8/10/2019 Introduction to Anthropology - Chapter 1 Study Guide

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Chapter 1 Study Guide

This is not a required assignment, but a tool to help you understand the material. Also,this material will be covered on the exam. You will find the answers to the followingquestions in chapter 1 of your text. Be sure to review the slides from class as they

contain information !T included in the boo".

1. #hat is the definition of anthropology$

Anthropology is, in the most basic sense, the study of humankind. %t isa large umbrella discipline with crosses many lines to wor" with the manydisciplines within anthropology as well as with many non&anthropologicaldisciplines.

'. (ow is anthropology holistic$(olistic means multi&faceted. Anthropology is multifaceted and holistic

because it does not focus on )ust one aspect of the human experience, butstudies many different types of variation within the human populationand how it affects their own experiences.

*. #hat are the two broad classifications of anthropology$ #hat is the difference between them$

The two types of anthropology are biological +physical anthropology andcultural anthropology. Biological anthropologists study the physicalcharacteristics of a group or population of humans. -ulturalanthropologists focus on the cultural characteristics such as religion,

language and rituals involved with a specific culture.. #hat are the three ma)or subfields of cultural anthropology$

The three ma)or subfields of cultural anthropologists are linguists,archeology, and ethnology +which is also "nown as cultural anthropology .

/. #hat does physical anthropology study in relation to humans$There are two main types of information physical anthropologists study.!ne is paleo&anthropology, which focuses on the emergence of humansand their later evolution. The second is human variation, which focuses onhow and why humans vary biologically.

0. #hat does a paleoanthropologist human paleontologist study$A paleo&anthropologist studies the emergence of human "ind and theirlater evolution.

2. #hat is a fossil$3ossils are the buried, hard remains or impressions of humans or relatedanimals.

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4. #hat does a primatologist study$A primatologist studies any animal of the rder !rimate , which includeshumans, mon"eys, apes and pro&simians.

5. #hy is primatology so important to the field of anthropology$%n primatology, biological anthropologists try to find characteristics thatare distinctly human instead of simply primate in nature. 6sing thisinformation, it is possible to infer what our ancient ancestors were li"e.

17. #hat does human variation study$(uman variation studies how and why contemporary human populationsvary biologically.

11. #hat is the definition of culture$%n Anthropology, culture refers to the customary ways of thinking and

behaving of a particular population or society. 1'. #hat do archeologists study$

Archeologists study past cultures. 8ost deal with prehistoric societies before the time of writing.

1*. #hat is linguistics$"inguistics is the study of language s. Anthropological linguists studylanguages that have not yet been written down.

1 . (ow old is writing$#riting is approximately #,$$$ years old.

1/. #hat does an ethnographer do$An ethnographer usually spends a year or two living with, talking to,and observing the people whose culture he is studying.

10. #hat is the purpose of an enthnography$An ethnography is a detailed description of the fieldwork that isgathered by an ethnographer.

12. (ow is an ethnohistorian different from an ethnographer$An ethnohistorian studies how the ways of life of a particular group ofpeople have changed over time while an ethnographer lives with andstudies a group of people over an extended period of time.

14. #hat does applied anthropology concern itself with$Applied anthropology is concerned with making anthropologicalknowledge useful.

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15. 9ist examples of wor" done by applied anthropologists$#or" done by applied anthropologists includes forensic evidence incourt, public health workers, preserving artifacts in museums,preserving cultural sites, bilingual educational training programs,community development, urban planning, and health care.

'7. %n reference to the scientific method, what is an explanation$An explanation is an answer to a why %uestion that uses informationgained to give an informative answer to why something is the way it is.

'1. #hat are the two types of explanations in science$ #hat is the difference between the two$

&he two types of explanations are associations and theories. Associations can be probabilistic 'social sciences( or predictable 'hardsciences, A)A laws(. There are also statistical associations which showthings to be connected are unli"ely to be from chance but the connection is

only a theoretical one. &heories are explanations of laws and statisticalassociations.

''. 9ist several reasons why anthropology is relevant +chapter 1 $Anthropology is relevant because it is able to perform many functions toteach us about human"ind. *t helps us to find explanations that areapplicable to most humans as well as avoiding misunderstanding

between people. *t makes respecting cultural and physical differencesless difficult and helps us to understand our place within the earth and ourenvironment. Anthropology will help us as a species continue to adaptto a changing world.