Anthro

Welcome to Anthropology!

Here's the course overview, which we will discuss as a class:


 * 1/30/15**

Attached below is an article from the //New York Times//, depicting life in America for different generations of Latino families. Answer the guided reading questions on the handout provided.


 * 2/2/15**

Over the course of the semester, you'll be engaged in a focused cultural study on the country of your choice (one exception: you can't choose the United States!). Besides that one exception, your options are virtually limitless. Choose your country, and as we go along, you'll look at it through a series of different lenses: geography, archaeology, language, arts and entertainment, and social culture. Instructions for Phase 1 are attached and outlined below:




 * 2/6/15**

What if your personal or collective history was taken from you and put on display in a location that would render it next to impossible to ever see again? Take a look at the survey from the BBC below. Read the extensive commentary and weigh in with your thoughts on the sheet provided.




 * 2/10/15**

Fellow anthropologists -- you're conducting a personal archaeological study! Check out the guidelines below. We'll be working on this for the next few classes. Be sure to unearth the necessary artifacts and ask if you need clarification at any time!




 * 2/27/15**

We've been thinking about archaeological studies lately, so let's take a closer look at archaeology in action! Go to the following site: [|**http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/beene/digging/index.php**] Using the paper handed out in class, follow the instructions below:
 * Watch the “Introduction” and Answer Questions 1-4
 * Watch “Explore Doorways to the Past" and answer questions 5-9


 * 3/3/15**

Today, we'll continue with our Semester-Long Cultural Study by embarking on Phase 2: an archaeological photo essay. Take a look at the PDF directions below.



To find your country, click on the link below and type your country's name in the "Search the List" bar:

[|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]


 * 3/11/15**

We're going to have a brief quiz on **Unit 1: Archaeology on Friday**. The study guide below is a required assignment, and it will be due on Friday before the quiz.




 * 3/13/15**

Here's a key for the Anthropology Quiz 1 Review:




 * 3/17/15**

As an introduction to our unit on the concept of evolution and its place in the study of Anthropology, read the article below from Time Magazine, entitled "The Evolution Wars" and complete the question set that follows.






 * 3/19/15**

For the Evolutionary Comparisons activity, use the following websites. Each one corresponds to a different step of the activity.

Step 1: [|Origins of Humankind]

Step 2: [|Smithsonian Human Family Tree]

Step 3: [|Becoming Human Family Tree]


 * 3/24/15**

For the Evolutionary Science activity on the "Riddle of the Bones," read the following section on "Interpreting the Fossil Record."

[|Interpreting the Fossil Record]

After you've read the section above and answered the guided questions, click on the following link and launch the "Riddle of the Bones" interactive feature. You may need to use Firefox or Chrome, as the Safari browser shows a broken plug-in when you attempt to launch it.

[|Riddle of the Bones]



Click on each tab of the activity and answer the questions on the template provided.


 * 3/27/15 **

Our next evolutionary topic will be adaptation. Use the activity below and the hyperlinks inside to complete an activity on adaptive traits in animals.




 * 3/31/15**

Anthropologists: this may be a good resource for Phase 3 of your semester-long cultural study.

[|CIA World Factbook -- Languages]

[|Courtesy of:]
 * 4/6/15**

Click on the link below to access the PBS research study examining the question, "Do You Speak American?"

[|Do You Speak American?]

Using the website linked above, download and complete the document below.

How does our personal use of language illustrate tremendous variety based on our environment, social cues, relationships, and needs? Take a look at what the NPR Code-Switch team has to offer on the subject and complete the accompanying activity.
 * 4/9/15**

[|How Code-Switching Explains the World]


 * 4/13/15**

We will have a quiz on Unit II: Evolution, Adaptation, and Language on Wednesday, April 15. Please download and complete the following review.




 * 4/17/15**

Phase 4 of the Culture Project is under way!




 * 4/22/15**



Anthropologists: read the following article and respond to the questions on the template provided. Please be sure to read the entire article -- what it tells you about humans and cognitive functioning may surprise you!

[|We Aren't the World]


 * 4/28/15 **

Please read the following academic entry by Dr. Ken Barger and answer the guided reading questions on the template provided.

[|Ethnocentrism]


 * 5/1/15 **

Anthropologists: read the following short (I promise) article by renowned American anthropologist Richard Linton.




 * 5/5/15**

Solitary confinement, or "administrative segregation," is a practice very common in prisons throughout the United States. Read the short article linked below from Scientific American on the practical effectiveness and ethicality of severely isolating inmates from social interaction. This will help provide you with context for our next examination of culture through the lens of social organization. As you read, respond to the guided question set provided.

[|Solitary Confinement]




 * 5/6/15**

We will have a quiz on Unit III: Culture on Friday, May 8. Please download and complete the following review.



A key to help you check your work:




 * 5/11/15**

Here it is, Anthropologists -- the final part of your semester-long culture study! You will be able to work on this in class, and there will be checkpoints on progress every Friday, which will count as marking period grades. The final product will be your final exam grade. Enjoy!