Anthropology

Within anthropology, gender is a popular topic of study. This broad topic covers a variety of aspects of a culture, and is included in almost every ethnographic study. Underlying anthropology is the concept that sex and gender are distinct. While both concepts are related, understanding their difference in meaning is key to understanding anthropological writings. Sex is used to describe the biological characteristics that an individual is born with, while gender is used to describe the social…

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with forensic science and I distinctly remember my brother and I running home from the bus stop every day, when we were in middle school, just so we would not miss the introductory scene of the new Criminal Minds episode. The show always began right at 3 and our bus got to the stop roughly around 2:55; just enough time to run home and turn it to the right channel. And as any fan of Criminal Minds knows, the beginning is the most captivating…

Biological anthropology is one of the four main fields of anthropology. Biological anthropology—also called physical anthropology—includes human evolution, non-primatology, and biological adaptations to the environment. Biological anthropology is a popular area of study within anthropology. It is the combination of both the biological and social sciences to answer questions about human adaptability and evolution. As far as research methods go, biological anthropologists tend to include more…

Scientific Processes in Anthropology Anthropology is a science defined as "the study of humankind in all times and places" (Haviland, et al. 2014:3), and just as any other science those that study anthropology employ the scientific process in their research. The scientific process is a method for explaining, testing, and proving ideas produced by an individual. This process begins with the formation of an idea or question, focusing the train of thought to a particular topic. This idea is then…

Anthropology was just another class I decided to take to complete the required scholars units. I didn't expect that after the first day of class I would be changing my major. During my high school graduation day, one of my teachers asked me "Have you decided on your major?" "Yes, it's Biology!" I answered without any hesitation. I had always been intrigued by the numerous diseases that exist in the world. How were the diseases contracted and how could they be cure?. Those were some of the…

the individual. Forensic anthropologist usually earn a Ph.D. in anthropology whith emphasis on human osteology or the study of bones and anatomy. Forensic anthropologist are typically required to have practical experience in forensic anthropology before they can be an expert witness in the field. Forensic anthropology appiles the…

article mentions that the modern day humans (Homo sapiens) have Neanderthal DNA because of the interbreeding between them and the ancestral Homo sapiens. This is also important to biological anthropology because genetics is an important section in biological anthropology. Without genetics biological anthropology would not be a field of study. Biological anthropologists need genetics to understand species variation and evolution of species. These are a couple of reasons why this article…

Throughout history, humans have been on the hunt to discover more about our past ancestors with the intent to reveal more about ourselves and to define what innately makes us human. Although many skeletons and species of Homo have been identified, we have not yet discovered our last common ancestor, and this has been a hot topic of debate. The genus Homo is bookended by Australopithecus afarensis and Homo erectus, the former more ape than human, while the latter was responsible for making stone…

3.4 Ritual Practice, Symbolism, and Folklore According to Bell (1992, p. 92), "people engage in ritualization as a practical way of dealing with some specific circumstances". When it comes to death, not only is there a corpse to attend to, but also the emotional implications of mortality which arise because of the death. That is when ritual comes into play. In the presence of death, ritual becomes action which brings structure and meaning to existence (Nilsson Stutz 2003, p. 56). Therefore,…

The Incas were one of the first groups in the Andes mountains, of South America. Over several thousand years, the people before the Incas learned how to grow crops in the high altitudes. The Incas and the people before the Incas created beautiful objects out of a silver, and gold, and they also constructed massive buildings out of stones. The Incas was the last greatest Andean civilizations. Cuzco Valley was were the Incas were homed. Cuzco Valley, situated at 10,000 ft above sea level, which…