ANTH 230 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY
Instructor: Dr. Alejandro Lugo, Associate Professor
T.A.: Jason Ritchie
Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
MID-TERM EXAM, 3-8-2004: Monday, 10-10:50 am
Each of the following 20 questions is worth 2 points.
1. The four generally accepted, major subdisciplines of anthropology are
a. historical anthropology, ethnography, archaeology, and physical
anthropology.
b. biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology,
and archaeology.
c. archaeology, applied linguistics, applied anthropology, and biological
anthropology.
d. none of the above.
2. Socio-cultural anthropologists do fieldwork
a. only in the so-called Third World.
b. In all contemporary human societies.
c. Usually in teams of four, representing each subdiscipline.
d. All of the above.
3. Which of the following is NOT a common characteristic field technique of the
ethnographer?
a. observation of human behavior.
b. Participant observation
c. Conversations with people
d. Printed questionnaires
4. This relatively recent branch of cultural anthropology is largely responsible for
developing the notion of gender as an analytical construct for understanding
relations among men and women.
a. economic anthropology
b. feminist anthropology
c. ecological anthropology
d. anthropological linguistics
5. The doctrine of ________ presents some problems for anthropologists
interested in promoting human rights around the world.
a. biological determinism
b. cultural relativism
c. essentialism
d. universalism
6. "Women" universally constitute a single, homogeneous group. According to Prof.
Gottlieb, this statement would be an example of:
a. determinism
b. relativism
c. universalism
d. essentialism
7. Susan Ferguson argues that many Asian-American women have chosen not to
marry because of:
a. negative perceptions of their parents' marriages
b. their status as daughters
c. educational goals and expectations
d. a lack of suitable mates
e. all of the above
8. The film, The Sixth Section, demonstrates
a. the positive potential of media, such as television, to empower marginalized
groups
b. some of the ways in which communities are imagined and constructed through
media
c. both A and B
d. none of the above
TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS
9. Cultural anthropologists never make use of popular culture, such as music videos
and commercial films, to examine human social relations in contemporary
societies.
True or False
10. Ethnographic fieldwork can be carried out both in nonindustrial societies and in
large cities, such as Chicago.
True or False
11.
Laura Bohannan, author of “Shakespeare in the Bush,” visited the Tiv in
Africa so that her theater group would perform several of Shakespeare’s plays
while she conducted fieldwork.
True or False
12. Due to a combination of several factors (cultural, economic,and political), since 1993
hundreds of girls and women have been murdered in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez.
True or False
13. The women’s movement of the late 1960s and the early 1970s had no influence
whatsoever on the development of feminist theories of gender in anthropology.
True or False
14.
According to Ellen Messer, American anthropologists and their professional
organization, the AAA, supported the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
from the very beginning.
True or False
15. Although homosexual acts have been tolerated by some, virtually every human
society has organized itself around heterosexual marriage and the nuclear family.
True or False.
16. Laura Bohannan found that West African villagers with whom she conducted
fieldwork understood and interpreted Hamlet in roughly the same manner as most
English-speakers.
True or False
17. Lee Baker understands “identification” as the way others identify an individual.
True or False
18.Essentialism refers to the process of making something abstract seem real or
concrete.
True or False
19. The Tiv of West Africa practice the levirate-- a marriage custom in which a
woman is allowed to marry her deceased husband’s brother.
True or False
20. In her essay, Anne Allison argues that media violence - especially that of cyborgs
- contributes to violence in the "real world" by desensitizing viewers and serving
as a model that children imitate.
True or False
USE THE BLUE BOOKS TO ANSWER THE THREE SHORT-ESSAY QUESTIONS
THAT FOLLOW (20 POINTS EACH). PLEASE WRITE IN FULL SENTENCES
A. Imagine you are anthropologist who must explain to policy
makers why anthropology is a socially relevant discipline. Use
insights from at least three authors you read in class to help you
address the issue of violence in society today: particularly
violence against women in the U.S.-Mexico border, among youth
in American high schools, and between certain racial groups or
against gays and lesbians.
B. How would you explain to American city mayors, the institution
of marriage from an anthropological perspective, and what would
you adviseto them regarding the current gay marriage debate ?
Through the articles by Laura Bohannan, Susan Ferguson, and
Alma Gottlieb (as well as her lecture), you should be able to
comment on traditional marriage (Ferguson), the levirate
(Bohannan), and same-sex marriage (Gottlieb).
C. Describe three ways in which the documentary, The Sixth
Section, may serve as an example of anthropological media
studies (following Ginsburg), the anthropology of human rights
(following Messer), and global/local studies in anthropology
(following MacClancy).
INSTRUCTIONS
I. LAST NAME AND FIRST NAME INITIAL
II. STUDENT # (ONE THAT YOU WILL RECOGNIZE)
III. UNDER “SECTION”, WRITE OO1, 002, OR 003
IV. FINALLY, WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE EXAM
AND, OF COURSE, ON YOUR BLUE BOOKS