Anthropology...It is important to confirm what we know or disprove

what we think we know and anthropologists are great at

that

is the study of human kind in different time periods and of different cultures Biological

AND cultural portions of humanity

The most effective way to view a culture is with

Participant observation. Being an active observer is the least invasive way to

collect data and facts about a culture and you are less

likely to effect the culture or change it in any way.

The 4 Inter-related parts of culture…Physical Environment

Level of Technology

Social Organization

System of Symbols

Sources of Change

1) Discovery: finding something that was unknown, changesbeliefs/views on unknown facts

2) Invention: new ideas and products created based on the needs of society

3) Diffusion: the spreading/sharing of practices and methods between cultures

Methods of Adaption

1) Diffusion: cultures BORROWING ideas/methods with each other (across the globe)

2) Acculturation: prolonged CONTACT between cultures results in interchanging ideas and methods (local)

3) Cultural Evolution: societies evolving according to predictable patterns

Social Change

StructuralismAccording to this view

the world is scene in two different ways or

as binary opposites i.e. black and white. This view shows society's good things and bad things like its ok to have a fire camping

but not in the middle of a unvented living room

FunctionalismIn this view all cultures are made to deal with

universal problems that strike the world. Societies must have a set standard of laws

and practices to provide stability. These would be referred to as social institutions.

• Looks at culturalthrough developmentof economy andtechnology• Explores economicproduction• Assumes that laws fitequally to all societiesand is consideredbiased

Cultural Materialism

four main subdivisions1. Physical Anthropology:

The Branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species through biological evolution, genetic inheritance, human adaptability and variation, primatology, and the fossil record of human evolution

2. Cultural Anthropology : The branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. Such as Culture, ethnocentrism, cultural aspects of language and communication, subsistence and other economic patterns, kinship, sex and marriage, socialization, social control, political organization, class, ethnicity, gender, religion, and culture change

3. Archaeology : The study of human activity in the past. It is Prehistory and early history of cultures around the world; major trends in cultural evolution; and techniques for finding, excavating, dating, and analyzing material remains of past societies.

4. Linguistic Anthropology:

The study of how language influences social life. focusing on the importance of socio-cultural influences; nonverbal communication; and the structure, function, and history of languages, dialects, pidgins, and creoles

AnthropologyStudy of humankind throughout the ages and around the world,

looking biologically and culturally

4Main SubdivisionsCultural: anything culturalPhysical: related to evolutionArchaeological: prehistory & remainsLinguistic: languages

Anthropologists discovered that to live in a culture as an active participant rather than simply an observer you gain the most knowledge – it is the best way to

study

Why do we need anthropologists?To clarify things from our intuitions they

disprove what we believe to be true, or vice versa

KinshipIdea varies between cultures

Defines marriage in 3 ways: mating (marriage), birth (descent), nurturance

(adoption)

Thei

r ski

lls- Participant observation- Collection of stats- Field interviews- Comp of detailed notes- Ethnography

Schools of ThoughtStructuralism: attempts to see as a

whole, social functions within institutions, sees cultures as more stable

than they are

Functionalism: sees based on common things in human mind, based on opposites, too heavy on logic

overemphasizes the stability of cultures

Cultural Materialism: sees through technology/economy, looks at individ.’s

decisions w/ economy and reproduction, tries to apply laws to all cultures, sees

through biased eyes

Social ChangeChanges in social structure & institutions

Sources of changeInvention: new products & ideasDiscovery: learn a previously unknown thingDiffusion: spreading of tools/ideas/etc.

1) Physical Environment 2) Level of Technology 3) Social Organization4) System of Symbols

Culture: Four Inter-related Parts

Methods of Social ChangeHappens in 3 methods

Diffusion: one culture borrows symbols form anotherAcculturation: prolonged contactCultural Evolution: cultures evolve according to common patterns