Anthropology 206: Cultural Anthropology
Study Guide
PART 1
Final Exam (100pts)
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
9:30-11:30am
Short Answer
There will be a three short answer question on Exam 1. Below are the possible short answer questions. I will pick three of these
questions for the exam. Short answer questions are to be answered in an essay format unless otherwise noted.
1. Identify areas of research interest and/or questions that cultural anthropologists might be interested in asking on topics such
as: economics, health & wellness, gender roles, art & media, access to resources, subsistence patterns, or social change. Be
able to provide an explanation for your answers.
2. Social Change Question: Using the article by Nietschmann (1974), explain how the social change of the Miskito Indians
illustrates the social change theory of functionalism. Students must support their response with at least two examples from
Nietschmann’s (1974) article.
3. Discuss the functions of marriage. Students must use an example from the readings to support their discussion.
4. Define class and caste system. Discuss how ascribed status, achieved status, and mobility play a role in social stratification
systems across cultures. Students must support their discussion with an example from the readings.
5. Discuss three of the seven functions of ritual outlined by Kottak (2013). Students are required to describe an example of each
of the three functions to support their discussion.
6. Discuss how the media reflects and influences culture. Students must provide at least two examples to support their
discussion.
Multiple-Choice and True & False Questions
Subsistence (Exam 2 will focus on Agriculture & Pastoralism)
 Responsible for the knowing the details discussed on agriculture and pastoralism practices
o Cultural groups discussed
 Know the names of the 5 means of making a living
Subsistence and Economy Lecture
 Definitions including subsistence economy, types of exchanges, media of exchange, remittances, labor migrations
o Be able to recognize descriptions of exchanges such as redistribution
 Turtle Article – know the details we discussed in class
o I highly recommend reviewing this article as it will appear on the exam in numerous formats
o I suggest being able to use this article as an example for Social Change, in particular as a way to describe
Functionalism’s explanation of Social Change
 Three forms of exchange – be able to recognize a description of each of these forms of exchanges & be able to provide an
example that illustrates each form of exchange
Political Organizations Lecture
 Definitions discussed in lecture
 Distinguish between bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states
 Know the examples provided in class
 Emergence of stratification – Weber’s Three Dimensions of Stratification
 NOT INCLUDED ON EXAM: Social Control – Igbo Women’s War (Nigeria, 1929)
Stratification Lecture
Social Stratification
 Definitions
 Be able to describe class and caste systems including examples to support your explanations
o Explanations must include key anthropological terms
o How does the social stratification system of India play a role in arranged marriages?
Gender Stratification
 What is gender? Does gender vary from culture to culture? If so, how?
 Definitions
 Deviations from Table 9.1  the examples we discussed in lecture
 How are gender roles and stratification interconnected with subsistence and economics?
o Remember the Inuit?
o Increase in gender stratification

o Decrease in gender stratification
Beyond male and female – know what we discussed in this section
o Explain how William’s article serves as an example for one of these descriptors
Sex, Gender, and Culture Lectures (Parts 1 and 2)
 NOT INCLUDED ON EXAM: development programs discussed in lecture and development terminology

‘Washing Machines Make Lazy Women…” – how washing machines connect to gender identity & gender roles.
 Roles of women in war
 Black Widows – know the information we discussed in lecture, Healing’s article, and the article read for Journal #2
Kinship & Family
 All the definitions discussed in lecture
 Be able to visually recognize a matrilineal and patrilineal kinship diagram – see the powerpoint slides for clarification
 NOT INLCUDED ON EXAM: Section in lecture addressing the differences between matrilineal & patrilineal groups,
Muslims of Western Bosnia & Nayar of Southwest India
 Know the Eskimo & Hawaiian kinship diagrams – understand how these groups perceive kinship
 Be able to distinguish parallel and cross cousins
 Post-martial households – what are they?
Marriage
 All definitions discussed in lecture
 All cultural groups used as examples in lecture
 Be prepared to describe and/or explain the differences between different forms of marriage alliances
 Be prepared to identify and / or explain polygyny & polyandry
o Review the assigned article on polyandry
Religion
 Worldview
 Religion
 7 expressions of ritual (278-282) – know them & be able to provide an example for them
o Focus more heavily on the ones we discussed in lecture including the specific examples used
 Social functions of religion?
 Define ritual
o Purpose of a ritual
o What is the ritual is commonly performed cross-culturally, but for different reasons?
 NOT INCLUDED ON EXAM: Revitalization Movements
Social Control
 See the possible short answer question above (#2)
 Definition of social change
 Involves the complex interaction of what factors?
 Cultural lag (generally & how it relates to technology)
 Why Does Social Change Occur? KNOW: Functionalism, World Systems Theory, & Conflict Theory
o Be able to discuss how your assigned conflict supports the conflict theory of social change
 (Remember Journal #2!!)
Art, Media, and Sports
 Definitions: Arts, Art, Aesthetics, Folk, Text, Ethnomusicology
 Art by intention vs. Art by appropriation
 How is art symbolic? How is art expressive of culture? How is art a form of communication? How does art represent cultural
and social change?
 See short answer question #6
 Framework for media and culture
o Reflective of culture & influencing culture
 “Prime-Time Society” – know the study discussed on TV in Brazil & US
 Sports – reflective of culture & influencing culture
 NOT INCLUDED ON EXAM: Evidence of art in the fossil record