INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGYAnthropologyThe study of the human species and it’s immediate ancestorsThe study of peopleHuman nature, society and the pastHolisticStudy of the human wholeComparativeAnthropology ConceptsCulture: shared human behaviorWhat we do and why we do what we doHistory and why it affects the way that we as people areEvolution: human biological change over timeHow we’ve adapted over timeReaction to environmental change and stressCultureA societies shared and socially transmitted ideas/values/perceptionsUsed to make sense of the human experienceHow we share similar behaviorGenerate behaviorReflected in behaviorEX: people from different cultures dress differentlyChoosing what to wear is a behavior that reflects your cultureEvolutionBelief that species arise from other species through a LONG process of transformationGenetic change over multiple generationsHuman biological changeEX: People are starting to be born w/o wisdom teeth, because we no longer need them to eatAnthropologyNot the only field that studies humankind holistic perspectiveLook at facets of shared human behaviorAnthropologists look at the human wholeEX: They look at how history effects our culture, but they don’t study historyThey try to understand without being culture-bound, for comparative purposesCulture-biasWhat is Anthropology?Anthropology is a science/humanism field of studyScience  biologicalHumanism  religionAnthropologists’ ResponsibilityRelevanceEthicsThey can and do impact the people who they studyFOUR FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGYREADINGSChapters 1 and 3; Ch 4 (p.71-84) & Ch 13 (p.281-294)Next Week Chapter 2 & Ch 13 (p.294-307)Group AssignmentFirst group discussion will be August 28thDownload and read article by Horace MinerSign up for a group this weekend (getting an email from prof on UGA email)Lecture TopicsFour fields of ANTHAcademic vs. Applied AnthropologyFieldworkFour Fields of AnthropologyFour fields that study humans in different waysBiological AnthropologistsStudy humans in a biological wayWork with the theory of evolutionPeople who study bonesPrimates and modern humanArchaeologyStudy the human cultural pastLinguistic AnthropologyStudy of language and cultureThe interaction of human language in our cultureLanguage is complicatedCultural AnthropologyStudy of modern human culturesModern human behaviorOnly in the US and Canada ANTH is split into the four fields, WHY?Historical reasons in the USFranz Boas – born in Germany, PHD in physicsStarted the Department of ANTH at the University of ColumbiaNorth American native peoplesCulture and biologyHistory of racial categoriesThe US is very diverseTopical reasonsHuman variation in time and spaceCulture and evolutionFieldworkAn important component to the fieldApplying AnthropologyAmerican Anthropological Association (AAA) recognizes two dimensions50-60% ANTH are members1) Academic AnthropologyGrant and university RESEARCHMost research is supported by universitiesHave questions they want answers toTheir goal is to produce and publish their findings2) Applied AnthropologyPractical application of anthropological researchUse theories to apply ANTHWork for the gov. or private corps.DifferenceGoalsAcademic: produce knowledgeApplied: to solve a problemAcademic:Grew after World War IIFew departments of ANTH in colleges before WWIIMostly at private institutionsMore recentGI bill put lots on money into universitiesMore money  more researchBy the early 70s most ANTH were academic ANTHData & InfoWhy and how people do thingsApplied:Most ANTH todayPracticing anthropologists practice their profession outside of academiaOutside of the university contextAimed at influencing human behavior and social conditionsThey want to use their knowledge to change how people behaveCrosscuts all four subfields:Cultural anthropologist  MicrosoftProblem solver: over cultural differencesBetween the cultural of Microsoft and it’s workersArchaeologist  Cultural Resource ManagementWork for the gov. or themselvesLaws in the 1900s to protect cultural resourcesImpact report: what is the impact of a projectLinguistic Anthropologist  State Board of EducationHow people communicatePhysical Anthropologist  Georgia Bureau of InvestigationsWork as consultantsTheory and PracticeEthnographers study societies firsthandTheory aids practice, and application fuels theoryANTH perspective recognizes that changes do not occur in a vacuumHappen between different culturesThe application of ANTH has created new fields of studyOver the last 10-20 yearsThe two work together in a cycleANTH and PracticeApplied ANTH work in:EducationLooking for better way to fix things in educationAnd how to help students learn betterUrban and Rural areasMigration of people into urban areas, which brings a lot of different cultural changeMedical fieldsCultural and BiologicalCultural translators, looking at places that have medical problems and why they have medical problemsBusiness and PoliticsLook at the culture of businessDevelopmental fieldsWork more in other countriesHow corps. are forming in other countriesFieldwork and AnthropologyOn location researchAn extended periodClose involvementThey want to talk to people, person to personThey want to excavate things on sitePrimary source of information for all anthropologistsPersonal involvementIt is personalThere is extreme close personal involvement when you are collecting your dataProblem OrientedThere is a point to doing the researchTo answer a specific question or to solve a specific problemLongitudinalThey are long-term studies based on repeated visitsFrom 2 weeks to 2 yearsTeam ResearchCoordinated research by multiple researchersFieldwork is almost never done by a single individualThere are differences in how ANTH do their fieldworkArchaeological FieldworkSystematic surveyProvides a regional perspective by gathering info on settlement patterns over a large areaSite IdentificationSurvey collects info over large areasFinding sites  looking for places where there has been human contact in the pastSurvey can answer certain research questionsExcavationSystematic removal of soil and other materialExcavation compliments the regional surveys1) Site mapped and surface collectedAll of the sites you can seeSurface Collections: picking up peoples trash from 100s-1000s of years ago2) Site subdivided by systematic grid3) Start digging and sifting of souls and materialsRecovering and recordingArtifactsFeaturesThings that we cannot pick up and put