Anthropology 101: Midterm Terms Questions with Complete Solutions

Four fields that anthropologists study - Biological, Linguistic, Archaeologic, Cultural Holism - study of whole human condition: past, present, future, western, non-western, all societies ancient and modern Enculturation - How we learn culture by growing up in a particular society. This develops over time, helps us navigate and make sense of the world Example: white girls getting black dolls for Christmas/ their reactions Adaptation - Processes by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stress including climate and topography. Culturally, this makes us unique. Biocultural - combining biological and cultural approaches to understand different issues Ethnography - long-term field work in one community, participant observation, immersion into local culture Ethnology - compares data collected from ethnographies to make generalizations about society and culture Anthropological archaeology - Reconstructs, describes, and interprets human behavior, history, & patterns through material remains Excavation is a key method Inference; human behavior reflected in material culture Biological Anthropology - Examines human diversity over time and space (5 special interests): fossil record, human genetics, human growth and development, biological plasticity, nonhuman primates behavior and evolution Linguistic Anthropology - Language in social and cultural contexts across time and space (History, use, evolution) Sociolinguistics - social and linguistics variation (gender, socioeconomic status), etc. Language, power, inequality Cultural Resource Management - archaeological wing of AA seeks to protect sites Culture (capital C) - innate (bio-psychological) human capacity to create & transmit traditions, beliefs, symbols that govern behavior EX: Speech communication culture (lowercase c) - variation created by geography, environment, history, economics, politics, and people. EX: Tattooing Symbols - signs that have no necessary/natural connection to things they represent; verbal or non verbal Core Values - set of central characteristics integrates culture and sets it apart. Culture integrated by economics and social behavior