Anthropology

SOC 201 Cultural Anthropology:

Question: How can we interpret Homo floresiensis or Homo naledi within the broader context of what we know about human evolution? Background In lab, we are racing through a quick understanding of human evolution. Part of our goal is to determine trends in human evolution, things like a gradual increase in brain size over the past two million years, or a piecemeal transition to bipedality over the past 8 million years. At this point, we have a strong understanding of at least the broad patterns of human evolution, and have a sense where most of our fossil ancestors fit in to the bigger picture. But recently, a few mysterious fossil species have been discovered that have overturned some of our preconceptions about the general trends in anatomy that we have constructed over the years. On the small island of Flores in Indonesia, scientists discovered the skeletons of two human ancestors in the sediments of a cave. The skeletons are about 3 feet tall, with long feet, and small heads. The dates for these fossils are currently set at somewhere between 60-150 thousand years ago, with stone tools dating as far back as 800,000 years ago. The species have been assigned the name of Homo floresiensis. How we interpret this species, though, is still a mystery. Some people believe that it is a dwarfed modern human. Others, because of the dates and where it was found, think it might be a pygmy Homo erectus. Still others find similarities in the cranial and postcranial anatomy with Homo habilis or Australopithecus sp. This last pair of options would be exciting, as both of those species would have been extinct for more than 2 million years in Africa when Homo floresiensis was thought to be living in Indonesia. In South Africa, a newly-discovered species called Homo naledi was found to be living between 250,000 and 350,000 years ago. The remains of many different individuals of this species have been discovered scattered across the floors of several different cave systems in South Africa, suggesting to researchers that this species may have intentionally dragged their dead to these cemetary-chambers. The anatomy of this species is also surprising. Though not as small-brained as Homo floresiensis, Homo naledi did have a surprising combination of anatomy. Their skulls seem very similar in size to that of Homo habilis, while some of their post-cranial anatomy suggests connections to Australopithecus. In these two projects, you will select one or the other of these species, examine their anatomy, compare it to other appropriate species, and then make a determination as to which they most resemble, ultimately arguing which species they most likely evolved from. Methods For this report, you will need to have access to actual or digital copies of the skulls. Most skulls we have available to us in the Anthropology Lab. However, if working on this at home, you can find a great selection of skulls (including Homo floresiensis and comparative skulls) at the Bone Clones Rotation Series link: http://www.boneclones.net/portal.php. The skull of Homo naledi is available on the Morphosource webpage. • Examine the subject skulls carefully. You can assess them quantitatively or qualitatively for the key traits that are used to identify the species that you are comparing them to. For example, Homo sapiens can often be identified by having a small face, widest part of the skull near the top, canine fossa, and a chin in the mandible. Does your species have these traits? • Be sure to compare your species with several others, recording similarities and dissimilarities to each. • Review your results, and make a final determination. Which species do they most resemble? Report Write up the results of your investigation. Your report should include the following sections: • Background. In your project report, try to follow the outline of the scientific method. Start with a short description of the observation and question. • Hypothesis. Generate a testable hypothesis (following the guidelines for hypotheses that we discussed on the first day of class), and present that hypothesis at the start of your report. • Methods. Describe what data you gathered, how you gathered that data, what things you measured, what tools you used, and anything else you think might help your reader to understand how you got your data. • Results. Summarize the results of the data. In this section, a table or chart might be useful. This section should ideally present results without interpretation of those results. • Discussion. Use the next section to summarize what the results mean, and whether they support or reject your hypothesis. This is the section for interpretation. • Reflection. This section should be a short paragraph where you think about the validity of your results. Did you have enough data? Would your results still stand if you had more things to measure? Were your tools sufficient? What might you do differently if you repeated the project? Formatting Ideally your report should be typed, though neat handwriting is also acceptable. You are encouraged to include drawings, sketches, photographs, and so on to add clarity to your report. Single-spacing is ok, though double-spacing is preferred. Writing should be clear and direct, so that the reader may easily follow what you are saying, and so that the reader may easily replicate your methods if they choose. Your report should be free of spelling and major grammatical errors.

The Role of the Anthropologist in the Global Community 4 4 unread replies. 4 4 replies. I would like you to consider the role of anthropologists in the global community. As discussed at the beginning of the course Applied Anthropology has frequently involved Anthropologists providing intel to the U.S. Government for a number of reasons. Here is a clip from one such anthropologist: Anthropologist Montgomery McFate, who is employed by the U.S. Navy, writes: “Regardless of whether anthropologists decide to enter the national-security arena, cultural information will inevitably be used as the basis of military operations and public policy. And, if anthropologists refuse to contribute, how reliable will that information be? The result of using incomplete ‘bad’ anthropology is, invariably, failed operations and failed policy.” (McFate, 2005:37) What is your reaction to McFate’s statement? Do you think that it is ethical or unethical for anthropologists to assist a government in the pursuit of a military agenda? To give a quick example, the classic enthography Nisa. Consider that for some reason the U.S. suddenly goes to war with the country Nisa’s people inhabit. The U.S. Government would like Marjorie Shostak to provide them with information about the !Kung people (which she obtained through fieldwork under the ethnical obligations of full disclosure of use that comes with informed consent) that would enable them to successfully pursuit their military agenda in the country. Would it be ethical or unethical for Shostak to provide them that information? Why or why not?? Note – there is no right or wrong answer as the question is a philosophical one based on ethics which are not absolute. Be sure to support your answer logically to the best of your ability.

The first one is the instruction 1 –  (however at this point when the semester is almost and we need to focus only on the main part which is to do/make up an interview following the guide provided in the prompt. Gather some (even fictional) information about (fictional) person we are interviewing.   – From the “interview” choose one specific topic that we are interested about and make a research on that topic.   – While writing the paper we have to use the experience/ story or answers given by the person we are interviewing. We could use any of the countries provided in the prompt but the best choice would be Haiti and a person who is over 50yo.  Topic is totally up to you,  depending on the “interview”  The second: I also have provided the sample of the questions that would be asked to the person we are interviewing, these are only sample questions and could be asked some different questions too, so we can use the answers in our research paper. The last: I have also uploaded the 2 sample writings that our paper should look like, so you can read it and have a better understanding  P.S You don’t need to use very specific/hard  language, because English is not my first language. Thank you

There is 10 questions I must answer in order to help me prepare for my final examination. Needs to be finished for 6pm exactly December 10th, 2020. Essay format or point form with the intentions of points that would form the basis of an essay. Please provide sufficient information and write complete ideas/sentences so it is clearly communicated. Each question is listed below please be as detailed as possible and if possible refer to the texts I provide for a more complete answer.  Please let me know if additional sources would be needed. -What is a matrilineage? How does inheritance work in a matrilineage? -Marcel Mauss – The Gift – what are the 3 obligations of the gift? -Laura Nader – “studying up” -According to Malinowski, can the ethnographer understand aspects of a society that its members cannot? Explain -Objectivity; establishing scientific rigour in ethnographic methods -what does it mean to speak of “the tyranny of the gift”? -Savagery – barbarianism – civilization -What motivates and compels people to participate in kula exchange?  (After all, it’s exhausting, dangerous, and far from necessary to survival!) -Multi-sited ethnography -George Marcus – multi-sited ethnography; “follow the thing!”

7 pages of information on the topic. Double spaced, typed/printed, legible font. APA citation format, clear & consistent format. Due Dec. 4th. Bibliography page is necessary. TOPIC: Term paper on Magic Mushrooms (Psilocybin mushroom) as a topic. Discuss cultural, medical, religious, therapeutic, recreational, and other uses of the substance; also discovery, historical usage, isolation of active ingredients, etc. This paper is a formal essay and should have a bibliography, containing at least 3 academic sources. Do not cite 3 Wikipedia articles. APA style. The bibliography page DOES NOT count as part of the 7 pages of information.

(1250 words) Contrast two of the three following works of art: Lysistrata, Symphony no. 5 in C, The Battle of Algiers. Use specific details drawn from both works of art to discuss what you consider the single most important difference between them. Begin with a clear opening statement declaring what the most important difference is, how it is expressed, and why it matters. Then proceed to illustrate this statement with as many specific details as possible.

Assignment 2 – in 600 words, work through the history of this practice in the world. What do we know of it today? What has history forgot to tell us? Who is left in the shadow, and needs to be recognized? You are required to engage with at least two articles from throughout our semester’s reading (not to overlap with readings that you use in any other assignment). The assignment will be graded on three rubrics: Coherence (30%), ethnographic appropriateness (50%), grammar, spelling, and length (20%). Paragraph 1: Remind the reader about the topic of your research for the semester, why it is important, who it might be important to. Paragraph 2: What is the mainstream discourse about this topic? Who does the general public think is driving this industry? Paragraph 3+4: What is the role of European politics, media, and economic politics in the way we have learned to think about this topic? Paragraph 5: What parts of history and current events are we not exposed to? What communities and histories are not being thanked because of this? Paragraph 6: What can we learn from Europe’s legacy by looking at your research topic? Paragraph 6 is where you paraphrase the concepts/arguments of two authors in our class. You should refer to one of the texts we covered in class, and add it in the references. remember you need to have two authors in each paper.

Assignment 1 – in 500 words, describe the results of your ethnographic exercise in participant observation on your research site. In doing this, be as descriptive as possible, and refrain from being prescriptive. Explain the space to an alien who understands the language, but does not know the culture. You are required to engage with at least two articles from throughout our semester’s reading (not to overlap with readings that you use in any other assignment). The assignment will be graded on three rubrics: Coherence (30%), ethnographic appropriateness (50%), grammar, spelling, and length (20%).            15% of your final grade               Meant to test your ability to identify and interpret alternative ideas on a specific subject matter.   Paragraph 1: introduce your semester’s research topic and explain what space you chose for the participant observation  Paragraph 2: Describe the Space to an alien (how is it structured? What things can we see in the space, what do they mean?   Paragraph 3: Describe the Context to an alien (when and where are you, what has historically happened to lead to your research topic existing in this form?)  Paragraph 4: Describe the Actors to an alien (who is in the space? Actors with body, actors with body, what roles do they serve?)  Paragraph 5: Describe the Purpose of this space and everything in it to an alien (what can you, as a native anthropologist, tell us about how people give meaning and purpose to this space?)  Please use a photo (if you can ethically take on) or a drawing of the space to illustrate how it is structured.

chapter 3 Please answer the following exercises in your textbook. Exercise 1 a-c Exercise 2 Remember to answer the why? section in your own words Exercise 4 Exercise 5 Exercise 6 Exercise 8 – remember to answer the if so, how? section in your own words Ex 9 Ex 10 Chapter 4 Exercise 1 a-b Exercise 2 a-d Exercise 4 a-d (not e) Exercise 6 Using H to indicate the dominant condition and h to indicate the recessive condition, individuals who are HH or Hh will show high cholesterol, and individuals who are hh will be normal. You can write the answers in the same order as the diagram shows, for example, Textbook: https://www.chegg.com/reader/9780133833201/40/ Hens, S. M. (2015). Method and practice in biological anthropology: a workbook and laboratory manual for introductory courses (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0133825862 ISBN-10: 0133825868 i have the textbook if you need it let me know and if you have any question ask me