope
• Historically from primates to fully modern man
• Geographically all over the world
• Holistic and Specialized
• Anthropological Curiosity
• The concern with typical characteristics of
  particular populations is the most distinguishing
  feature of anthropology. - EE

5
The Four-Field Approach

• 1. Physical Anth
• 2. Archaeology
• 3. Cultural Anth
• 4. Linguistic Anth

6
Ember Ember p.3
7
SPECIFIC FIELDS OF STUDY

• There are two broad areas of study within
  anthropology
• PHYSICAL (BIOLOGICAL) ANTHROPOLOGY
• Primatology
• Palaeoanthropology
• CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Archaeology
• Linguistics
• Ethnology

8
PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• HUMAN PALEONTOLOGY (PRIMATOLOGY)
• The fossil record
• INVESTIGATES Emergence of humans and their later
  evolution
• PRIMATES - Prosimians, monkeys, and apes
• PRIMATOLOGY - Study of primates
• HUMAN VARIATION (PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY)
• QUESTIONS How and why contemporary human
  populations vary biologically
• Homo sapiens - The human species
• Through the use of
• Human genetics (inherited traits)
• Population biology (impact of environment)
• Epidemiology (impact of disease)

9
ARCHAEOLOGY

• The study of past cultures through their material
  remains
• SUBFIELDS
• QUESTIONS
• Where, when, and why did toolmaking / agriculture
  / cities begin?

10
ETHNOLOGY
TO REALLY UNDERSTAND, ONE MUST GET SUBJECTIVE!

• THE STUDY OF EXISTING AND RECENT CULTURES
• Ethnography
• Ethnographer
• Ethnohistory
• QUESTIONS
• How all aspects of human existence vary from
  society to society, in all historical periods, in
  all parts of the world

11
LINGUISTICS

• THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE
• HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS - How languages change
  over time and how they may be related
• STRUCTURAL LINGUISTICS - Focusing on variation in
  language construction
• SOCIOLINGUISTICS
• HOW LANGUAGE IS USED IN SOCIAL CONTEXTS
• Types of language
• Appropriateness of use
• Formal and informal sides of language

12
APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY

• Forensic Anthropology
• Preservation/CRM
• Communication
• Medical Anthropology
• Urban Anthropology

13
LOGIC and REASONING

• INDUCTIVE
• Observation first, then data collection
• DEDUCTIVE
• Begins with general theory and then moves to
  testing hypotheses
• Hypothesis - A testable proposition concerning
  relationships between variables
• Variable - Any datum that changes from case to
  case
• Theory - Statement that connects hypotheses and
  offers an explanation for natural or social
  phenomena

14
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
1. Observe some aspect of the universe. 2.
Invent a tentative description, called a
hypothesis, that is consistent with what you have
observed. 3. Use the hypothesis to make
predictions. 4. Test those predictions by
experiments or further observations and modify
the hypothesis in the light of your results. 5.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until there are no
discrepancies between theory and experiment
and/or observation. When consistency is obtained
the hypothesis becomes a theory and provides a
coherent set of propositions which explain a
class of phenomena. A theory is then a framework
within which observations are explained and
predictions are made.
15
WHY STUDY ANTHROPOLOGY?

• To understand people in various places and in
  different social situations
• To help us avoid misunderstandings in a persons
  local community, state, region, world
• Racial and ethnic differences begin to take on
  less significance as people learn all humans are
  one species and everyones culture is different