Objectives This discussion is designed to highlight the similarities and differences between how we personally define the term “culture” and how anthropologists understand the “culture concept”. How does your notion of culture compare to that of your peers and anthropologists? The aim is to get you to start thinking about how different ways of conceptualizing […]
Name an Anthropomorphic quality of a supernatural being that is physical. Name an anthropomorphic characteristic of a supernatural entity that is emotional. Name an anthropomorphic feature that is related to a supernatural character/personality.
Darwin gathered information from the fields of geology, paleontology, taxonomy, demography, and what is now evolutionary biology to develop his theory of evolution which includes the idea of variation and natural selection. Discuss how the theories postulated by Lyell and Malthus (discuss and define them) lead to the development of his theory of natural selection.
How is culture produced and reproduced? The social construction of reality is a framework that helps us begin to answer this question. Using the social construction of reality framework how food in one of the below case studies is connected with other facets of culture and how it plays a role in the production and […]
The Stadel lion-human figurine and companies like Peugeot discussed in the Harari reading are all part of the culture, specifically the symbolic character of culture. Explain how each of these is example of the symbolic nature of culture, drawing from both the Week 1 lecture and the Harari reading for your answer. Then explain what […]
Esoteric and Neopagan NRM traditions tend to share a fascination with the individual “Self” as a focus of religious attention. Considering the various religious branches of Satanism and neopaganism, which among these do you feel offers the most in-depth exploration of the Self, and why (you may choose more than one)? Please illustrate your answer […]
SCENARIO C Building on previous research that shows people of different genders often communicate differently, an anthropologist has been studying how gendered communication affects family interactions. The anthropologist uses recorded conversations from participant families’ homes. The anthropologist also uses documentary footage of family interactions. The interactions are analyzed for information about gendered communication, power relationships, […]
Horace Miner’s 1956 piece on the Nacirema has become a classic in anthropology for a number of reasons. Miner’s piece was at once intended to illustrate the pitfalls of ethnocentrism and cultural romanticism while emphasizing the need for cultural relativism and the role of the etic perspective as a descriptive tool. While illustrating the etic […]
How is the study of your ancestors biopolitical, not just biological? Does that make it less scientific or differently scientific? What was gained by reducing organisms to genotypes and species to gene pools? What is gained by reintroducing bodies and species into evolutionary studies? The molecular biologist François Jacob argued that evolution is more like […]
Examine the words and phrasing that Lyell and Hooker used in their letter to the Linnean Society when describing Darwin’s and Wallace’s theory and its discovery. How were they conveying to society the importance of this theory? 2. In your analysis, who did Lyell and Hooker think should receive credit for the theory of natural […]
