1. Cultural Anthropology
A tool for understanding what makes people and cultures different and what makes them the same.

2. What is Culture? Culture is defined as:
A specific set of learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and ideals that are characteristic of a particular society or population.
It is instilled in us at even the earliest stages of life.

3. Culture as a Learned Characteristic
Culture is learned and passed down from previous generations.
This is also called Enculturation
It is not something an individual is born with.

4. What aspects of culture exist? What “makes up” culture?
Politics (government, law, judicial system)
Economics (exchange of goods & services, production of goods & services, forms of property)
Family (marriage, sex, child rearing, family relationships)

5. Culture continued Communication (body language and speech)
Recreation and leisure (hobbies, interests)
War

7. Common Knowledge and Beliefs
Science
Myth
Attitudes
Religion
Philosophy
Values

8. Commonalities within Material Culture
Food
Dress
Tools
Transportation
Shelter
Art
Weapons
Industry

9. What else do cultures have in common?
Culture is learned (e.g. learn that we should dye our hair, especially women)
Culture is shared (e.g. North American culture, marriage involves two people)
Culture defines nature (biological needs and tendencies ) biological need for company, but how we deal with relationships culturally will vary

10. What else do cultures have in common?
Culture shapes how we perceive and understand the world (e.g. the Inuit people developed numerous ways to describe snow to help them with survival)
Culture has patterns (core values that seem self evident) e.g. democracy, use of technology

11. Two Components of Cultural Anthropology
Ethnography
and
Ethnology

12. Fieldwork Process by which data is gathered from the study location.
This can be as far away as Australia or as close as your local delicious and refreshing Starbucks™

13. So what’s the difference between Ethnography and Ethnology?
Detailed description of a culture based on field work.
Ethnology
Comparing different cultures to try and discover broader patterns that extend across many cultural groups.

14. Methodology in the Field
Participant Observation
Associated with Ethnography
This is an anthropological technique used to understand groups of people by interacting with them in their own environment.
An anthropologist will go and live with a certain group of people for an extended period of time and this allows for a more complete view of the culture being studied.
Informants:
These are individuals who assist the Ethnographer in interpreting certain aspects of the culture being observed.

15. Who are the Nacirema?