ANT 2211 Peoples of the World Assignment- Florida Gulf Coast University
Answer the following questions in paragraph form using complete sentences. It is not necessary to cite sources unless you use outside references not assigned in this course, though it is highly recommended you provide examples from the course texts or lectures.
If you use a specific article from the Guest text, you need only list the author's name ("Bessire's article," "the de Leon article").
I. Explain Alfred Kroeber's statement: "Anthropology is the most humanistic science and the most scientific humanity." Why do some anthropologists reject anthropology as a science?
II. Describe anthropology's definition of culture. What is culture? What is culture not? Why must culture theorists be careful about the hazards of binary thinking?
III. What is holism? How is anthropology holistic? Why is anthropology holistic? Be sure to name key terms and figures.
IV. Describe the rise of American Anthropology. Specifically, who were cultural evolutionists and how did they contribute to the formation of the discipline? Name key figures/terms.
V. Describe the ethnographic method in anthropology and explain how it developed and who is given credit for establishing these techniques?
VI. What is the role of the ethnographer? Describe the predominant arguments for and against researchers get "involved" in the groups they study-that is, involving themselves in cultural decision-making and/or using their resource access to benefit cultures being investigated. Be sure to provide examples from the course texts and lectures.
VII. Language is the vehicle of culture. Why did humans evolve symbolic language (i.e., How is language adaptive)? How do individuals acquire a language? Is language genetic or is it a learned phenomenon? Be sure to name relevant theories and figures.
VIII. What is the relation between subsistence and sustainability. That is, how has widespread domestication approximately 10,000 years ago changed humans' ecological footprint?
IX. Provide a brief overview of the difference(s) between idealist and materialist approaches to culture. Naming key anthropologists and culture theorists (Hint: See Module 2 Lecture).
X. Critically evaluate how industrial agriculture and economic globalization are linked to environmental degradation and health problems. How does this relate to Diamond's (1987) proclamation that agriculture is "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race?"
XI. Describe the relevance of the anthropological theme of local and global. Why is it important to consider their interactive impact on human culture? How do global forces shape local communities? How do cultural practices of local communities reciprocally influence culture at the global level? Excellent responses will use ethnographic examples to reinforce their argument. Does not count as a required response.
Format your assignment according to the give formatting requirements:
a. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
b. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
c. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.