ATH 103 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Lecture Hours: 4
Credits: 4

Surveys the field of cultural anthropology and its focus on the human patterns of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Introduces a methodology for studying human sociocultural adaptations. Includes the topics of major cross-cultural studies with a focus on language, adaptation, economics marriage, kinship, gender, political organization, stratification, and, religion. Examines the process of culture change and the application of cultural anthropology to practical society problems.

Prerequisite: Placement into WR 115 (or higher), or completion of WR 090 (or higher) with a grade of C or better; or consent of instructor.
Student Learning Outcomes:

Discuss the concept and content of culture and how it functions as the primary adaptive mechanism for the human species.
Explain historically how culture has created society stratification and inequality within the United States and cross-culturally around the world.
Summarize the various aspects of culture, such as belief systems, family and marriage structures, along with economic and political organization in order to discuss human potential and its varieties.
Apply cultural comparisons to cultural systems and their interdependent links.
Discuss the role of applied Anthropology in contemporary society.
Analyze how globalization has changed cultures in both positive and negative ways.

Statewide General Education Outcomes

Apply analytical skills to social phenomena in order to understand human behavior.
Apply knowledge and experience to foster personal growth and better appreciate the diverse social world in which we live.
Identify and analyze complex practices, values, and beliefs and the culturally and historically defined meanings of difference.

Content Outline

Introduction
- Anthropology and its subfields
- Characteristics of cultural anthropology
- Historical development of the field
- Ethics in anthropological studies
Concept of Culture
- Characteristics of all cultures
- Comparison of genetic inheritance and cultural learning
- Diverse societies and subcultures
Delineating Culture
- Participant observation and ethnography
- Collecting cultural data
- Concepts of cultural analysis and cultural relativism
- Ethical considerations of fieldwork
Linguistics
- Language and communication systems
- Nonverbal components of communication
- Historical linguistics
- Ethnolinguistics
Technology and Culture
- Subsistence strategies
- Cultural ecology
- Subsistence and sociocultural features
Economic Organization
- Labor and society
- Occupational specialization
- Distribution and exchange
Social Organization
- Cross-cultural studies of marriage forms
- Mate selection and family organization
- Marital residence patterns
- Kinship systems and descent groups
Gender
- The construction of genders
- Gender roles
- Cross-cultural perspectives on human sexuality
Political Organization
- Leadership, power, and authority
- Forms of social stratification
- External relations and warfare
- Social control: informal and formal
Belief Systems
- Functions of belief systems
- Expression of spirituality
- Ritual
- Revitalization movements
Art and Music in Culture
- Human expression
- Visual, verbal, and musical arts
- Art, symbolism, and enculturation
Culture Change and Applied Anthropology
- Innovation and diffusion
- Principles of change
- Advocacy for indigenous peoples
- Examples of applied anthropology
- Globalization and culture