AnthropologyIntroduction and Vocabulary

Anthropology –studies the origin of man and development of culture.(Anthros- Human Logos- Study Of…)

Cultural Anthropology The social and cultural diversity of now and the recent past. The rules that govern diverse people’s lives.

Physical anthropology Study our biological diversity and evolution. What would they study?

Types of Anthropology

Physical Anthropology

What is studied:The evolution of our species

Fossil and skeletal evidence, thus knowledge of biology, paleontology, and zoology are very important to their studies

They study our biological diversity…our genetic code and differences between individuals.

Cultural Anthropology

Studies humans in their present form and the recent past.Culture is all that humans learn from the moment of birth and most of their actions during the course of a lifetime.

What is studied?• Social, political, and economic anthropology of a group.• The Socio aspect looks at group organization.• The Cultural aspect looks at beliefs, practices, and values of different

groups.• Background in Sociology, Political Science, and Economics are

important to this study.

Research Methods of Anthropology

1. Field work- describes observable facts found on sites, where first hand observation is possible.2. Participant Observation-When one lives among a culture, tries to become one of them- does not study the culture from research or by doing surveys

Methods of Anthropological Research

3. Cross-Cultural Comparison- An examination of the varied ways a certain aspect of human life is treated in different cultures

Why Study Anthropology??

To deepen your understanding of humans and their accomplishments over history

To better understand human development

To better understand about other cultures

Why is it important to understand more about other cultures?

Studying anthropology helps to eliminate racism, encourage tolerance or acceptance and promote peaceful solutions to problems

Topics of Physical Anthropology

Primatology

the branch of zoology dealing with the primates.

Taxonomy Orderly classification of plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships

What makes us human?

Kingdom-Animalia-multi-cellular

Phylum-Chordata-spinal cord

Class-Mammalia-warm blooded, bear children

Order-Primata-fingers, toes, opposable thumb

Family-Hominidae-walking upright

Genus-Homo

Species-Sapien

Evolutionchange in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.

Archeology

study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery

Primates

Who are the Primates?Monkeys Lemurs

ApesHumans

More About PrimatesPrimates are generally lively, clever, and very successful at adapting to different environmental opportunities

  Physically, however, they are relatively unspecialized compared to animals such as birds, horses, and cats. 

Primates are not particularly fast runners, they do not have the sharpest hearing, they cannot fly, nor are they efficient hunters.

Characteristics of a Primate

pentadactylism, which is having five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot.  The grasping, or prehensile, ability of primate hands varies significantly also with the degree of opposability of the thumb. power grip Vs. precision grip

http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_1.htm

Allogrooming

Most primate species communicate affection and reduce group tension by sitting close to each other, touching, and mutually grooming.

http://anthro.palomar.edu/behavior/behave_4.htm

Do Humans Allogroom?

The Primates ContinuedAll primates have a marked tendency towards erectness in their upper bodies.  This can be seen in their sitting and standing postures as well as occasional bipedalism.Bipedalism: the condition of being two-footed or of using two feet for standing and walking