Cultural Anthropology

Holistic, cross-cultural study of humanity, of social phenomena and of cultural variation among humans, our ancestors, and our primate relatives

Based on the study of culture and an understanding that "there are normal ways of thinking and acting other than our own"

Learned behaviors and beliefs that are:

• 1) shared by members of a society
• 2) expressed through symbolism 
• 3) adaptive

• Archaeology 
• Biological Anthropology
• Linguistic Anthropology
• Cultural Anthropology

Study of past human cultures through current day interpretations of material remains 

Study of humans, our ancestors, and our "cousins" as biological entities:

• Evoultion
• Nutrition
• Growth & development
• Biological diversity 

Studies how humans use verbal language and other forms of communication

The documentation of soon to be "lost" languages

Today, focuses on how language is used to construct identity (gender, social status, etc. 

Focuses on learning about living people (their beliefs, adaptation to local environments, interactions with others, etc.)

Ethnography (field work) is the main method 

Documenting and understanding human diversity

Learned and shared knowledge that people use to generate behavior and interpret experience 

Cultural knowledge that people can talk about

Cultural knowledge that people lack words for

Process of discovering and describing a particular culture

Systems of cultural knowledge characteristic of subgroups within larger societies

Teaches ethnographers their culture

The belief that people everywhere see the world in the same way

A state of anxiety that results from cross-cultural misunderstanding

The belief and feeling that one's own culture is best