anthropology
the study of humankind everywhere throughout time, produces knowledge about what makes people different from one another and what we all have in common; biological & cultural, past & present
physical anthropologists
focus on humans as biological organism
cultural anthropologist
investigate the contrasting ways groups of humans, think, feel, and behave
archaeologist
try to recover information from the past, material objects, skeletal remains, and settlements
linguistics
study languages, communication systems by which cultures are maintained and passed on to succeeding generation
1st anthropology program in US
University of Pennsylvania
1st doctorate
Clark University
holistic perspective
a fundamental principle of anthropology; that the various parts of human culture and biology must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence
ethnocentrism
the belief that the ways of one's own culture are the only proper ones
culture-bound
looking at the world and reality based on the assumptions and values of one's own culture
applied anthropology
the use of anthological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems, often for a specific client ( do NOT offer their perspectives from the sidelines)
medical anthropology
a specialization in anthropology that combines theoretical and applied approaches from cultural and biological anthropology with the study of human health and diseases (locally and globally)
molecular anthropology
a branch of biological anthropology that uses genetic and biochemical techniques to test hypotheses about human evolution, adaptation, and variation
paleoanthropology
the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, the study of human evolution (focus on biological changes through time)
biocultural
focusing on interaction of biology and culture
primaotology
the study of living and fossil primates; vital part of physical anthropology
developmental adaptation
responsible for some features of human variation
physiological adaptions
short term changes in response to a particular environmental stimulus
forensic anthropology
applied subfield of physical anthropology that specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes
cultural anthropology
(social or sociocultural anthropology) the study of customary patterns in human behavior, thought and feelings; it focuses on humans as culture producing and culture-reproducing creatures
culture
a society's shared and socially transmitted ideas, values, and perceptions which are used to make sense of experiences and generate behavior and are reflected in that behavior; Learned, NOT acquired
ethnography
a detailed description of a particular culture primarily based on fieldwork
participant observation
in ethnography, the technique of learning a people's culture through social participation and personal observation within the community being studied as well as interviews and discussion with individual members of the group over and extended period of tim
field work
term anthropologist use for on-location research
reflexivity
practice of self-reflections along with observations
ethnology
the study of analysis of different cultures from a comparative or historical point of view
linguist anthropology
the study of human languages looking at their structure, history, and relation to social and cultural contexts
linguistic relativity
the idea that linguistic diversity reflects not just differences in sounds and grammar but differences in ways of looking at the word
discourse
an extended communication on a particular subject (social factors, financial, age, gender, status affect the way an individual uses its culture language)
prehistoric
written records do NOT exist
ethnobotany
studying how people of a given culture made use of indigenous plants
zooarchaelogy
tracking the animal remains
bioarchaelogy
study of human remains, emphasizing the preservation of cultural and social process in the skeleton
cultural resource management
a branch of archaeology tied to government polices for the protection of cultural resources and involving surveying and pre-excavating archaeological and historical remains threatened by construction or development
contact archaeology
when state legislation sponsors any kind of archaeological work
empirical
based on observations of the world rather than on intuition or faith
hypothesis
a tentative explanation of the relationships between certain phenomena
theory
in science, an explanation of natural phenomena, supported by a reliable body of data
doctrine
an assertion of opinion or belief formally handed down by an authority as true and indisputable
Anthropological Association (AAA)
document outlines the various ethical responsibilities and moral obligations of anthropologist; NO legal authority
informed consent
formal recorded agreement to participate in research; federally mandated for all research in the United States and Europe
globalization
worldwide interconnectedness, evidenced in global movements of natural resources, trade goods, human labor, finance capital, information, and infectious diseases
states
politically organized territories that are internationally recognized; typically controlled by members of the nation who commonly use their control to gain access to the land, resources, and labor of other nationalities within the state
nations
socially organized bodies of people who share ethnicity (common origin, language, and cultural heritage)