Introducing Anthropology : An Integrated Approach

by Park, Michael Alan

• ISBN13: 9780073210421
• ISBN10: 0073210420
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-06-23
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

Because of the increasing breadth and complexity of the field, most texts for introductory-level, general anthropology courses have tended to become longer and more detailed.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Background and Context

1. Doing Anthropology: Taking Fingerprints in the High Plains

In the Field

The Hutterites

Anthropology

Contemporary Issues: What Responsibilities Does the Anthropologist Have When Studying Other Cultures?

2. Methods of Inquiry: Anthropology as a Science

The Scientific Method

Belief Systems

Anthropology as a Science

Contemporary Issues: Arent Science and Belief Inherently in Conflict with One Another?

3. Evolution: Change in Nature and the Nature of Change

The Evolution of Evolution

Some Basic Genetics

Adaptation

Descent with Modification

The Origin of Species

Contemporary Issues: Is Evolution a Fact, a Theory, or Just a Hypothesis?

Part 2: The Identity of Our Species

4. Our Place in Nature: Humans as Primates

Naming the Animals

Into the Trees

Contemporary Issues: Should Nonhuman Primates Have Rights?

5. Anatomy: The Bipedal Primate

Out of the Trees

Around the World

Contemporary Issues: Have We Found the Missing Link?

6. Reproduction: The Sexual Primate

Sex and Human Evolution

Vive la Diffrence

Sex and Gender

Sex and Cultural Institutions

Contemporary Issues: What Causes Differences in Sexual Orientation?

7. Learning How To Survive: The Cultural Primate

The Concept of Culture

Brains and Culture

A Model for the Study of Cultural Systems

An Anthropological Analysis of the Necktie

Contemporary Issues: Can Anthropologists Study Their Own Cultures?

8. Human Variation: Biological Diversity and Race

Why Are There No Biological Races within the Human Species?

What, Then, Are Human Races?

Race, Racism, and Social Issues

Contemporary Issues: Are There Racial Differences in Athletic Ability?

Part 3: Adapting To Our Worlds

9. Food: Getting It, Growing It, Eating It, and Passing It Around

Food and Human Evolution

Food-Collecting Societies

Food-Producing Societies

Which Subsistence Pattern Works Best?

Some Basic Economics

Contemporary Issues: Is There a World Population Crisis That Is Putting Pressure on Food and Other Resources?

10. Nature of the Group: Arranging Our Families and Organizing Our Societies

Primate Societies

Marriage and Family

Kinship

Kinship Terminology

Organization above the Family Level

Contemporary Issues: Why Dont Bilateral Societies Have Equality Between the Sexes?

11. Material Culture: The Things We Make and the Things We Leave Behind

Archaeology: Recovering and Interpreting the Cultural Past

Some Prehistoric High Points

Contemporary Issues: Who Owns Archaeological Sites and Their Contents?

12. Communication: Sharing What We Need to Know

Language

Language and Evolution

Apes and Language

Language and Culture

Contemporary Issues: Are Written Languages More Advanced than Unwritten Ones?

13. Maintenance of Order: Making the Worldview Real

Religion

Variation in Religious Systems

Religion and Culture

Law

Contemporary Issues: How Can We Account for Todays Interest in Witchcraft?

14. Culture Change: Theories and Processes

The Processes of Culture Change

Theories of Cultural Evolution

Contemporary Issues: Can Anthropology Be Both Scientific and Humanistic?

15. The Evolution of Our Behaviors: Pigs, Wars, Proteins, and Sorcerers

Of Their Flesh Shall Ye Not Eat

Peaceful Warriors and Cannibal Farmers

Biology and Culture in Interaction

Contemporary Issues: Are Humans Naturally Violent?

16. Anthropology in Todays World: Problems and Contributions

Change in the Modern World

Applying Anthropology

The Human Species Today

The Human Species in the Future

Contemporary Issues: What Kinds of Careers Are There in Anthropology?