Anthropology Unit Test Study Guide PDF

Anthropology: the study of human species and cultures Questions anthropologists would ask: - Becoming Human Documentary (physical anthropology): - Refer to your sheet Seven Million Years Timeline: Charles Darwin: - Born in Shropshire, England on February 12, 1809 - Came from a wealthy fa...

Anthropology: the study of human species and cultures Questions anthropologists would ask: - Becoming Human Documentary (physical anthropology): - Refer to your sheet Seven Million Years Timeline: Charles Darwin: - Born in Shropshire, England on February 12, 1809 - Came from a wealthy family - grandparents were educated - Enrolled in Edinburgh University - studied medicine from 1825-1827 - did not finish studies - WAS A NATURALIST - NOT AN ANTHROPOLOGIST - 1831, went on a 5 year scientific expedition on HMS Beagle with his friend Wickham - Landed in Galapagos Islands, and drew Finch Birds from island to island - noticed they were slightly different from each other - Adopted this thinking to other species - In London 1837, he speculated about where species come from, that these species were evolving to adapt to their environment to survive - His notes showed relationship between different species in the same family - In 1859, published his first book, “The Origin of Species” - explains it through NATURAL SELECTION (the gene that survives is the one that is the best at adapting to the environment) - No two members of a species are exactly alike - variation a result of biological inheritance and adapting to environment - People did not take his book seriously - did not mention God - In 1871, writes his second book, “Descent of Man” - connected his theory of natural selection to humans - Discussed origins and nature of humanity - all human beings come from one common ancestor Evolution vs. Natural Selection: - Evolution means to change and change is a fact - Why and how we have changed is still not confirmed - why there is a theory of evolution - Darwin believed that humanity came from one common ancestor and that we have evolved through natural selection - Members of a species that survive pass on their unique characteristics to their offspring. Overtime successful variations will produce a new species Four Physical Characteristics of Humans: - Brain (ability for complex thought) - Opposable thumbs - Vocal apparatus - Bipedalism (an upright walker) Mechanisms of Change (Evolution): 1. Mutation (change that happens through genetics) 2. Migration (greater gene pool after things move) 3. Genetic drift (by chance - external influence) 4. Natural Selection (genes that survive are stronger at adapting) Creationism vs. Evolutionism: - Fundamentalist Christians - do not believe in theory of evolution - take creation story literally - Other Christians - believe that God created the universe, but see no incompatibility between arguments for evolution and religion (God provided us with our soul?) - Buddhists - believe debate irrelevant to them, but find evolution theory to be more compatible with their philosophy - Hindus - believe in evolution (religion based on evolution) - Muslims - reject evolution theory, believe that God created man and species Lucy: (Australapithecus Afarensis ) - Found in 1974 in Ethiopia by Donald Johanson - 40% complete - 3.2 million years old - The inward slant on her thigh indicated she was bipedal - Length of femur suggests she was 1 meter tall - Referred to as “missing link” - has aspects of both chimps and humans - Had a small brain - only ate fruits - no meats - Anthropology name: Australopithecus (southern ape) Afarensis (Afar Region) Ardi: (Ardipithecus Ramidus) - The new “missing link” - Ardipithecus (ground walker) Ramidus - Founded in 1992 in Afar Region (Ethiopia) by Dr. Lovejoy - 4 feet, 110 pounds, female - lived 4.4 million years ago - Has a closer resemblance to modern day humans than to contemporary apes - evolved from human like creature - Therefore, chimps evolved from us? - Ardi debunked theories of bipedalism (she was made to walk and climb) Selam: - Ethiopian word for peace - A skull of a baby, but not of a chimp - found by Dr. Zerary Alemsege - It was covered in volcanic ash from 3.3 million years ago in Afar region in Ethiopia in the year 2000 Homo Habilis: - Found by Leakey’s - Lived about 2.5-1.5 million years ago - “Handyman” - invented first stone tools - Lived in Eastern and Southern Africa - Brain was 47% of current size Homo Erectus: - Found by Leakey’s - Lived about 1.2 -1.5 million years ago in Africa - Oldest of species sometimes called Homo Eragster - First species to leave Africa and migrate to Asia Homo Neanderthal: Homo Sapien: - Humans - First appeared 200,000 years ago - Brain size is dramatically larger and has the ability to form complex thoughts???? Branches of Anthropology: Physical Anthro: examining the Cultural Anthro: examines how culture physical similarities and differences has shaped the way we live and between humans and other species and different cultural settings around the how humans have developed world. (cultural anthropologists will study different biologically overtime cultural settings around the world) Paleoanthropology: study bones and Archeology: study of physical remains stone remains from ancestors of past culture through excavation and reconstruction Human Variation: study physical differences and similarities of existing Ethnology: immerse themselves in a human populations culture for years to take meticulous notes Primatology: study of primates Linguistics: study history and structure Ethology: study of animal instincts of language and the ways humans use language Epidemiology: the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why. Chimpanzee and Primate Behaviour: Similarities Differences Important Anthropologists: Donald Johanson: - Found a knee joint in 1973 in Hador, Ethiopia that indicated the creature was a biped - It is 3.1 million years old - Decided to look for more bones in the area and found Lucy - Supports nature argument Raymond Dart: - In 1924, he found a skull of a tiny child in Taung, South Africa - It was about 3.3 million years old - It had many traits of a human, but a brain size of a primate (but too big for a chimp or baboon) - Named the species Australopithecus (southern ape) Africanus (South Africa) - Supports nature argument The Leakey’s - Mary, Louis, Richard: - They were wealthy - Physical anthropologists - Looked at how culture is progressive and how it is similar to primates - Mary found footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania - dated back 3.6 million years ago - Footprints most likely made by Australopithecus Afarensis, as their fossils were found in same sediment region - Footprint indicated creature was biped - no divergent toe - Louis and Mary found Homo Habilis - Louis found Homo Erectus - Louis Leakey funded Goodall, Fossey, and Biruté - Supports nature argument Leakey Angels - Pioneers in Primatology: Dian Fossey: (Gorillas) - Unlike Goodall, did not have loving upbringing (not good family life) - turned to gorillas for love - Met Leakey’s in Africa when she went on 7 week trip - Studied gorillas in Rwanda - looked at hierarchy structure - male is more dominant - Gorillas mirror human culture - Got PhD at Cambridge University - Imitated gorillas to get close with them - Thought that they are highly social creatures - Identified gorillas by their nose print - Killed by poacher - Supported nurture argument???? Jane Goodall: (Chimps) - Joined friend on trip to Africa - met Leakey’s there - Leakey took her on as an assistant when she was 23 in the 1960s in Tanzania - Studied chimps - discovered that they eat meat, make and use tools, and  experience emotions (ex. Cooperation, altruism, sorrow, joy, cruelty) - Supports both nature and nurture Birute Galdikas: (Orangutans) - Met Louis Leakey at UCLA - got him to fund her study on orangutans in Borneo, Indonesia (liked their red hair) - Lived with them for 40 years - longest continuous study ever - Interested in evolution of great apes - noticed that orangutans sleep in tree nests - First to document their long birth cycle (makes them more likely to go extinct) - discovered that they have offspring every 8 years - Supports both nature and nurture Franz Boas: (Cultural Relativism) - Inspired Mead’s travels Studied American Natives (specifically Inuit) - Said that knowing the language helps you to understand their culture - CULTURAL RELATIVISM - all cultures are equally valid - Founder of modern cultural anthropology - studied linguistics - Supported nurture argument Margaret Mead: (Personality heavily influenced by society one lives in) - Famous ethnographer - someone who lives with the people they are studying - Went to Samoa - compared Somaon culture to American culture - Concluded that personality is heavily influenced by the society in which you live - Gender roles are taught to you - 3 tribes she lived with: Arapesh (men and women gentle), Mundugumor (both aggressive), and Tchambuli (women did outside work, men docile) - Gender roles are nurture - Applied cultural relativism in her study - so she is not subjective Ruth Benedict: (Personality is learned - nurture argument) - Personality is learned (supported nurture argument) - Due to her hearing impairment, she could not live with the people she was studying - so gathered information through books - Inspired by Mead’s work and adopted Boas’ theory of cultural relativism (so studying objectively) - In 1934, she wrote “Patterns of Culture” Konrad Lorenz (Bird Man): - Austrian founder of ethology - comparative study of animal  behaviour/instincts - Imprinted on birds - made bird sounds - Discovered that ducklings adopt the first moving thing they see after hatching, as their parent - Believed that behavioural patterns are traced to evolutionary past (primates) - Concluded that violence is instinctive, but humans can control it - Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Physiology of Medicine - Believes nature influences behaviour Bronislaw Malinowski: (Functionalism & Created Social Anthro) - Founder of social anthropology - Functionalism: insists upon the principle that every type of civilization, every custom, material object, idea and belief fulfills some vital function, has some task to accomplish, represents and indispensable part within a working whole - Do not judge, study cultures objectively - How beliefs of culture help the culture survive - why is there this belief that has a vital function in the culture - Supports nurture argument - believes where you live determines behaviour Claude-Levi Strauss: (Structuralism & Opposites) - He created Structuralism, which looks for pattern in culture that is compared and contrasted (ex: language & literature) - Looked at binary opposites - thought people make sense of the world through opposites (like hot/cold,day/night) - showed that they have different structures, but that work for their culture - Believed that every culture had there own way of thinking, so they have their own way of being smart/different standards - Wanted to understand myths - Supported nurture argument Noam Chomsky: (Language) - Leading founder of linguistic anthropology - Believed language acquisition is innate - not taught - ages of 3-10 easiest time to learn a language (your brain is like a sponge) - He discovered that our brains are naturally wired for language (sets us apart from other species) - Wrote book called “Syntatic Structures” published 1957 (foundation of his non-empiricist theory of language) - Supported nature argument Cultural Anthro: Culture: the total system of ideas, values, behaviours, and attitudes of a society commonly shared by most members of a society (must be shared) - culture result of nurture (is shared, learned, taught) Culture is…(questions to guide thinking) 1. What people do 2. What people make 3. What people believe Culture can be broken into material (things you can touch) and non-material (thoughts and behaviours we learn and share ex. Family, superstitions, language etc.) Cultural Relativism vs. Ethnocentrism: Subculture and Culture Shock: Subculture: subcultures share characteristics of the overall culture but also have important distinctive ideas and behaviours. Some subcultures are voluntary. (ex: believe in values of North American Culture, but also part of a subculture of being vegetarian - where they value not eating meat - not everyone in North American culture believes that, so why it’s a subculture) Culture Shock: 5 Characteristics of Culture: 1. Culture is learned: we learn thoughts and behaviours, values (ex: we learn to eat popular kinds of foods in our culture ) 2. Culture is shared: If one person has a recurring thought or behaviour, that is considered a habit. If a group of people think or act in particular ways it becomes part of a culture. 3. Culture defines nature: culture influences our biological needs and inherited tendencies (ex: we all need to eat, but our culture influences what we eat) 4. Culture shapes how we perceive and understand the world: (knowing different computer commands because they are important to school work and jobs) 5. Culture has patterns: if one aspect of culture changes, so will the others. Cultures have core values- which sets it apart from others (ex: canadians value progress, education and democracy) Feral Children and Socialization: Nature vs. Nurture Debate: Whether nature or nurture determines human behaviour Nature: the influence of inherited biological traits (instincts) Vs Nuture: the process of training & influencing a child through learning (SOCIALIZATION) The Wild Robot Movie Discussion Nature Ideas Nurture Ideas - Natural selection: defines survival of the fittest - Konrad Lorenz - imprinting - Unexpected parental figure - Animal Insticnt - curiosity - 4 evolutionary Themes