A holistic study of what it means to be human Anthropology A holistic study of what it means to be human

Subfields of Anthropology Four basic fields of Anthropology: Archaeology Linguistics Physical Cultural

Characteristics of Research Holism Ground-up research Descriptive vs. experimental vs. predictive Seeks to be in the field “Insider’s Perspective” Attention to contexts Comparative Ethical representation: of those we study and of the research process, including: Disclosure of researcher’s position Showing research as a process Showing complexity of research process A note about the characteristics of research: there are no “grand theories” which recognizes that there are usually exceptions to any generalizations. The goal of the Anthropologist is to disclose ethically the social reality of a given place, time, and people.

Examples of Stuff and Style: Language Religion Clothing Food Dance “Past”/ Historical events Tragedies Homeland Heritage/”blood” Phenotype/race Just about anything

Participant Observation Advantages Disadvantages Develops familiarity with everyday life or normative contexts. Provides insights into behaviors and practices. Helps with understanding what people do versus what they say they do. Time Consuming Data Heavy Requires researcher to be aware of personal bias and previous experiences that might cloud the data. Participant observation is taking part in what you observe, describe, and analyze.

Types of Interviews Structured Unstructured Asked same questions Asked open-ended questions Same order Respond in own words Same conditions Can be in different order Interviewer has more control Informant has more control