|
Home
Instructor Information
Links
Professional bio
| |
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
(Sociology 210)
Anthropology is the scientific and humanistic study of
people. It's the exploration of human diversity in time and space. Anthropology
confronts basic questions of human existence: how we originated, how we have
changed, and how we continue to change. Anthropology is also "holistic," which
means that it takes into account the "whole" of the human condition: past,
present, and future; biology, society, language, and culture. Anthropology is
also a comparative and cross-cultural discipline, meaning that it systematically
compares data from different populations and periods. The four subfields of
anthropology are cultural, archaeological, biological, and linguistic. [Many
thanks to Conrad Kottak's Cultural Anthropology, 10th ed.].
This class examines what anthropology is, what it
encompasses, and it attempts to bring us to a greater understanding of the vast
array of humanity on this planet we call home. Through class discussions,
outside reading, and a longer individual project that
involves observing human or non-human primate behavior for a period of time,
students will hopefully come to realize that though there is great cultural and
social diversity on earth, there are also basic underlying themes and behaviors
that we all share as members of the human family. Anthropology is a window to
the world and I invite students to open it.
thanks to
http://free-stock-photos.com for the image!
|
