This document provides an introduction to the field of anthropology. It defines anthropology as the science of studying humans, including their past, present, future, biology, society, language and culture. It describes the four main subfields of anthropology: sociocultural/cultural anthropology which studies customs and social life; archaeological anthropology which studies human remains and artifacts; biological anthropology which studies human evolution and variation; and linguistic anthropology which studies language in social and cultural contexts. Finally, it notes that anthropology seeks to reliably explain human behavior and cultures through scientific study and fieldwork.

1. SOC 111
Introduction to Anthropology
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?

2. WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
Antropos+Logos
(human)+(science)
It is the science of
human.
Anthropology studies the whole of the human
condition; past, present, future; biology,society,
language, culture.

3. CULTURE
• Traditions and customs, transmitted through
learning, that form and guide the beliefs and
behavior of the people exposed to them.
• Anthropologists examines different
societies and compares their cultures.
They focus on the differences.
• Children learn culture through enculturation.

4. CULTURE
• Is everywhere when you are born.
• How should we do things?
• What is proper behavior for girls and boys?
• What kind of work should men and women
do?
• What role should religion play?
• What is right?
• What is wrong?

5. GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• The academic discipline of anthropology, also
known as ‘four-field’ anthropology, includes:
I. Sociocultural ( cultural anthropolohy)
II. Archaeological
III. Biological
IV. Linguistics

6. GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Developed as scientific field in U.S.
Early American anthropologists studying
native peoples of North America
combined studies of customs, social life,
language and physical traits in the 19th
century.

7. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains
social and cultural similarities and differences.
Ethnograpghy: fieldwork in a particular
culture; provides an account of that
community, society or culture.
Ethnology: comparative, cross-cultural study
of ethnographic data,society and culture.

8. TWO DIMENSIONS OF CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
ETHNOGRAPHY ETHNOLOGY
Requires fieldwork to
collect data.
Often descriptive
Group/community specific
Uses data collected by a
series of researchers
Usually synthetic
Comparative/cross-cultural

9. ARCHAEOLOGİCAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• The study of human behavior and cultural
patterns and processes through the culture’s
material remains
Artifacts
Garbage
Burials
Remains of structures

10. BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• The study of human biological variation in
space
Human evolution
Human genetics
Human growth and development
Human biological plasticity
Biology,evolution,behavior,and social life of
monkeys,apes and other nonhuman primates.

11. LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
• The study of language in its social and cultural
context across space and time.
Historical linguistics reconstruct ancient
languages and study linguistic variation
through time.
Sociolinguistics investigates relationships
between social and linguistic variation.

12. ANTHROPOLOGY
• Is a science: a field of study that seeks reliable
explanations with reference to the material
and physical world.
• APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY: application of
anthropological data, perspectives, theory,
and methods to identify, assess and solve
contemporary social problems.

13. THEORIES, ASSOCIATIONS AND
EXPLANATIONS
• THEORY: a set of ides formulated to
explain something
• ASSOCIATION: an observed relationship
between two or more measured
variables.
• HYPOTHESES: suggested but yet
unverified explanations

14. THE SCOPE OF ANTHROPOLOGY
• Anthropology, a discipline of infinite
curiosity about human beings.
• Every part of the world containing human
populations is of interest to
anthropological study.

15. THE RELEVANCE OF ANTHROPOLOGY
• In order to understand humans, it is
essential that we study humans in all
times and places.
• Anthropological studies can illustrate
why other people are the way they are,
both culturally and physically.