Anth 1006 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture I What is Anthropology II Origins of Anthropology III Human Species IV Human Ancestors V Primates VI Space Adaptations VII 4 Types of Anthropology a Sociocultural Cultural b Physical Biological c Linguistic d Archaeological VIII Applied Anthropology Outline of Current Lecture Methods of Studying The Past Ethics I Scientific Inquiry Epistemology II Dating III Pseudoscience Pseudo Archaeology IV Paleontology vs Archaeology V Archaeological vs Biological Anthropology VI Polynogy VII Ethics a Cultural Anthropology Ethics b Archaeology Ethics c NAGPRA These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute d AAA American Anthropology Association Current Lecture Methods of Studying The Past Ethics I Scientific Inquiry Scientific Inquiry a series of techniques used to maximize the probability that what we think we know really reflects the way things are were or will be a Induction arguing from generalities to specifics b Deduction arguing from generalities to specifics c Hypothesis testing If Then statements d Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses II Dating Chronology If you can t place a site in time it is very hard to see its significance You need to know timing of things to document progress and change Finding things like animals can help reconstruct a site and also be used for dating Relative Dating Not an exact number but more like an estimate Saying something is older than something else or younger It is a general idea that things deeper in the ground are older than what s above them This is not always the case due to land shift Absolute Dating Ties a date to a calendar year Gives a number estimate Examples Radiocarbon Dating Potassium Argon Dating from volcanic eruptions III IV Pseudoscience Pseudo Archaeology Show archeologists incorrectly like Indiana Jones and archaeology incorrectly Distort dates facts and details about a certain time Can infer certain things to have come from aliens Paleontology vs Archaeology Paleontology study of ancient life through fossils Paleontologists are not archaeologists They study ancient life forms and biology through fossils V VI VII Archaeological vs Biological Anthropology Archaeological anthropologists study materials and artifacts They study past societies and try to reconstruct them Biological anthropologists study biological remains They study living and recent humans Polynogy Study of ancient plants and environments through analysis and pollen samples Every species has its own type of pollen Studying plants can help us infer how the environment used to be and we can use that when studying humans Ethics Anthropologists have ethical obligations to people species and materials they study Anthropologists must have respect for other cultures individuals groups animals and materials They must not exploit anyone or anything They must have informed consent and permission to do field work If you build trust and relationships with people you will have opportunities for better research Cultural Anthropology Ethics o Must respect rituals privacy and sensitive topics o Cannot force people to do things o Don t share information that can harm others or cause conflict o You must not have secret motives or hide what information you are seeking Archaeological Ethics o When a site is excavated it is destroyed Anthropologists must aim to do the least damage as possible o Excavation digging through layers of a site o When you destroy a site you have an unspoken obligation to publish your findings o You must respect materials and properties as well as people s feelings o Must gain permission NAGPRA o Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act o A North American policy that is similar to all policies for North America o Federally requires museums to document what Native American remains they have and give them back if the Natives want them AAA American Anthropologist Assoc o Defines Code of Ethical Guidelines to Anthropologists o Says that anthropologists have obligations to their scholarly field society the human species culture and the environment o Anthropologists should do no harm to an people animals or artifacts