Intro to Anthropology Flashcards
Anthropology
The study of humankind.
Physical Anthropology
Aims to find out where humans as a species come from, how our bodies have evolved, and what makes humans unique.
Paleoanthropology
Study of bone and stone remains of our ancient ancestors from millions of years ago.
Cultural Anthropology:
Study both past and present cultures.
Human Variation
Study of physical differences and similarities of existing human populations,
Forensic anthropology
Study of and ability to help legal agencies identify human remains after natural disasters, homicide, architectural disasters, etc.
Primatology
Study of primates.
Social anthropology (ethnology)
Study of the origins and cultures of different races and peoples.
Archeology
The study of ancient artifacts (often uncovered from the earth) that give clues about culture.
Linguistic anthropology
Study of the history and structure of language and the ways humans use language
Historical linguists
study how languages are related/have evolved from one another
Examples of Cultural Anthropology
Political and legal anthropology
Humanistic anthropology
Visual anthropology
Political and legal anthropology
focuses on issues of nationalism, citizenship, colonialism, and globalism.
Humanistic anthropology
focuses on the personal, ethical, and political choices facing humans.
Visual anthropology
looks at the visual aspects of a culture, such as art and media and how they influence humans.
Areas of Specialization
- Cultural Anthropology
- Linguistic Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Physical Anthropology
Research Methods
- Interviews (Unstructured, Semi-Structured and Structured)
- Participant Observation
- Physical Methods (Ex. radiometric dating
- Primatology Methods
Unstructured
: between an anthropologist and an informant. Allow the researcher to test out their initial ideas and can lead to greater understanding of a topic. An interview in which questions are not prearranged.
Unstructured pros
- Allow the researcher to test out initial ideas
- Allow for new directions in the research project
- Allows informants to direct the content of the interview
- Often minimal researcher bias
- Often a first step in the research project
Unstructured cons
Can be time consuming
Structured Interviews
se a set list of questions that do not change. Should be used when the researcher is very clear on the topic and there is other information that is easily available.
Structured Interviews pros
- Structured questions so that anyone can conduct the interview
- A relationship between the researcher and the interviewee need not be established
- It can produce consistent data which can be easily compared between respondents.
Structured Interviews cons
- The interviewee can only respond to the questions asked.
- no flexiblity
Quantitative Research
- Closed-ended questions
- Numerical results
- ie. Surverys, Laboratory-based observation
Qualitative Research
- Open-ended questions
- Descriptions and comparisons
- ie. Interviews, Naturalistic observation
Semi-Structured
Used by anthropologists who stay in a community for some time. Questions are prepared in advance, but not a strict list of questions. Good if it’s your own time to talk to interviewee but can stray away. Flexible.
Participant Observation
Main method to study that ethnologists use to gather info about cultures. They adapt to cultures life through stories, lifecycle, food
Physical Methods (Ex. radiometric dating
Radiometric dating determines the age of an object based on how much radioactive material it has
Primatology Methods
Primatology is studied in natural habitats or in labs. They either live in the habitats or to testing/observing in labs
reflexivity
- reflecting on their own world views, biases, and impact on the culture they are studying
- research should be shared with other researchers to see if their interpretation are accurate
All participants must provide…
informed Consent - subjects need to be informed about the purpose of the research, how the information will be used, and the confidentiality they can expect.
