Notes+for+Exam+One


 * 5/17/2010** Terms and concepts from Lecture One/Chapter One:


 * Where does Anthropology fit into the social sciences? **
 * Sociolog**y – People and society are studied usually western and covers large-scale issues. Within sociologists own language and country of origin. Tends to be **//quantitative//** in nature.


 * Psychology** – Study of the individual mind in society. Also **//quantitative//**, in own language in the western world.


 * Political science** – Political systems of government within the western world. Systems of power analyzed. Also **//quantitative//**.


 * Economics** – Macro/micro. Exchange of goods and services. A study of the shortages of goods. Without need there is no exchange needed. Also in the context of the western world. **//Quantitative//**


 * [|Anthropology]** is the study of humans through time and space, that is, from the beginning through today. Focuses on all humans, can be non-western, small scale and **//qualitative//**.

There are four sub-disciplines of Anthropology. Two methods within cultural anthropology:
 * 1) **//Biological//**: The physical body, races of people, bones, artifacts, reproductive habits,
 * 2) **//Cultural//**: 80% of Anthropologists are in this category. Study of human beings today. Also: who gets to say what and how? Status and prestige issues.
 * 3) **//Linguistic//**: Language in culture “Ako sa mate” How are you – Slavik.
 * 4) **//Archeology//**: Study of humans through their remains. Human stuff that is left behind!
 * [|Ethnography]** – In-depth description of one culture. A qualitative analysis from 60 or more people.


 * Ethnology** – Focus on one aspect across cultures. Poverty or a comparison of school lunches. How are things measured from one culture to another?


 * Archeology** – Experts would focus on the contents of a piece of pottery to determine the quality of drinking water.

Chapter 2 from Kottak and class lecture
 * Culture **:

Cultural learning depends on capacity to use **symbols**. Culture consists of tools, implements, customs, beliefs, language and art.

A **symbol** is something verbal or nonverbal within a culture that stands for something else. Usually linguistic in nature.


 * Enculturation** – Knowledge and learning of ones own culture that occurs during childhood.

12,000 – 10,000 BP – Humans were hunter-gatherers. Behavior such as exogamy influenced cultures. **Exogamy** is marriage outside ones kin or local group.

Some anthropologists believe that human creativity dawned suddenly around 45-50,000 years ago as a result of genetic mutations that rewired the human brain. Some also believe that human speech resulted from a genetic mutation.


 * AMH** – Anatomically Modern Humans.


 * Generality** – Regularities that occur in different times and places but NOT in all cultures.

What is culture 1. Culture is learned (enculturation). Rules and norms are learned. Within this spectrum is the importance of **Sanctions.** **Sanctions –** Behaviors toward someone that are either positive or negative.


 * ** Sanction ** || Formal || Informal ||
 * Negative || Institutional – such as a speeding ticket or a bad grade from a school. || Gossip, eye-rolling, name calling, being ignored etc. ||
 * Positive || Institutional on a positive side. College degree, award, medal of honor. || Smile, pat on the back, thumbs up. ||

2. Symbolic – Something that represents something else such as a stop sign symbol, holy water, hand gestures. Everything we have is a symbol of something. Status, fashion, socioeconomic standing etc. Can be interpreted differently by different groups of people. Power discrepancies create complication. 3. Shared – culture shared among people. Culture is always changing. 4. Culture vs. Nature – Ex. “No Swimming” sign is culture over nature. A natural resource that is altered. 5. Culture is all encompassing – Cultures are equally legitimate and important. The idea that one culture is more interesting than another is a fallacy in anthropology. All cultures are of equal interest. 6. Integrated and holistic. Categories are related to one another. One cannot exist alone without affecting another.
 * Religion ||
 * Economics ||

Linguistic || Customs ||
 * Beliefs ||

7. Adaptive vs. Maladaptive – Culture can be changed and influenced positively or negatively. Pollution is a maladaptive influence.

5/19/2010 **Chapter 3 – Anthropology methods & theories**.

Ethnographic techniques: A **sample** can be taken from a smaller study group or… A **random sample** can be done where members have equal chance of inclusion. Variables are attributes that differ from one person to the next.
 * 1) **First hand knowledge** includes those recorded in a diary which is separate from a more formal field notebook. Usually during the initial contact phase when rapport is build among local people. Anthropologists actively participate in ceremonies and rituals.
 * 2) **Conversations** can be a total sample (everyone) or a small sample. An interview schedule allows face to face questioning while a questionnaire in impersonal and indirect.
 * 3) **Genealogy** provides a way to understand current social relations and reconstruct history.
 * 4) **Cultural consultant or informants** are those who are the best storytellers. Articulate and holds key, detailed information.
 * 5) **Life histories** provide a more intimate and personal cultural portrait. Provide insight into how people react to changes and major events. Can illustrate diversity within a culture.
 * 6) **Discovery** of local beliefs and perceptions. Include two research strategies:
 * 7) **Emic –** How local people think, what are their norms what are their perceptions of the world?
 * 8) **Etic –** Observations from the point of view of the ethnographer. The scientists chooses what is more important.
 * 9) **Problem orientated ethnography.** Since anthropology is so large scale, scientists choose a specific problem to investigate. Modern trend. Diet, climate change, pollution, land use, etc.
 * 10) **Longitudinal research.** Long term study of a community, people, region.
 * 11) **Team Research** is tied into longitudinal research. Schools that fund research send undergrads to do summer research.
 * Survey –** Research done from a larger population.


 * Complex societies:** Large populations with social stratifications (status) and government.

5/19/2010 Lecture

Good essay question! Characteristics of culture. There are seven.
 * 1) All encompassing
 * 2) Learned – enculturation
 * 3) Culture controls nature
 * 4) Shared culture – need a group to have a culture. A hermit is NOT someone without culture. They came from someplace.
 * 5) Adaptive or maladaptive.
 * 6) Symbolic – Something that represents something else.
 * 7) Integrated or holistic- One area affects another.
 * Watched Movie in class about a woman’s fight to remove Indian names from the Illinois sports program.

Chapter 3 notes continued.

Evolutionism – 19th century thought supported by Tyler and Morgan. “Human society evolved through a series of stages. 1. Savagery 2. Barbarism 3. Civilization Holds the belief of **unilinear evolution** – The one path all societies must follow to evolve. Critics did not like the terms savagery and barbarism.

Tyler had a similar unilinear approach in explaining religion. 1. Animism 2. Polytheism 3. Monotheism 4. Science The Boasians studied four field anthropology. Culture, history, language and physical characteristics. Historical particularism – Belief that histories are not comparable; diverse paths can lead to the same result.


 * Totems** are sacred emblems symbolizing common identity.


 * Functionalism** – Focuses on cultural traits and practices in contemporary society. Each custom was a function of the other where is one changes, then others will too. Same as a trait of culture being integrated or holistic.

Synchronic – At one time Diachronic – Across time

List of “isms”

Configurationism – View of culture as integrated and patterned.

Neoevolutionism – Revisiting the evolutionary explanations by Tyler and Morgan but with modern ethnographical data.

Determinism – Causes that determine culture.

Culturology – Cultural anthropology expressed as a science.

Agency – The actions of individuals alone and in groups that’s create and transform culture.

Symbolic anthropology – Symbols used in a social context.

Interpretive anthropology – Culture as a system of meaning.


 * Overarching question for anthropologists: How can peoples of different appearance, mutually unintelligible languages, and dissimilar ways of life get along peaceably together? **

Continuum of one’s cultural biases Cultural Relativism Ethno-centrism Suspend Judgment My culture is the Best!

We are all ethnocentric to some degree. Some beliefs we are not willing to let go of or compromise.

Within this continuum, you can choose to **“go native”** that is take on all characteristics, or be a participant and simply observe. Egalitarianism – Even dispersal of goods.
 * Foraging bands** – small groups of a culture. Only two groups are significant, the nuclear family and the band. Bands only take what is necessary. Usually consist of 20-200 people.

Foraging societies are on the move. Food is fresh and life is connected to what is eaten. Women do most of the gathering, while men hunt for meat.

Membership is fluid. Groups may break up and form new bands. **Fission** happens when a group breaks up into two smaller bands.

Foraging bands are egalitarian in that all differences in status are achieved. Achieved status vs. Ascribed status.

Chapter 4 Notes

Four subfields of Anthropology – __B__lack, __C__aucasian, __L__atino, __A__sian
 * Mnemonic **

__B__iological __C__ultural __L__anguage __A__rcheology


 * The Role of the Applied Anthropologist **
 * Early Practice** i.e. British Empire – Practiced **westernization** of colonies. What should indigenous people keep and should colonial powers take. Focus centered on colonialism.


 * Academic and [|applied anthropology]**. Idea grew after WWII. Anthro became a standard part of the college curriculum. Era of Vietnam war also deepened interest among students. Anthropology began to spread outside of the college and into areas of government, business, hospitals, and school.

Far removed from the colonial perspective. Now functions as a helping profession geared toward solving specific problems, aiding people and assisting the disenfranchised.
 * Applied Anthropology today **


 * Over innovation** - People are more specific in their needs, such as how to get more yield out of a garden, getting an education for their kids, raising money to pay taxes. Not interested in “progressing”, “increased know how”, or other generalities.


 * Under differentiation** – also a fallacy of having a monolithic view of less developed countries. Not taking into account the differences between each culture.


 * Urban Anthropology** – Applied anthropology may help urban new comers adapt to a new way of life.


 * Medical Anthropology** – Studies health care systems. Questions which diseases and health conditions affect particular populations and why and how illness is socially constructed, diagnosed, managed and treated.


 * Disease** – Scientifically identified health threat caused by a known pathogen.

Maladaptive issues – Spread of malaria has been linked to population growth and deforestation associated with food production.

Health interventions cannot simply be forced on communities. Medical Anthropologists find solutions that work within the constructs of a culture.

Chapter 5 **Language**


 * Cultural Transmission** – Transmission through learning is basic to language. Teach to others.

“fabtacular”
 * Productivity** – Creating new expressions that are comprehensible to other speakers.


 * Displacement** – Using language to describe things that are not present.


 * Phonology** – Study of speech sounds


 * [|Morpheme] -** Smallest meaningful unit in the grammer of a language.


 * [|Morphology]** – Study or word construction and morphemes.


 * Lexicon** – Vocabulary


 * Syntax** – Arrangement of words in phrases and sentences.


 * [|Phoneme]** – Sound contrasts that denote a different meaning.


 * Style shifts** – Varying ones speech in different social contexts.


 * [|Diglossia]** – Language with a high (formal) and low (informal) dialect.


 * Honorifics** – Terms of respect used to honor people.


 * Stratification** – Speech of low status groups are viewed negatively in some societies e.g. U.S. uneducated, stupid.

Anthropological view of language holds that one dialect or style is not superior to any other. SE ([|Standard English]) is not superior to **[|BEV]** (Black English Vernacular).