What is Anthropology?

http://anthro.palomar.edu/intro/overview.htmhttp://anthro.palomar.edu/intro/fields.htm

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the word anthropology comes from the Greek anthro, meaning human being and ology, meaning study ofanthropology is a broad scientific study of human biology and culture

Unifying Concepts of Anthropology

human universalismholistic approach--learn about both the biological and cultural aspects of humanity around the globe and throughout time all people today are fully and equally human

people from all societies of the world are equally intelligent, complex, and interesting to study

integrationall aspects of a culture are interrelatedtry to understand how cultures or institutions impact, and are in turn impacted, by other institutionshuman biological traits do not evolve and function in isolationan analysis of a culture must be done holistically

adaptationHomo sapiens sapiens have been able to successfully colonize most environments on our planetthe ability to acquire knowledgeand create technology to adapt to new environments

culturethe full range of learned behavior patterns and knowledge acquired by people as members of a society

learn from our parents and other people who are around us as we grow up

what sets our species apart from most, if not all, others is our heavy reliance and even dependence on culture for survivalthe last 2.4 million years has allowed us to transform ourselves from scavengers of plants and animal carcasses left by large carnivores to a truly global species capable of controlling the fate of all other species

Four Main Fields of Anthropology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUGiSXXdse0&feature=player_embedded#

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1. Biological (or physical) anthropologywant to learn how our ancestors changed through time to become what we are todayinterested in human biological origins, genetic inheritance, evolution, and variationthree different areas of research

Human biology learn about human diversity, genetic inheritance patterns, Homo sapiens

Primatologists carry out non-human primate studiesdone in a natural setting among wild apes, monkeys

Paleoanthropologists recover the fossil record of early humans and their primate ancestors in order to understand the path of our evolution

2. Cultural (or socio-cultural) anthropologists (sometimes called ethnology)

examine social patterns and practices across cultures, how people live in particular places, organize, govern, and create meaningattention to race, sexuality, class, gender, and nationalityresearch is participant observation which involves placing oneself in the research context for extended periods of time to gain a first-hand info.

3. Linguistic anthropologystudy the human communication processpredisposes us to see the environment in specific ways.

are languages filters for reality?for instance, if a language does not have a word for the color orange, can its speakers distinguish orange from red and yellow…

4. Archaeology interested in recovering the prehistory and early history of societies and their culturesthe analysis of remains, such as artifacts, architecture, and landscapesuncover the evidence by excavating, dating, and analyzing the material remains left by people in the past

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdzmH3jNkU0

Application of Anthropological Knowledge and Methods

most carry out research and teach about what they have learned.

employed by universities, colleges, and museumsa third of all anthropologists are applied anthropologists

U.S. military and NATOmediators in major corporationsforensic anthropologists employed by police and the courtsmedical anthropologists ethnobotanists concentrate on finding new potential medicines