ANTHRO Chapter 1

Anthropology

study of humankind

Anthropology 4 subfields

Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, Linguistic anthropology, and biological anthropology

Cultural Anthropology

Study of human cultures and society. How human societies adapt to local conditions using learned, socially transmitted behaviors

Urban Anthropology

deals with issues of cities

Medical Anthropology

explores relationship between culture and health

Archaeology

study/interpretation of material remains recovered from earlier cultures to understand past human behaviors

Linguistic Anthropology

study of the origin, variation, and relationships of language and language groups among human societies

Biological Anthropology

study of human biology/behavior within an evolutionary context. Looks at the evolutionary origins of human anatomy and behavior.

3 Major Criteria of Anthropology

Evolutionary, Comparative, and Holistic

Evolutionary

The descent with modification of different lineages from common ancestors, and ultimately, one common ancestor. All forms of life are related by unbroken chains of descent.

Comparative

Gaining knowledge about a topic by looking at the similarities/differences among 2 or more groups, cultures, species, etc., who possess the features we are interested in.

Holistic

emphasizes interrelationships

Primate

a group of mammals comprising prosimians (ex. Lemur), monkeys, apes, and humans

Species

a group of similarly looking organisms capable of interbreeding

Evolutionary Tree

diagram showing evolutionary relationships among species or groups of species

Hominin

member of the evolutionary lineage leading to modern humans. There is one living hominin (us) and many extinct ones (ex. Australopithecines, Neandertals)

Genetics

the study of inherited traits

Primary data of genetics

genes, chromosomes

Transmission genetics

study of how traits are passed on from parent to offspring

Population genetics

the study of how genes are distributed within an interbreeding group

Human Biology

study of human variation with respect to evolution and physiology

Primary data of human biology

modern human traits/features

Paleoanthropology

interdisciplinary study of human origins. Human origins. Also called “Human paleontology”

(Non-human) Primate paleontology

the interdisciplinary study of primate origins in a paleontological framework

Primary data of primate paleontology

fossil non-human primates

Primatology

the study of non-human primates, usually in the wild. Also called “primate behavioral ecology” (Animal Behavior, Anatomy, Psychology, and Evolutionary Biology)

Primary data of Primatology

living non-human primates

Forensic Anthropology

the application of anthropology techniques to solve unexplained details

Primary data of forensic anthropology

genetic and anatomical evidence