Key anthropological terms and concepts
Each discipline has a unique conceptual vocabulary. Learning this vocabulary in anthropology expands what we understand about the discipline and allows us to develop a rich, interconnect network of anthropological knowledge. Understanding and using this vocabulary also contributes to the development of your anthropological perspective on a variety of subjects. Below are the key terms/concepts you should know and be able to use as a result of taking this course. You will encounter many of them in your readings and during class.
To solidify your understanding of these terms/concepts and demonstrate your competence with their use, you will have an opportunity to take a quiz. The quiz will be available for a limited period of time (see course schedule). You may take the quiz up to three times to maximize your points. This quiz is to be taken individually and without notes or other resources, such as the internet. The quiz is time limited to 30 minutes and will consist of multiple choice, true/false and matching questions. The quiz will also include questions from the readings. The quiz will be offered online.
Where do I find definitions and examples? Some definitions of anthropological concepts shared among all sub-disciplines, especially sociocultural anthropology) and examples may be found in the book: Culture and Contact (use the "Find" function and search the pdf) located in Canvas (Files). Many archaeological concepts may be found in the book: Deetz, Invitation to Archaeology (also in Canvas). Many terms will be used and applied in assigned readings and during in-class discussions, and reliable online sources can also be helpful. If you have any questions, please ask in class so that other students will learn from your questions.
Learning Objective: To help you develop a rich, interconnected network of anthropological knowledge, to prepare you to understand the concepts discussed in the readings and within archaeological and anthropological discourse. Learning the concepts will also help prepare you for future anthropology courses.
Students considering anthropology as a major should develop a personal dictionary of these terms for use in future anthropology courses.
To solidify your understanding of these terms/concepts and demonstrate your competence with their use, you will have an opportunity to take a quiz. The quiz will be available for a limited period of time (see course schedule). You may take the quiz up to three times to maximize your points. This quiz is to be taken individually and without notes or other resources, such as the internet. The quiz is time limited to 30 minutes and will consist of multiple choice, true/false and matching questions. The quiz will also include questions from the readings. The quiz will be offered online.
Where do I find definitions and examples? Some definitions of anthropological concepts shared among all sub-disciplines, especially sociocultural anthropology) and examples may be found in the book: Culture and Contact (use the "Find" function and search the pdf) located in Canvas (Files). Many archaeological concepts may be found in the book: Deetz, Invitation to Archaeology (also in Canvas). Many terms will be used and applied in assigned readings and during in-class discussions, and reliable online sources can also be helpful. If you have any questions, please ask in class so that other students will learn from your questions.
Learning Objective: To help you develop a rich, interconnected network of anthropological knowledge, to prepare you to understand the concepts discussed in the readings and within archaeological and anthropological discourse. Learning the concepts will also help prepare you for future anthropology courses.
Students considering anthropology as a major should develop a personal dictionary of these terms for use in future anthropology courses.
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Anthropological concepts shared among all sub-disciplines (emphasis on sociocultural anthropology)
Cultural (or sociocultural) anthropology Linguistic anthropology Biological (or physical) anthropology Archaeological anthropology Applied anthropology Political anthropology Culture Ethnography vs ethnology Participant-observation Holism vs comparativism Cultural relativism Ethnocentrism Narrative Globalization Modernity Class Race (read the American Anthropological Association's Statement on Race) Ethnicity Gender Sex Myth Emic and etic views Agency Reflexivity Religion Ritual Power Worldview Gift exchange Reciprocity Social organization Ideology Kinship system Colonialism Egalitarian Stratification Scaling (e.g., time and space and units of analysis) Nativism Revitalization movements Archaeology-focused terms: Inference Assemblage Material culture AD, BC, BCE, CE, kya Artifacts Feature Site Band, tribe, chiefdom, state, empire Complex societies and social complexity Domestication Material correlate Diachronic and synchronic Proxy variable or indicator Correlation vs. causation Positive, negative, and no correlation Sampling Generalizability Mechanism Archaeological culture Stratigraphy Uniformitarianism Absolute and relative dating Survey Cultural resource management Typology NAGPRA Typology Classification Diffusion |
Biological Anthropology-focused terms:
Evolution Mechanism of evolution: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, gene flow (migrations) Neo-Darwinian synthesis Adaptation Fitness Natural selection Species Genotype Phenotype Niche construction Modern humans Primate Monkey Ape Linguistic Anthropology-focused terms: Dialect Descriptive grammar Prescriptive grammar Speech community Semiotic Indexicality Dialogism (click link for more information) |
Rubric:
The key concept quiz will be automatically scored and recorded within Canvas.
Exceeds expectations: The points you earned show a positive increase in value as the block progressed. At least one of your attempts was greater than 90% of the points possible.
Meets expectations: The points you earned mostly show a positive increase in value as the block progressed. Most of your attempts were greater than 80% of the points possible.
Does not meet expectations: The points you earned showed no clear trend in improvement over time. Most of your attempts did not exceed 80% of the points possible.
The key concept quiz will be automatically scored and recorded within Canvas.
Exceeds expectations: The points you earned show a positive increase in value as the block progressed. At least one of your attempts was greater than 90% of the points possible.
Meets expectations: The points you earned mostly show a positive increase in value as the block progressed. Most of your attempts were greater than 80% of the points possible.
Does not meet expectations: The points you earned showed no clear trend in improvement over time. Most of your attempts did not exceed 80% of the points possible.
