ANT 110 - Faces of Culture

1. Describe the major characteristics of the three subfields of cultural anthropology: archaeology, linguistics and ethnology
2. Define the concept of culture and explain its central role in defining anthropology as a distinct field of inquiry
3. Explain and contrast the concepts of culture relativism and ethnocentrism
4. Explain the major factors that contribute to and shape the direction of cultural change
5. Explain the major types of kinship, marriage and descent systems
6. Explain the basic concepts of historical and descriptive linguistics
7. Describe the main features of fieldwork as a technique for gathering data
8. Explain the major theoretical perspectives on the relationship between culture and personality
9. Define and explain the major types of political systems that anthropologists have identified
10. Explain the ethical considerations that anthropologists must be sensitive to during the conduct of field research
11. Explain the social functions of religion, art, music and magic
12. Explain the role of culture as a mechanism by which people and societies attempt to adapt to their environments
13. Explain the defining characteristics of the major economic subsistence patterns that anthropologists have identified
14. Explain the relationship between culture and mental and physical health
15. Develop an appreciation of the cross-cultural comparative method for understanding human behavior