An Introduction to Physical
and Cultural Anthropology
 What is Anthropology?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7p-_whtOtQ
 Anthropologists use reason to gain
knowledge and insight into human kind. They
examine how humans live, think,
communicate, produce and interact with their
social environment. Anthropologists study
how different people can be, and how many
differences people have in common.
What Anthropologists Study
 There are two major divisions in
Anthropology: Physical Anthropology
and Social/Cultural Anthropology.
However, there are several sub-fields of
these two general areas.
 Check out an introductory lecture on the
study of Anthropology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuwcqBOOEdE
What Anthropologists Study
 PHYSICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY:
 Biological
Anthropology
 Primatology
 Forensic
Anthropology
SOCIAL / CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY:
Archaeology
Linguistic
Anthropology
Ethnology/Sociocultural
Anthropology
What is Culture?
 Culture refers to the abilities, ideas and
behaviours people have acquired to become
members of society.
 Cultural Anthropology is the investigation of
the origin, development and functioning of
human cultures. The concept of culture is an
important one in anthropology. Culture is a
way of living, learned over time and shared by
groups of people. It includes knowledge,
language, beliefs, art, morals, laws and
customs. These are things that are learned,
not things that we are born knowing. The real
question for cultural anthropologists is how
culture can be understood by an outsider.
Physical Anthropology
 Physical Anthropology is the study of
human evolution, human biology, and
other primates. All physical
anthropologists have extensive training
in human skeletal anatomy. In many
cases, each of the sub-fields of
anthropology overlap, but each has its
own specialists and methods of
investigation. Below is a chart of some
of these sub fields and their contribution
to the scientific way of seeing the world.
Anthropological Sub Fields:
 Social/Cultural Anthropology:
 Linguistics: how language is linked to
culture, the structure of language, the
connections among language, the brain and
cultural behaviour.
 Archaeology: the excavation and study of
human constructions, artefacts, such as
weapons, clothing, cooking utensils, storage
containers, garbage, etc. to see how humans
lived in their culture.
Anthropological Sub Fields
Physical Anthropology :
Biological Anthropology: how diseases and illnesses
are genetically transmitted and how they are caused
by environmental and social conditions.
Primatology: the thinking and communication patterns
of primates from our distant evolutionary past.
Forensic Anthropology: the discovery of clues in
physical injuries, the wear on bones or teeth, the
chemical composition of bones or teeth; the analysis
of DNA to establish the familial identity of a dead
person; providing police with vital information in
homicide cases; the investigation of mass murders by
death squads or terrorists.
What is Anthropology?
Video clips
Take a look at the following video clips as you explore
examples of the sub-fields of Anthropology:
What Is Field Work? Doing Anthropology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhCruPBvSjQ
 What is Archaeology? (An example of Social/Cultural Anthropology)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj-Oq8vk3N4

The Dawn of Art: Images from Chauvet Cave (France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZrZxyRBAlM

Prehistoric People and their Art: Recording history, daily life, culture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvhDb4phhzY
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What is Primatology? (An example of Physical Anthropology)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqZ_Un72sO0
A Conversation with Koko:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNuZ4OE6vCk
What is Forensic Anthropology (An example of Physical Anthropology)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8gjby0T5x0