ANTHROP 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Cultural Anthropology, Applied Anthropology, Biological Anthropology
2 May 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
1. 1 lecture notes (september 10th & 14th, 2015) Anthropology is the systematic study of humankind, both past and present; studies human culture (learned behaviours and beliefs that shape our human experiences e. g. religion, spirituality, gender, race, etc. ) Through education systems, mass media, people around us, etc. Ethnocentrism the erroneous idea that one"s culture and its values are somehow right or superior to another culture"s (e. g. calling another culture barbaric or primative . Many people therefore judge another culture according to the standards of their own whereas anthropologists fight against all forms of ethnocentrism. Cultural relativism is an approach promoted by anthropologists (opposite of ethnocentrism); involves understanding another society in its own terms. The four subfields of anthropology: physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, No anthropologist is an expert in all four branches of anthropology; many do research that crosses over the subfields (interdisciplinary) Anthropology investigates the diversity of humans in all contexts. Anthropologists believe that humans are both cultural and biological beings.
