LECTURE NOTES IN SSCI 4

(Socio-Anthropology)
Summer 2016
Lesson 1

INTRODUCTION
Topics:
Definition of Anthropology
Scope and Disciplines of Anthropology
Methods Used in the Study of
Values of Anthropological Research
At the end of the lesson, the students must be

Mexica sun stone or Stone of

the Sun (Spanish: Piedradel
Sol), is a large monolithic
sculpture that was excavated in
the Zcalo, Mexico City's is
part of the archaeological and
Anthropology
anthropological artifacts from
the pre-Columbian heritage of
Mexico.

able to:

define Anthropology in their own words;

enumerate and differentiate among the various branches of
Anthropology;
differentiate the various methods used in the study of
Anthropology; and
discuss, verify and integrate the value of studying
Anthropology

I. Introduction:
Anthropology- the systematic study of man which comes from the Greek words:
anthroposmeans man/humankind.
logos/logiameans knowledge or study of

the integrated biological and socio-cultural investigation of humankind, from the time
of our
hominid ancestors to the present, and encompassing small to large societies
the study of the human condition, in all of its forms and splendors
aims to, among all others:
1. understand the uniqueness and diversity of human behavior and human societies
around the world;
2. discover the fundamental similarities that link human beings the world over, both
in the past and in the present.

primarily interested in answering the following questions:

when, where, and why humans appeared here on earth;

how and why they have changed since then;
how and why modern populations vary in certain physical features; and
how and why societies in the past and present have varied in their customary
ideas and practices.

The Scope of Anthropology

It seeks to explains humanity.

It does through its observations of all varieties of people throughout the world, not
only those close at hand or within limited areas.
It is concerned with people of both past and present.
Further, the discipline seeks to explain the interplay of biology and culture in the
personalities of the various people it studies.

The Holistic Approach

Anthropology uses of what is known as the HOLISTIC APPROACH in the study of

people and their culture.
It is multifaceted in its approach to study of humans.
It studies not only one but a variety of aspects of a particular culture.

Anthropology, for example, would not simply be interested in physical or biological

characteristics of a group of people but also in the influence of environment to such
characteristics.

Like all the other social sciences, anthropology is interested in man, but it stands
apart from the rest because it combines four sub-disciplines that bridge the natural
sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.
Anthropology is holistic so it is interested in the whole of the human condition:
Past, present, and future, Biology, Society, Language, Culture

Fields of Anthropology
There are four (4) major fields in Anthropology:
1. Physical Anthropology or Biological Anthropology
2. Cultural Anthropology
a. Archaeology
b. Linguistics Anthropology
c. Ethnology
1.

Physical or Biological Anthropology

concerned with the evolution of man and how and why human beings vary
biologically through the studies of FOSSILS, they are hardened remains of
organism

Sub-fields:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Biological Anthropology
Forensic Anthropology
Paleoanthropology g.
Human Anatomy

e. Human Taxonomy
i. Population Genetics
f. Paleopathology j. Human Ecology
Primatology
h. Ethology

2. Cultural Anthropology

focuses on variations in cultural patterns of

various societies
studieshuman behavior or the way of life in all
societies.
focuses on living (or recently living) cultures
identifies rules of social behavior
studies the ways people identify themselves in their societies and the world
Subfields:
a. Ecological Anthropology
Anthropology
b. Demography Anthropology f.
c. Economic Anthropology
Art
d. Political Anthropology

e. Legal Anthropology

i.

Applied

Anthropology of Religion
j. Ethnomusicology
g. Medical Anthropologyk. Anthropology of
h.

Urban Anthropology l.

Ethnopoetics

Culture - the customary ways of thinking and behaving of a particular

society of
population
a. Archaeology- the study of material remains, usually from the past, to
describe and explain human
behavior.

studies humanity through the remains left

behind by people
provides a unique view across time of
culture, language, and physical forms
explores the lost civilizations & cultures of
the past
Archaeologists work with tools such as
spade or shovel, tape measure, and
possibly other modern equipment as
they attempt to reconstruct the cultural forms of the past and to trace their
growth and development in time.
As such, they share the same objectives as historians, the difference lies in the
fact that history depends so much on written documents which cover on the last
5000 years of human existence, and only those cultures that possessed writing.
Hence, archaeology would be more helpful in obtaining data regarding periods
that existed even before writing was invented.

Archaeology is not merely about digging artifacts (material remains of past

civilizations). A piece of charcoal may yield a date by tree ring or by carbon 14
analysis; but the date is meaningless unless it can be shown that charcoal is a
product of human activity and is related to other evidence of human
presence.
Arrangements of stones may tell something about the construction of
the house; burial sites and the manner by which bones were found in
these sites may indicate status of the dead in society during their
lifetime; locations of settlement may yield information regarding
neighbors and other human relations.
Subfields:
a. Prehistoric Archaeology f.
Archaeology
b. Historical Archaeology
Resource
c. Classical Archaeology
Management
d. Demographic Archaeology
e. Biblical Archaeology

Maritime Archaeology

k.

g.

Underwater Archaeology

h.

Urban Archaeology

i.
j.

Cognitive
l.

Cultural

Ethnoarchaeology
Industrial Archaeology

b. Linguistic Anthropology- the branch of cultural anthropology that studies human

languages; deals
with the study of the relationship between language and culture

Requires highly specialized techniques

for recoding, description, and
comparison of languages
Linguists are also interested in the origins,
development, and structure of
language, and its relationship to other
aspects of culture, including ways in
which language spoken by a group of
people is related to their status or
social position.
This sub-discipline is further divided to:
a. Structural Linguistics

f.

b. Historical Linguistics
Linguistics
c. Phonology
h.
d. Morphology
i.
e. Comparative Syntax

Ethnosemantics
g.

Cognitive

Pragmatics
Sociolinguistics

c. Ethnology ( Socio-cultural Anthropology) - the study of how and why recent

cultures differ and are
similar

the study of cultures of living human populations, usually throughethnographic

research.
Socio-cultural anthropologists often study contemporary societiesby observing
human behaviour while living and working in those communities. This is called
"participant-observation".
Ethnography - the systematic description of a culture based on first-hand
observation

Cultural Anthropology

Describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains social and cultural similarities and
differences
1. Ethnography fieldwork in a particular culture; provides account of that
community, society, or
Culture; often descriptive
2. Ethnology cross cultural comparison; the comparative study of ethnographic
data, of society
and of culture
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Ethnography
Ethnology
Requires fieldwork to collect
Uses data collected by a series of
data
researchers
Often descriptive
Usually synthetic
Group/community specific
Comparative/cross-cultural

Methods used in the Study of Anthropology

There are two ways by which anthropologists study cultures:
1. Ethnographic Method -involves direct or indirect observation of a peoples
behavior which will serve
as raw data in relation to the topic being considered.
Methods used in the Study of Anthropology
1.

Ethnographic Method

(contd)

Requires that the anthropologists live among the people whose he wishes to
investigate
Basic equipment: pen, notebook, a camcorder and/or a tape recorder
Requires careful planning and preparation on the part of those who will
conduct the study, and not to mention an adequate knowledge in the field
anthropology
Ethnography - the study of cultures of living peoples
2.

Archaeological Method

Major goal of Archaeology to reconstruct lifeways or cultures of the past as fully

possible
Although archaeologists cannot deal directly with human behavior, it is assumed
that all evidences of former human presence are the product of human behavior and
that the actual behavior can be inferred from a general knowledge of the nature of
humanity.
Makes use of collecting materials from sites of human occupation to try to
understand how and why ways of life have changed through time in different parts
of the world.

Values of Anthropological Research (Why Study Anthropology)

The study of Anthropology, especially to students like, is significant for various reasons:
1. Anthropology contributes to a general liberal arts education which helps students
develop intellectually, personally, and professionally.
2. Exposure to cultures and lifestyles of unfamiliar societies would enable the students
to adapt to a more critical and analytical stance towards conditions in their own
society. Critical skills enhance the reasoning abilities of the students wherever life
takes them.
3. Anthropology creates an expanding global awareness and an appreciation for
cultures other than our own. Further, it promotes a cross-cultural perspective that
allows us to see ourselves as part of one human family in the midst of tremendous
diversity.
4. Viewing life from the anthropological perspective, students will also gain a greater
understanding of their personal lives in the context of a long period of human
evolution and development.

References:
Ember, Melvin & Ember, Carol.(2004). Anthropology 11th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Kottak, Conrad Philip. (2000). Anthropology 8th edition. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Zulueta, Francisco M. (2011). Anthropological and sociological: Concepts and
Perspectives. Mandaluyong
City, Philippines: National Book Store.
http://www.canstockphoto.com/mexico-national-museum-of-anthropology-8221255.html
http://www.kwsnet.com/science-anthropology.html
http://sumananthromaterials.blogspot.com/2010/06/social-and-cultural-anthropology.html
http://www.oceanmedia.in/ebooks/for-universities/social-science-arts-humanities-andlaw/linguisticanthropology-sociolinguistics-historical-linguistics/