...Aria Collins Professor Corewyn Biological Anthropology: Reaction Paper to Films – Virunga, Assignment 3 April 15th 2016 Virunga, is a documentary film that focuses on a brave team of rangers who risked their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas. In eastern Congo, The Virunga National Park is home to these gorillas. The film begins with the history of Congo. In 1885 millions of citizens where killed. A statement that stood out to me was “a black man is like an animal to me”. In 1994 the civil war broke out where the rebel group was able to profit from minerals. In 2003 a peace agreement was signed and in 2006 they had their first democratic election. In 2010, oil was discovered and by 2012 instability returned back for the Congo people. The filmed featured the rangers fighting for the Virunga National park because Soco International began exploring for oil. What is interesting about this film is that the Congo government welcomed Soco International singing chants and praises as they arrive. Other residents, also supported Soco International because they were bribed with money. On the other hand, these fellow rangers devoted their life to the national park. It was apart of their culture and who they were and what they strongly believed in. My personal favorite part of the film was the gorilla orphanage that had 4 most adorable gorillas. There names were Maisha, Kaboko, Nedsa, Khaski. Each gorilla had their unique characteristics. For example, Kaboko was described...
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...I. Human Adaptability Anthropology is the exploration of human diversity in time and space. Anthropology studies the whole of the human condition: past, present, and future; biology, society, language, and culture. Of particular interest is the diversity that comes through human adaptability. A. Adaptation, Variation, and Change 1. Adaptation refers to the processes by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stresses. 2. Humans use both biological and cultural means of adaptation. For example, human bodies can adapt biologically in three ways to high altitude: genetic adaptation, long-term physiological adaptation, and short-term physiological adaptation. Culturally, humans have developed technologies, such as pressurized airplane cabins equipped with oxygen masks, to deal with extreme environments. 3. As human history has unfolded, the social and cultural means of adaptation have become increasingly important. Much more recently, the spread of industrial production has profoundly affected human life. II. General Anthropology B. The academic discipline of anthropology, also known as general anthropology or "four-field" anthropology, includes four main subdisciplines or subfields. They are sociocultural, archaeological, biological, and linguistic anthropology. This four-field approach is distinctly American. 4. There are historical reasons for the inclusion of four subfields in a single disciple, with origins...
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...The Four Sub-Fields of Anthropology Anthropology is the discipline that examines all human beings and their beliefs. Since anthropology is extremely broad, no single anthropologists can master the entire discipline, therefore most of them specialize in one of the four principal subfields. This is so because the discipline of anthropology is subdivided into four discrete subfields, which include physical, Archaeology, Anthropological linguistic and cultural anthropology. Therefore, what brings the four sub-field of the anthropology together as a discipline is the history of the theoretical approaches, which promote cultural diversity and field research as a unique methodology. Therefore, the paper focuses on the four sub-fields of anthropology and what hold them together as part of one wide discipline. It also evaluates the historical reasons for their developments and example of the area of anthropological research that brings these four fields together. The physical anthropology deals with humans as biological organisms. This branch is concerned with two broader fields of investigation, which include reconstructing the evolutionary record of the human species and the evolution of human beings. The evolution fields try to explain how and why the physical characteristics of human population differ throughout the world. This field of investigation is referred to as human variation. Therefore, the physical anthropology investigates how culture and environment have influenced...
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...Q1) As an anthropologist, you find out about the existence of a group of humans in the amazon rainforest that have never been contacted. How would you the four subfields of anthropology to investigate this human community? Ans: The Amazon rainforest also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses 7,000,000 square kilometres (2,700,000 sq mi), of which 5,500,000 square kilometres (2,100,000 sq mi) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations contain "Amazonas" in their names. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and comprises the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest in the world, with an estimated 390 billion individual trees divided into 16,000 species. Q2) How do anthropologists utilize the scientific method in their studies? What are the limitations of the scientific method in anthropological studies? Ans: The scientific method is described as "a method of investigation involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or...
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...Anthropology: Principles and Concepts Anthropology is all around us. It is the concept which has made it what the world is today. The study is like a window to the past, a mirror to our present life and is like a lens to our future. The principle of anthropology is an understanding of the human life and the condition. A study into the anthropological concepts will help a person understand the human adaptations, both cultural as well as biological which helps us to understand how human beings have adapted in this current generation. The main principles which drive anthropology include analyzing the cultural similarities among human beings, the cultural development among human beings and understanding the biological evolutions as proved by the fossil records in the past. All these factors play an important role in the understanding of the human biological diversity that exists in the world today. In simpler words, anthropology is a study which aims to understand Homo sapiens as a whole. Anthropology has four basic fields-cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology and linguistics. The study of human beings gives a holistic view on the life of the human beings and how they have adapted over time. All these approaches and subfields of anthropology help scientists to study the human behaviour in a much better way. Anthropologists maintain their holistic vision and come up with primary data which enhances the understanding of the human nature and how they have...
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...Nicholas Painchaud Anthropology Essay 1 The four standard sub-fields that we study in general Anthropology today are Archaeology, Linguistic Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, and Sociocultural Anthropology. Each sub-field has it’s own area of study but many work hand in hand to continue the research of the human specie and its immediate ancestors. By definition, Archaeology is the study of human activity in the past, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that has been left behind by past human populations. Such studies are conducted on artifacts, architecture, biofacts (or eco-facts) and cultural landscapes. While we, in the United States, view Archaeology as a Anthropological study, other countries view it as a study in History or even Geology, thus proving that Archaeology has many different disciplines. Understanding the history of human beings and their behaviors can give us clues as to what possibly went wrong or actually what went right. Linguistic Anthropology is the study of how language influences social life. It focuses on how different languages shape communication in regards to social identity and within groups. It also looks into how a natural world, and also a social world, can develop and this giving it a common representation. By knowing how language shapes certain cultures and societies, we can use the findings to learn of the development process that has happened over time and try to continue...
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...Anthropology in Action As we learned in our very first lecture video by Dr. Stacey Camp, anthropology is considered a holistic field- meaning anthropology encompasses almost every aspect of human life, whether it is in the past, present, or future. Anthropologists Study everything that was involved in a certain time period or in a certain place, or even with a certain group of people. There are four fields of anthropology; physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeological anthropology, and linguistics. Without anthropology, we would not know about our past, which will affect how we live in the present and how people will live in the future. Anthropology is a field that continues to grow, just like any other science. Boston University encourages students to major in anthropology, stating “Anthropologists are careful observers of humans and their behavior, maintaining an intense curiosity: What does it mean to be human?” An anthropologist studies every aspect of human life. They provide explanations for why we talk the way we do, why we walk on two feet instead of on all fours, and how we raise our children. They also help to answer questions about the reasons cultures wage wars against each other, and why human beings decided to start making sophisticated tools such as the wheel. It is an anthropologist’s job to seek out the truth and provide factual evidence. People need to study anthropology for all of these reasons and more; their knowledge benefits people in...
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...ounding A History of Anthropology: Chapter 3 – Four Founding Fathers Introduction: End 19th century: cultural globalisation, cultural imperialism, colonialism → evolutionist theories give a legitimation for ‘superior western culture’ Authoritarian, conformist, evolutionist Begin 20th century: Modernity/modernism: ambivalent view on truth, morality and progress More liberal and tolerant thought (cfr. 18th century - Enlightenment) WW I: 4 founding fathers [in what follows ‘4ff’] of anthropology: Franz BOAS (USA) Bronislaw MALINOWSKI (Britain) Alfred RADCLIFFE-BROWN (Britain) Marcel MAUSS (France) → caused modern, largely non-evolutionist revolution in respectively American, British and French anthropological thinking. German tradition remains: diffusionism → 4ff no shared programme, significant methodological & theoretical differences → evolutionism had failed, but evolutionists (Morgan, Tylor) established basic parameters of anthropological discipline Boas and historical particularism: • Influence from German diffusionism (critical to evolutionism) • Development of theory = sufficient empirical grounding → collect and systematize detailed data on particular cultures → theoretical generalisations (but with great care) • Four-field-approach: linguistics, physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology (↔ France, Britain: not specialized, but generalistic...
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...Anthropology Unit 1 – online Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. There are 4 areas of Anthropology- 1. sociocultural - examine social patterns and practices across cultures, with a special interest in how people live in particular places and how they organize, govern, and create meaning 2. , biological/physical - seek to understand how humans adapt to diverse environments, how biological and cultural processes work together to shape growth, development and behavior, and what causes disease and early death 3. archaeology - study past peoples and cultures, from the deepest prehistory to the recent past, through the analysis of material remains, ranging from artifacts and evidence of past environments to architecture and landscapes 4. linguistics- is the comparative study of ways in which language reflects and influences social life Unit 1 – Book Anthropology – the study of humankind in all times and places Colonialism – when one nation dominates another through occupation, admin (military) and control of resource’s. Cultural imperialism – refers to the promotion of one nation’s values, beliefs, and behavior above those of all others. Most famous empiricist – Franz Boas (1858-1942) he rejected racism and saw everyone as equal Radcliffe Brown – focused on how culture worked as a whole to maintain itself Malinowski – paid attention to his key informants’ point of view (groundbreaking methodology) Influences on Canadian Anthro – museums, academic...
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...race exists in biologic terms, to state their points of view. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, we think you will find their arguments well-reasoned and thought-provoking. Loring Brace and George Gill come down on different sides of the question Does race exist biologically? Read their viewpoints here. EnlargePhoto credit: © andipantz/iStockphoto AN ANTAGONIST'S PERSPECTIVE by C. Loring Brace I am going to start this essay with what may seem to many as an outrageous assertion: There is no such thing as a biological entity that warrants the term "race." The immediate reaction of most literate people is that this is obviously nonsense. The physician will retort, "What do you mean 'there is no such thing as race'? I see it in my practice everyday!" Jane Doe and John Roe will be equally incredulous. Note carefully, however, that my opening declaration did not claim that "there is no such thing as race." What I said is that there is no "biological entity that warrants the term 'race'." "You're splitting hairs," the reader may retort. "Stop playing verbal games and tell us what you really mean!" Loring Brace challenges the notion that his position on race is a manifestation of "political correctness."EnlargePhoto credit: © Jacob Wackerhausen/iStockphoto A bit of context And so I shall, but there is another charge that has been thrown my way, which I need to dispel before explaining the basis for my statement. Given the tenor of our times at the dawn of the new...
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...Assignment #1 Ant 101 1. The four sub-fields are as followed: * Physical anthropologist- focuses on humans as biological organisms they particularly emphasize tracing the evolutionary development of the human animal and studying biological variation within the species today. * Cultural anthropologist- study humans in terms of culture, the often unconscious standards by which social groups operate. * Linguistic anthropologist- study human languages and may deal with the description of a language with the history of languages or how languages are used in particular social settings. * Archaeologist- study human culture through the recovery and analysis of material remains and environmental data. (pgs 5-13, 26) 2. Applied anthropology entails the use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems. An example of applied physical anthropology is forensics. An example of applied linguistic anthropology is language preservation. (pg 5,26) 3. Sickle cell anemia is an adaptation to life in the regions in which malaria is common. The sickle cell trait plays a beneficial role but in other parts of the world the sickling trait is no longer advantageous, while the associated sickle cell anemia remains injurious. Sickle cell anemia favored heterozygous individuals with normal and sickling hemoglobin. The mutation that causes hemoglobin to sickle consists of a change in a single base of DNA so it can arises readily by change. The loss of alleles...
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...Anthropology – The comparative study of human sciences and cultures. Holistic/Holism – In Anthropology an approach that considers culture, history, language, and biology essential to a complete understanding of human society. Society – A group of people who depend on one another for survival or well-being as well as the relationships among such people, including their status and roles. Culture - The learned behaviors and symbols that allow people to live in groups. The primary means by which humans adapt to their environments. The way of life characteristic of a particular human society. Ethnography – A description of a society or culture. Emic(perspective) – Examining society using concepts, categories, and distinctions that are meaningful to members of that culture. Etic(perspective) – Examining society using concepts, categories, and rules derived from science; an outsider’s perspective, which produces analyses that members of the society being studied may not find meaningful. Ethnology – The attempt to find general principles or laws that govern cultural phenomena. Cultural Anthropology – The study of human thought, meaning, and behavior that is learned rather than genetically transmitted, and that is typical of groups of people. Ethnohistory – Description of the cultural past based on written records, interviews, and archaeology. Linguistic anthropology – A branch of linguistics concerned with understanding language and its relation to culture. Historical linguistics...
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...is defined as ‘‘the measurement of the size and proportions of the human body, especially as an aid for comparative study in physical anthropology’’.The Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary 21st by Donald Venes, 2009 defines , ‘‘anthropometry is a science of measuring the human body, including craniometry, osteometry, skin fold evaluation for subcutaneous fat estimation, and height and weight measurements.” Milestones of anthropometry In the 13th century Marco Polo described the different body builds and sizes he encountered. Anthropometry...
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...Evolution within the field of Physical Anthropology is the Idea that “species change over time and have a common ancestry”(Park 2009, p36). With this in mind, the field of Physical Anthropology, also known as Biological Anthropology, can be used to explore and investigate the evidence of the human evolution. Within Biological Anthropology, evolution is observed as the change of humans and human ancestors over time. These changes that occur do not take place over night, nor do they happen over a decade. It takes thousands of years to produce changes in an organism to the effect that it would be classified as evolution. Physical Anthropologists study the remains of Hominins and other ancestors of humans to discover the link that connects us all. They also study other creatures to compare them to humans in an effort to understand where humans come from and what makes us human (Gonder, 2013). One way that Physical Anthropologists have found links of evolution from early Humans and Neanderthals is through dental evidence found and investigated by Professor Alan Mann. He concluded that modern humans did in fact evolve from Neanderthals by finding links in the dental history of each species. Though his evidence is disputed by some, like any other scientific evidence, there have been some that support him and have come to the same conclusion of the relationship between Humans and Neanderthals. One piece of evidence that supports his theory is from a group of researchers from Germany...
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...What can anthropology offer to help understand global issues and problems? 2.How can anthropology contribute in our attempt to make sense of things that happen in or affect our everyday lives? 3.How do anthropologists think through things and how do they explain things? Emotional Knowledge Thinking and Feeling, Mind and Heart Anthropological Imagination What’s special about anthropology? ANTHROPOLOGY Clyde Kluckhohn ( Mirror for Man, 1944:16): “Ordinarily we are unaware of the special lens through which we look at life. It would hardly be fish who discovered the existence of water. Students who had not yet gone beyond the horizon of their own society could not be expected to perceive custom which was the stuff of their own thinking. Anthropology holds up a great mirror to man and lets him look at himself in this infinite variety” Anthropology subfields. -biological/physical – archeology –Linguistics – Social/Cultural Ethnology –comparative study of cultures or people Ethnography – a systematic study of a culture or people. History of Anthropology - Herodotus = father of anthropology? Age of Discovery (16th and 17th century) - Xuanzang (7th century chinese) - xuanzang said that the Indians were very clean, why has that changed? Ethnocentrism: evaluating other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of ones own culture. Edward Tylor –(1832 – 1917) 1st professor of Anthropology at Oxford...
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