is the study of human kind in
different time periods and of
different cultures  Biological AND
cultural portions of humanity
Anthropology...
It is important to confirm
what we know or disprove
what we think we know and
anthropologists are great at
that
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
System of Symbols
Social Organization
Social Change
Sources of Change
Methods of Adaption
1) Discovery: finding something
that was unknown, changes
beliefs/views on unknown facts
1) Diffusion: cultures
BORROWING ideas/methods
with each other (across the
globe)
2) Invention: new ideas and
products created based on the
needs of society
3) Diffusion: the
spreading/sharing of practices
and methods between cultures
2) Acculturation: prolonged
CONTACT between cultures
results in interchanging ideas
and methods (local)
3) Cultural Evolution: societies
evolving according to
predictable patterns
Structuralism
According 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
Functionalism
In 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.
Cultural Materialism
• Looks at cultural
through development
of economy and
technology
• Explores economic
production
• Assumes that laws fit
equally to all societies
and is considered
biased
four main subdivisions
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
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
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.
The study of how language influences social
life. focusing on the importance of sociocultural influences; nonverbal communication;
and the structure, function, and history of
languages, dialects, pidgins, and creoles
Their skills
-
Participant observation
Collection of stats
Field interviews
Comp of detailed notes
Ethnography
4
Main Subdivisions
they
disprove what we believe to be true, or vice versa
Idea varies between cultures
Defines marriage in 3 ways: mating
(marriage), birth (descent), nurturance
(adoption)
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
Cultural: anything cultural
Physical: related to evolution
Archaeological: prehistory & remains
Linguistic: languages
Anthropology
Study of humankind throughout the ages and around the world,
looking biologically and culturally
Schools of Thought
Structuralism: 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 Change
Changes in social structure & institutions
Sources of change
Invention: new products & ideas
Discovery: learn a previously unknown
thing
Diffusion: spreading of tools/ideas/etc.
Culture: Four Inter-related Parts
1)
2)
3)
4)
Physical Environment
Level of Technology
Social Organization
System of Symbols
Methods of Social Change
Happens in 3 methods
Diffusion: one culture borrows symbols form another
Acculturation: prolonged contact
Cultural Evolution: cultures evolve according to common patterns
Kinship
Why do we need anthropologists?
To clarify things from our intuitions 