Southern New Hampshire University
ATH-101 Introduction to Anthropology
Module 1 Wrap Up
Anthropology is the study of humankind.$ It is holistic in that its five subfields cover every
aspect of humanity, from language to cultures, both past and contemporary, to interpreting
human evolution to solve current issues through anthropological research methods.
The four commonly known subfields of anthropology are$1.$$cultural anthropology,2.
archaeology,$3.$$bio/physical anthropology, and$4.$$linguistics.$ However, a fifth field, which
many anthropologists, including myself, view as the fifth subfield, is taking an essential role in
anthropology –$5.$$applied anthropology.
Cultural Anthropology:$ Cultural anthropologists study how people in different areas/regions
live and understand the world around them.$ They wish to learn what individuals think is
essential and the rules they make for interacting with one another.$ Even within one country or
society, people think differently about how they should speak, dress, eat, or treat others.$ Think
of the differences between the southern and northern parts of the United States.
Cultural anthropologists learn about the diversity of peoples and cultures by living among them.$
The knowledge they gain through such studies enriches human understanding on a broader level.
Archaeology:$$Archaeologists study past cultures through the material remains they left behind.$
The remains (artifacts/features) can be any item that individuals created, modified, or used by
them.$ The objects help archaeologists understand these people's daily lives, their government,
how they interacted with one another, and their ideology (what they believed and valued).$
Prehistoric cultures did not leave behind written records; we only learn about them by studying
their cultural remains.$ What we know about historic cultures was gained through archaeological
research and documents left behind by the earliest writers (Egypt and Europeans during
colonialism.)
The four aspects archaeologists/anthropologists look for when investigating cultures are:
1. Technology: use and knowledge of tools, techniques, and systems to solve problems or
serve some purpose.
2. Economy: Basically, how people survive.$ By definition, it's the process/system by which
goods and services are produced, sold, and bought in a country or region.
3. Organization: The way a society subdivides itself.
4. Ideology: System of ideas.$ $
Biological/physical anthropology is the field that studies humankind's past and present evolution
and the causes of present human diversity. Within the field of physical anthropology, there are
different focuses.
Paleoanthropologists study the development and prehistory of human beings, H. sapiens, and
their extinct relatives. Within the field of physical anthropology, there are different focuses,
such as:
Primatologists study prosimians (lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers), monkeys, and apes. They
aim to understand the features that distinguish the groups from one another and their
similarities.
Skeletal biology focuses on anatomically modern humans (AMH), primarily from
archaeological sites. By looking at bone microstructure in ancient bones, anthropologists
can reconstruct the influences of age, sex, lifestyle, and disease over the life course
recorded in the bony tissue and explore variation in bone health in human populations
temporally and geographically (Agarwal, 2018).
Forensic anthropologists’ study skeletal biology to assist in identifying and analyzing
more recently deceased individuals.
Human biology covers modern human biological variation, ecology, nutrition, and
demography.
Linguistics is the study of human language, the most complex system of communication that we
know of. Linguists seek to understand the properties shared by all-natural human languages:
how languages are structured, how and why they vary and change - how language is acquired,
and how individuals and groups use it to communicate.
Applied anthropology is any anthropological research to solve contemporary issues. Applied
anthropology can be used in such areas as health and medicine, business, human rights,
environmental issues, international development, etc.
Applied anthropologists can work in many different jobs because they have a unique perspective
on the world. They are trained to look at societies holistically, accept cultural differences, and
study cultures through observation and interviewing.
