Anthropology

Question 1

Unit of Analysis

Answer 1

People

Question 2

Relationships Examined

Answer 2

Members of groups, the meaning of events, and actions by people or groups

Question 3

Culture

Answer 3

Learned system of meanings through which people orient themselves in the world so that they can act in it

Question 4

Culture is three things

Answer 4

complex, amorphous, and influential

Question 5

complex

Answer 5

multiple, intersecting pieces from observable items to unconscious beliefs

Question 6

amorphous

Answer 6

difficult to recognize and in a constant state of flux

Question 7

influential

Answer 7

every person across the global is affected and participating in the system

Question 8

How can we recognize different cultures?

Answer 8

Every system of meanings has multiple possible distinguishing factors, yet no definitive one (language, religion, region)

Question 9

Cultural Universals

Answer 9

Learned behaviors that all human share

Question 10

The 6 Cultural Universals

Answer 10

Families
Division based on gender
Jokes
Gaming
Art
Naming

Question 11

The Human Condition

Answer 11

The collective title for the cultural universal

Question 12

The 4 Cultural traits

Answer 12

symbolic, shared, learned, adaptive

Question 13

the symbolic cultural trait

Answer 13

something that stands for something else to someone in some respect

Question 14

The shared cultural trait

Answer 14

culture requires a shared understanding of symbols to communicate, cooperate, and understand

Question 15

How are social positions produced in the shared cultural trait?

Answer 15

The distribution of cultural knowledge is rarely equal and usually, these differences in knowledge produce differences in social positions

Question 16

The two mechanisms of the shared but unequal distribution of cultural knowledge

Answer 16

Generation of similarity and organization of difference

Question 17

Generation of similarity

Answer 17

institutions, and processes that teach and reinforce common beliefs, values, orientations, and models

Question 18

organization of difference

Answer 18

political and social organizations with the power to regulate behavior and reward or punish behaviors

Question 19

the learned cultural trait (5 factors)

Answer 19

Enculturation, formal learning, informal learning, embodiment, social norms

Question 20

Enculturation

Answer 20

Process by which members of a society pass on culture

Question 21

informal learning

Answer 21

watching, listening, and participating in everyday activities, like family and friends

Question 22

formal learning

Answer 22

acquisition of cultural knowledge through institutions designed for the purpose of learning and enculturation, like schools

Question 23

embodiment

Answer 23

the deepest of cultural learning that shapes us physically and subconsciously

Question 24

social norms

Answer 24

rules that help us understand what to do in varying circumstances
Norms can be values, customs, traditions

Question 25

the adaptive cultural trait

Answer 25

Culture is never static, but always fluid and changing

Question 26

why does adaptive cultural change occur? (2 reasons)

Answer 26

external or internal pressures

environmental, economic, political or social conditions

Question 27

Cultural Diffusion

Answer 27

The process by which the spread and intermingling of cultures occur
Diffusion can be intra- or intercultural and can include ideas, styles, religions, technology

Question 28

Direct Cultural Spreading

Answer 28

two cultures close to one another share various aspects, often two-way diffusion

Question 29

Indirect cultural spreading

Answer 29

there is a middle culture transmitting between two cultures – Mexican food to America to Germany

Question 30

forced acculturation

Answer 30

changes in an indigenous culture caused by the imposition of a more advanced society – this is a unilateral cultural transfer from more to less advanced culture

Question 31

The three levels of culture

Answer 31

Cultural Practices, Cultural Logics, World Views

Question 32

Cultural Practices

Answer 32

Everyday actions that people in a community undertake
This is surface culture that is observable, including artifacts created and used in everyday life
They do not necessarily represent or reveal an inner system of beliefs

Question 33

Cultural Logics

Answer 33

Underlying mechanisms that generate meaningful human action

Such logics are always internally inconsistent and must explain the success and failures of practices generated

Question 34

The Two fundamental aspects of cultural logics

Answer 34

People act on ideas in their heads

Organized partially by real world conditions

Question 35

Cultural World Views

Answer 35

Assumptions that people have about the structure of the universe

Question 36

Expressive Culture

Answer 36

various symbolic forms that represent and elaborate the world view

Question 37

The 5 Characteristics of the Anthropological Perspective

Answer 37

CHEER

Comparison, Holism, Empirical, Evolutionary, Relativism

Question 38

Comparison

Answer 38

examining the differences between systems of meaning to demonstrate natural and essential is actually cultural and historical (like comparing birthday celebrations)

Question 39

Holism

Answer 39

assumptions that all aspects of human society are interconnected. These connections can be discovered and described. Separating from society can result in misunderstanding and confusion

Question 40

Empirical

Answer 40

relies on data from direct observation rather than on theories like from political science or economics. It relies on participant observation or engagements in a host community

Question 41

Evolutionary

Answer 41

adaption and changes occur frequently. Tradition is not always what it appears to be

Question 42

Relativism

Answer 42

understanding the functions of practices and logic among peoples without privileging or judging.