Stanford I

**I. What is Anthropology?

**DefinitionThe study of humans in all times and all placesWe study the physical and mental characteristics of humansWe study social relationships among and between humansThese are all part and parcel of human culture

**CultureThe sum total of learned traditions, values, and beliefs that groups of people (and a few species of highly intelligent animals) possess.We study behavior that is learnedIn Japan, students must bow to their instructors before asking a questionIn Australia, vegemite is a spread that is put on toast

**Subdisciplines of AnthropologyCultural AnthropologyLinguistic AnthropologyArchaeologyPhysical/Biological AnthropologyApplied Anthropology

**Cultural AnthropologyThe study of customs to discover what leads to similarities/differences in the ways humans live What are the different rules for eating food and what types of food are considered edible? How is sexuality expressed by the different genders?

**Linguistic AnthropologyThe role of language in human lifeHow do the different genders communicate? What rhymes are used when playing jump rope? What body positions do men and women use in same gender groups? Different gender groups?

**ArchaeologyUnderstanding the past through the study of material remainsHow did the Maya in the Yucatan feed themselves during the Classic Period? Do people tell the truth when they say how much alcohol they consume? How did the Mixtec Indians portray their bodies in their codices?

**Biological AnthropologyThe study of humans as biological organismsUnderstand humans as biological and cultural beings Based on scientific fact of evolution Living organisms changed in past, continue to change today

**Biological Anthropology contd.Includes primatology, population variation, hominin evolution, genetics/natural selection We will look at each of these during this class

Applied AnthropologyTaking anthropological knowledge and using it for practical purposesForensic Anthropology uses knowledge of the human skeleton and applies it to assist in determining deathSaws leave distinctive marks on bone and can be identified in a dismemberment legal case**

**Anthropology as ScienceSocial science we study people from their viewpoint and worldview Anthropology combines the study of human biology and culture into a holistic approach

**Anthropology as Science contd.Other social sciences study humans from the Western point of view Basic assumption is that human nature is the same But other groups have different goals, values, views of reality and environmental adaptations than industrialized Western societiesAnthropology studies others from their point of view

**Scientific MethodScience is a way of knowing, based on facts (verifiable truth) Testable explanations for observed natural phenomena

**Scientific Method contd. Process begins with aseries of competing hypothesesHypotheses must be testable have the potential to be rejectedIf not, it isnt a scientific hypothesis This is known as falsifiability

**Scientific Method contd.Gather information by observation/experimentation Data are studied, either refute or support each hypothesis Rememberyou cant prove an hypothesis, only support it

**Scientific Method contd.By examining and supporting or refuting a set of related hypotheses, a theory is developed A well supported body of knowledge, explanation of natural phenomena A set of hypotheses that havent yet been rejected

**Scientific Method contd.Not the Truth, as there is none in science Only degrees of probabilities What seems most probable given the evidenceNew evidence appears, new hypotheses/theories arise

**Paradigm Shifts in ScienceAt one time, the earth was thought to be the center of the universe (geocentric model) But Galileo proposed the sun was the center (heliocentric model) This is the model we now follow It has not yet been refuted by scientific method