Lesson 1 - Anthropology PDF

ANTHROPOLOGY Lesson 1 Learning Objectives At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to: ❑ define the field of anthropology ❑ demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for studying anthropology ❑ apply anthropological perspectives in looking at a culture or a society What is anthr...

ANTHROPOLOGY Lesson 1 Learning Objectives At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to: ❑ define the field of anthropology ❑ demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for studying anthropology ❑ apply anthropological perspectives in looking at a culture or a society What is anthropology? ❑ the comprehensive understanding of humans and all aspects of its being including its origin ❑ the discipline is a fusion of social sciences and natural sciences ❑ can offer fascinating insights about human behavior Physical anthropology ❑ the study of humans from a biological perspective ❑ investigates and reconstructs the evolutionary origins of humans ❑ requires the understanding of biology and culture to explain how humans adapt and continuously evolve Archaeology ❑ studies human cultures thru materials or artifacts of the past ❑ attempts to understand the relationship between the artifacts and the current and future society Anthropological linguistics ❑ the study of the relationship between language and culture ❑ it examines how language shapes the way people think and interact with each other ❑ seeks to understand the use of language in the transmission of culture Cultural anthropology ❑ this subfield explores the patterns of societies and its beliefs, practices, and behavior in the contemporary setting ❑ explores the diversity of human cultures throughout the world The Fieldwork of Anthropology ❑ fieldwork is one of the methods in gathering primary data in studying people ❑ the necessary process in doing fieldwork is participant observation Ethnography ❑ this is the recording and analyzing of culture or society usually based on participant observation that results into written accounts of people, places, or institutions Multiculturalism ❑ this is the acceptance, or promotion of multiple cultural traditions within fixed boundaries Ethnocentrism ❑ this is when we judge other cultures based on our own culture Cultural Relativism ❑ there is no international or universal standard of culture Etic perspective ❑ this is to understand a culture from the point of view of a non-member of the culture Emic perspective ❑ this is an effective way to fully grasp the worldviews and ways of life of a culture ❑ this is understanding a culture thru immersion PERFORMANCE TASK 1 Writing a Mini-ethnography ❑ Groups of 4 members ❑ Students shall proceed to the following locations: o Church (Note: majority of the group members shall not be members of the church/religion) PERFORMANCE TASK 1 Writing a Mini-ethnography ❑ Students shall proceed to the following locations: o Art museum (by group) o Daily commute (synthesize your individual experiences) PERFORMANCE TASK 1 Writing a Mini-ethnography ❑ Spend one to two hours of fieldwork per location and be guided by the following questions in writing your observations: PERFORMANCE TASK 1 Writing a Mini-ethnography ❑ What are the observable and repeated behaviors of the people in the location? What do you think are these actions for? PERFORMANCE TASK 1 Writing a Mini-ethnography ❑ What are the things/materials you have observed in the location? What are these for? Think of explanations as to why these materials are in the location. ❑ Are there rules in the location? PERFORMANCE TASK 1 Writing a Mini-ethnography ❑ (For the art museum) What types of art are on display? What type of art gets more attention? ❑ (For the daily commute) What are the people doing while stuck in heavy traffic? PERFORMANCE TASK 1 Writing a Mini-ethnography ❑ Write a document that reflects your experience. Write down your thoughts, reflections, and reactions during the fieldwork. Be sure to distinguish between the data you collected and your personal thoughts.