AnthropologyAnthropology More Than Grass Shacks and Exotic Sunsets

Defined Anthropology is the study of the human condition, in all of its forms and splendors

Derivation of Name Anthropos…from the Greek for man –We extend this today to mean all of humanity -ology…(logos) the study of…

Place in Modern Academia Usually a Social Science Developed in the 19 th century as part of the birth of social sciences, along with –Sociology –Psychology –Political Sciecne

Anthropology’s Scope of Study If humans are involved, we study it This is very broad, perhaps too broad to get a handle on… So we break it into 4 subfields –This organization is called the quadripartite approach

Quadripartite Approach Cultural Anthropology –Anthropology 1100 Linguistic Anthropology –Anthropology 1115 (new course in Spring) Biological Anthropology (Race, Sex, & Human Evolution) –Anthropology 1125 Archaeology (Discovering Archaeology) –Anthropology 1120

Cultural Anthropology Focuses on living (or recently living) cultures Identifies rules of social behavior Studies the ways people identify themselves in their societies and the world

Linguistic Anthropology Focuses on human communication Studies the ways we structure our communication Includes components on how the brain and speech emerged together Covers the ways to be effective in communication

Biological Anthropology Studies the human animal Evolution Population and breeding histories and how people create ideas of race and racism Forensic anthropology

Archaeology Studies humanity through the remains left behind by people Provides a unique view across time of culture, language, and physical forms Explores the lost civilizations & cultures of the past

4 Fields Unified By… Their connection to human-kind Cannot speak of archaeology without referring to culture, or language without referring to biology and culture They all interrelate when we put people in the picture

They Also Share… An emphasis on Holism An emphasis on Application (sometimes called Applied Anthropology and treated as a 5 th sub-discipline)

Holism The notion that sets us apart from other social sciences We add factors and look for interrelatedness –Other social sciences often look for prime movers and single causal factors –They tend to be reductive

Application About 70% of all jobs in anthropology are in the private sector Corporations hire anthropologists to study their structure and to improve efficiency Cultural Resource Management archaeology is commonplace

But There Is More Anthropology is typically listed as one of the top 5 or 6 most desirable skill areas by employers –Everything from personnel management to international business and government positions

And Still There is More Anthropology provides you with tools you can use every day! Understanding how people and systems function can help you run a business, serve clients and patients, even navigate the COD bureaucracy