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

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

3. 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.

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

5. 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.

6. 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