1. Introduction to Anthropology,Sociology & Psychology

2. What is anthropology?
Anthropology is the systematic study of humankind.
man
study
Emergence of the discipline
Two major goals:
Understand uniqueness and diversity
Discover fundamental similarities

3. Four-field Approach Four subdisciplines bridge science and humanities:
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
Linguistics
Cultural Anthropology

4. Physical Anthropology
Primarily concerned with humans as a biological species
Most closely related to natural sciences
Major research areas:
Human evolution
Modern human variation
Subdisciplines:
Palaeoanthropology, primatology, forensics, genetics

5. Archaeology
Archaeologists seek out and examine the artifacts (material products) of past societies.
Archaeology is not treasure-hunting.
Sub disciplines of archaeology:
Prehistoric, historic, Classical, Biblical, underwater
Modern “trash”

6. Linguistic Anthropology
Subfield of anthropology, philosophy, and English
Main research areas:
How language is used
Relationship between language and culture
How humans acquire language
Fields of linguistics:
Structural, historical, sociolinguistics

7. Cultural Anthropology
Sometimes known as ethnology, cultural anthropology examines contemporary societies and cultures throughout the world.
Participant observation.

8. Holism and Applied Anthropology
Training in all four fields required
Links to other social sciences
Sociology, psychology, economics, political science, history
Applied Anthropology
Sometimes called the 5th field
Offers practical solutions to cultural problems

9. Cultural Relativism
The values of one culture should not be used as standards to evaluate the behavior of persons from outside that culture; a society’s custom and beliefs should be described objectively.
Modern approach: We should strive for objectivity and not be too quick to judge; however, there are some moral absolutes that are removed from culture.
Examples of moral absolutes

10. Introduction to Sociology

11. Sociology defined and explained
Question: What is Sociology?
Answer: The Scientific study of human societies and social behavior.

12. A Systematic Approach Q: Is it a science?
A: Yes, sociologists begin their work by proposing questions of importance to them and then designing a research project that will enable them to ascertain the answers to their major research questions.
Q: Is it organized?
A: Yes, sociological investigations proceed systematically. As a social science , sociology is a discipline that is organized and methodical and it’s endeavors are undertaken for the purpose of enhancing knowledge.

13. Defining the Sociological Perspective
“Sociology is the scientific study of human society and social interactions.”
What makes sociology “scientific?”
Personal experience Awareness of friends Systematic study
with drug use and associates’ patterns of a random
of drug use sample of drug
users
Levels of Understanding Drug Use

14. Sociology and Common Sense
Common sense assumptions are usually based on very limited observation.
Moreover, the premises on which common sense assumptions are seldom examined.
Sociology seeks to:
use a broad range of carefully selected observations; and
theoretically understand and explain those observations.
While sociological research might confirm common sense observation, its broader base and theoretical rational provide a stronger basis for conclusions.

15. Sociologists examine groups of humans in an effort to understand the nature, meaning and significance of human group relationships.
NOTE: Sociologists are not interested in
animal species.

16. Social behavior Sociologists examine the following:
What people do that affect others around them.
“things” that people do after they have given thought to how others might respond to their acts, especially when the people are aggregated into groups.

17. The least we need to know…
Sociology seeks to understand how groups work, how groups influence one another, and how groups influence the things that individuals do.

18. Sociology vs. Anthropology
One branch of anthropology (cultural) shares an interest with sociology in its focus on cultural issues. The other branches, archaeology and physical anthropology are different in their study of relics and skeletal remains to understand peoples of the past.

19. Sociology vs. Psychology
Psychology attempts to explain why individuals act, or how individuals influence other’s behavior.
Remember, sociology attempts to explain how and why groups act or how groups influence individual’s behaviors.