What is Anthropology?

1. What is Anthropology? Go here and read this Go here and read this http://anthro.palomar.edu/intro/overview.htm http://anthro.palomar.edu/intro/fields.htm

2. the word anthropology comes from the Greek anthro, meaning human being and ology, meaning study of • anthropology is a broad scientific study of human biology and culture

3. Unifying Concepts of Anthropology • human universalism • holistic approach--learn about both the biological and cultural aspects of humanity around the globe and throughout time  • all people today are fully and equally human  • people from all societies of the world are equally intelligent, complex, and interesting to study

5. integration • all aspects of a culture are interrelated • try to understand how cultures or institutions impact, and are in turn impacted, by other institutions • human biological traits do not evolve and function in isolation • an analysis of a culture must be done holistically

7. adaptation • Homo sapiens sapienshave been able to successfully colonize most environments on our planet • the ability to acquire knowledge and create technology to adapt to new environments

8. culture • the full range of learned behavior patterns and knowledge acquired by people as members of a society • learn from our parents and other people who are around us as we grow up • what sets our species apart from most, if not all, others is our heavy reliance and even dependence on culture for survival • the last 2.4 million years has allowed us to transform ourselves from scavengers of plants and animal carcasses left by large carnivores to a trulyglobalspecies capable of controlling the fate of all other species

9. Four Main Fields of Anthropology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUGiSXXdse0&feature=player_embedded#!

10. Biological (or physical) anthropology • want to learn how our ancestors changed through time to become what we are today • interested in human biological origins, genetic inheritance, evolution, and variation • three different areas of research • Human biology • learn about human diversity, genetic inheritance patterns, Homo sapiens • Primatologists • carry out non-human primate studies • done in a natural setting among wild apes, monkeys • Paleoanthropologists • recover the fossil record of early humans and their primate ancestors in order to understand the path of our evolution 

13. Cultural (or socio-cultural) anthropologists (sometimes called ethnology) • examine social patterns and practices across cultures, how people live in particular places, organize, govern, and create meaning • attention to race, sexuality, class, gender, and nationality • research is participant observation which involves placing oneself in the research context for extended periods of time to gain a first-hand info.

15. Linguistic anthropology • study the human communication process • predisposes us to see the environment in specific ways. • are languages filters for reality? • for instance, if a language does not have a word for the color orange, can its speakers distinguish orange from red and yellow…

16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdzmH3jNkU0 • Archaeology • interested in recovering the prehistory and early history of societies and their cultures • the analysis of remains, such as artifacts, architecture, and landscapes • uncover the evidence by excavating, dating, and analyzing the material remains left by people in the past

17. Application of Anthropological Knowledge and Methods • most carry out research and teach about what they have learned.  • employed by universities, colleges, and museums • a third of all anthropologists are applied anthropologists • U.S. military and NATO • mediators in major corporations • forensic anthropologists employed by police and the courts • medical anthropologists • ethnobotanists concentrate on finding new potential medicines