Dec 14, 2018
CLASS FINISHED: ANTHROPOLOGY
HOLIDAY BREAK COMMENCE
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from Maldives
seen from India
seen from Germany
seen from India
seen from Finland
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Brazil
seen from Malaysia
seen from Maldives
seen from United Kingdom
CLASS FINISHED: ANTHROPOLOGY
HOLIDAY BREAK COMMENCE
9/14 Anthro Notes
Park Chapter 4 (2nd Half p. 79-96)
Impressions:
It was really interesting to read about religion from an outside perspective. Almost any and all discussion on religion I come across is colored with defensiveness or accusation towards anyone or anything involved in it. It's refreshing to see something like the monotheistic religions boiled down to a simple idea like that it grants more control to the religious than that of the Netsilik religion. Very cool. And I much enjoyed the dive into the background of ties, where they come from and why.
Also! This is where the gravestones are! The graphics of Death's Head, the Cherub, and the Urn and Willow! Cool as heck.
Vocabulary:
Monotheistic-> refers to a RELIGIOUS system that recognizes a SINGLE SUPERNATURAL BEING.
Historical Archaeology-> the ARCHAEOLOGY of a society that has WRITTEN RECORDS.
Ethnographic Analogy-> INTERPRETING archaeological data through the OBSERVATION of ANALAGOUS ACTIVITIES in existing societies.
Forensic Anthropology-> a SUBFIELD of anthro applied to LEGAL MATTERS. Usually involved in IDENTIFYING SKELETAL REMAINS and assessing TIME AND CAUSE OF DEATH.
Experimental Archaeology-> the process of UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT SKILLS and TECHNOLOGIES by reproducing them.
General Notes:
Religion explains the unexplainable and blames SOMETHING for when something goes down in a garbage way.
It grants an idea of control
Religion can be a huge indicator of how people live. People constantly reminded of their own fragility and mortality seem to have more flippant, troublesome spirits and gods.
Lots of religions include a creation story.
Funny enough I went on a tangent earlier today about my own religion and practices, since most people recoil from them because they don't understand. Very fitting for the first part of today's notes.
Monotheism gives the world to the whims of one being, not many of them, which I guess is kind of empowering??? Maybe???
Archaeology is the anthropology of the CULTURAL PAST.
Woo graves, we talked about them in class it was rad. Frequency of grave types correlates with mindset of the time. :)
Forensics is a huge thing in anthropology. There's a whole subfield dedicated to it and all that.
EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY. FIGURING IT OUT BY HAVING THE END RESULT AND TRYING TO COPY IT. THAT IS SO SUPER COOL.
It's really really cool and it's a cool reminder of some of the people I know, people skilled in weaving, illumination, old ways of doing all sorts of stuff. The SCA is full of all sorts of cool people trying to keep a piece of history alive. I love medieval reenactment. We do cool things.
9/12 Anthro Notes
Park Chapter 4 (1st Half aka p. 65-79)
Impressions:
Cool chapter! I love the examples with animals, especially the weaver ants I learned a bit about them watching AntsCanada's antkeeping videos, and general cool ant science knowledge. There's tons of neat, real-life examples of all sorts of cultural things in here and that's cool as heck.
Vocabulary:
Symbol-> Something that STANDS FOR something ELSE with NO necessary LINK between the symbol and its meaning.
Primate-> a LARGE BRAINED mostly tree-dwelling MAMMAL three dimensional color vision and GRASPING HANDS. Humans are primates.
Ecofact-> an UNMODIFIED NATURAL object user as a TOOL.
Protocultural-> a BEHAVIOR having most but NOT ALL of the characteristics of a CULTURAL BEHAVIOR.
R-complex-> a PRIMITIVE portion of the BRAIN involved in SELF PRESERVATION behaviors such as MATING, AGGRESSION, TERRITTORIALITY.
Limbic System-> a portion of the BRAIN involved in EMOTIONS such as FEAR, RAGE, CARE.
Neocortex-> a portion of the BRAIN involved in CONCIOUS THOUGHT, SPATIAL REASONING, SENSORY PERCEPTION.
Society-> a GROUP of organisms living together in an ORDERED COMMUNITY. In humans: a group with a SHARED CULTURE.
Worldview-> the COLLECTIVE INTERPRETATION of and RESPONSE to the NATURAL AND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS in which a group of people lives. Their ASSUMPTIONS about those ENVIRONMENTS and VALUES DERIVED from those ASSUMPTIONS.
Codify-> to ARRANGE SYSTEMATICALLY. To put into WORDS and other SYMBOLS.
General Notes:
Culture
Is Learned
Involves concepts, generalizations, abstractions, assumptions + ideas
Involves ACTIVE LEARNING and SYMBOLIC transmission
Requires artifacts
Concepts are a huge part of culture, something that isn't necessarily tangible and yet is usable to a person.
Conscious decision making is also super big, actions not specifically kicked off by the biological drive to DO THE THING.
Symbols get used to share things, things you don't learn just by BEING THERE. This is AWESOME.
A bunch of primates (other than us) have almost-culture. They're very close to it, but not quite.
Culture is vital for us, more so than for other species. Other species get by on biological instructions, we can't really do that. Doing stuff HAS to come from culture.
Brains are freaky complicated, evolving and growing to have different bits that do different things.
We're like filing cabinets with emotions that are good at making things up brain-wise. That's AWESOME.
Culture evolves around the world and the people that live in it, and the people and world shape it like putty to fit what is necessary.
9/10 Anthro Notes
Park Chapter 2
Impressions:
This seems to be a very “here is science and how to do science work” chapter, especially “here is how to science in anthropology”. Since anthropology is SCIENCE, but it is important to remember that even though it is a science, it is not without bias. THERE IS NO SCIENCE WITHOUT BIAS. Everything is observed, based, and interpreted off of someone’s personal situation, culture and views.
Bonus: it was real interesting to see the hypothesis about the girls accusing people of witchraft in the Salem Witch Trials having simply been on a bad acid trip. However, with no evidence to support that, there’s no way of turning that into a THEORY. It’s just a guess, an idea with nothing to stand on.
Vocabulary:
Science-> the method of INQUIRY that REQUIRES the generation, TESTING, and ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION of a hypothesis.
Scientific Method-> the PROCESS of conducting scientific INQUIRY.
Hypothesis-> a PROPOSED explanation for a NATURAL PHENOMENON.
Induction-> the process of developing a GENERAL EXPLANATION from SPECIFIC OBSERVATIONS.
Deduction-> suggesting SPECIFIC DATA that would be FOUND if a hypothesis were TRUE.
Theory-> a GENERAL IDEA that explains a large SET of FACTUAL PATTERNS.
Belief Systems-> IDEAS that are taken on FAITH and CANNOT be SCIENTIFICALLY tested.
Indigenous-> NATIVE; refers to a GROUP OF PEOPLE with a long HISTORY in a particular AREA.
Ethnography-> a DESCRIPTION of a CULTURAL SYSTEM based on FIELDWORK WITHIN that culture.
Pseudoscience-> SCIENTIFICALLY TESTABLE ideas that are taken on FAITH WITHOUT SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE to support them or EVEN WHEN TESTED and shown to be FALSE.
General Notes:
The scientific method is a cycle, guess, test, theorize, check, guess, test, theorize, check, etc.
Science is ONGOING, it always has been and it always will be. Nothing in theory should ever stop being tested.
Science has CONTEXT
Science says the possible, belief says the desirable
Anthropology is sometimes not CLEAR in its role as a science, science may sound clearcut but it is often NOT. The only thing clearcut like that is math, and even then there are exceptions.
Truths among human culture can often end up general.
There are many ways to observe and collect date in Anthropology, some are from the outside of a culture and some require interacting with, or being in that culture.
STUDYING PEOPLE IS NOT THE SAME AS STUDYING ELEMENTS. IT CAN'T BE.
9/21 Anthro Notes
Park Ch. 3 (2nd half p. 49-64)
Impressions:
All sorts of cool stuff about evolutions, and artificial selection. Natural selection is all up in this too. Even more cool stuff to talk about concerning genetics and species, stuff I've already been exposed to in the past. I'm loving it.
Vocabulary:
Adapted-> when an organism has PHYSICAL TRAITS and BEHAVIORS that allow it to survive in a particular ENVIRONMENT.
Ecology-> the science that studies the network of RELATIONSHIPS within ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS.
Niche-> the ENVIRONMENT of an organism and its ADAPTIVE RESPONSE to the environment.
Habitat-> the PLACE occupied by a SPECIES.
Ecosystem-> a SPECIFIC set of environmental RELATIONSHIPS.
Artificial Selection-> selection for REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS in plants and animals this DIRECTED BY HUMANS. (Aka selective breeding)
Fission-> the splitting up of POPULATIONS to form NEW populations.
Founder Effect-> genetic DIFFERENCES between populations produced by the fact that genetically DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS established the populations.
General Notes:
Artificial selection is mostly because there's desired traits that benefit US not necessarily the plant.
The Hutterites avoid inbreeding problems by marrying between colonies instead of inside the colonies.
Genes are wild and cool, yet pretty effectively predictable.
Species are wild, they split off and become so diverse that new species happen.
9/19 Anthro Notes
Park Ch. 3 (1st half p. 37-48)
Impressions:
Pretty cool! Lots of interesting things about evolution, and even more cool stuff I can already draw upon since I took that genetics class in high school and the cell biology class last year. It's very interesting to hear about all the people involved in developing the ideas we base our reality on today. Pretty cool.
Vocabulary:
Evolution-> the idea that species CHANGE over time and have a COMMON ANCESTRY.
Fossils-> REMAINS of life forms of the PAST.
Strata-> LAYERS; the layers of rock and soil under the earth's surface.
Stratography-> the STUDY of the Earth's STRATA.
Catastrophism-> the idea that the HISTORY of the earth and its life is accounted for by a SERIES of GLOBAL CATASTROPHES.
Uniformitarianism-> the idea that PRESENT-DAY GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES can also EXPLAIN the history of the earth.
Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics-> the INCORRECT idea that adaptive traits ACQUIRED during an organism's LIFETIME can be passed on to its OFFSPRING.
Natural selection-> evolutionary change based on the DIFFERENTIAL REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS of INDIVIDUALS within the species.
Aaaaaand I'm skipping the genetics vocab because I've spent 2 and a half years on it, I better know it by now.
General Notes:
There were a bunch of different interesting theories about how the earth do as it do and all that. Several of them are from french people.
Darwin and Mendel lived in the same time but Darwin never knew how traits get passed along.
Darwin wouldn't have published anything on his natural selection stuff had the other person (Wallace) not sent him the same idea to take a gander at.
You absolutely cannot pass on how buff you are to your kids, not unless it's a gene that causes hypergrowth of muscle. No way otherwise.
9/7 Anthro Notes
Eating Christmas in the Kalahari
First Impressions:
This article leaves an interesting feeling in me, and I find myself weirdly in the situation as both a sympathizer of the anthropologist, and understanding the logic and reason behind the Bushmen's constant ridicule of the black ox. It makes sense, in a way, to keep a self-deprecating air over something that can get out of control if pride gets out of hand. It's also frustrating to me, to have something you worked and are really trying for bashed like that, mercilessly for a long time. It makes sense, but it also doesn't to me. But that's simply my point of view, they clearly have a different mindset about it.
General Notes:
The anthropologist stayed almost completely out of the affairs of the Bushmen, excepting the christmas ox. That was interesting, but it kept(?) the people he was studying from deviating from how they were just because someone new showed up with supplies.
The Bushmen have (or had, this is an article from a while ago, no idea how much has changed) a tradition to prevent conflict and promote humility, and not understanding that, Lee was hurt by their reactions.
Repeatedly, Lee is told that the reason he didn't know about the tradition was because he just never asked--asking things, the right things, is very important.
They had a 3rd hand knowledge of Christmas, and there isn't much interest in it beyond intersecting with annual events already taking place.
While Lee didn't overtly interfere with the people, he still got up close and personal, knew them, made friends and got close with people.
He had an interesting takeaway, there are lessons to be learned by things you don't understand at first. Different groups of people have different ways of instilling lessons, and to come across a new one through a new way is difficult and frustrating. That doesn't make the lesson any less important.
Park Chapter 1: Doing Anthropology
Impressions:
Very interesting, and brings up a good point right at the beginning that anthropology isn't just for places that seem far off and 'exotic' (although I don't much like that word, just seems like a garbage synonym for 'weird to you'). It isn't all mysterious tribes deep in a forest, anthropology is for everywhere and everyone, even different pockets Christianity which didn't cross my mind before.
Also interesting the set of requirements Park went through to end up choosing the Hutterites to live with and study, biological seclusion, genealogical knowledge, small group with a few large groups inside it, etc.
I'm really excited to learn about all this stuff, especially the language stuff because I'm a NERD. I want to know how languages affect people and their thinking and how language is affected by people and their values. I already know that the theory is that the more important a concept, the more words a language will have for it. I'm curious to learn more!
Vocabulary:
Biological/Physical Anthropology-> subfield of anthro that studies humans as a SPECIES.
Cultural Anthropology-> subfield that studies CULTURAL BEHAVIOR, SYSTEMS, and EXPRESSION among human groups.
Culture-> means of adaptation not from genetics, LEARNED and TRANSMITTED IDEAS.
Linguistic Anthropology-> subfield that describes CHARACTERISTICS of human LANGUAGE and studies the RELATIONSHIPS between LANGUAGES and CULTURES.
Archeology-> subfield that studies human CULTURAL PAST and RECONSTRUCTS PAST SYSTEMS.
Artifact-> any OBJECT that's been CONCIOUSLY MANUFACTURED. (V important in archeology)
Biocultural-> interaction of BIOLOGY and CULTURE.
General Notes:
Fieldwork is very important, and something that attracts people. Without it there wouldn't be as much information as there is now and is the source of PRIMARY source research. But it's not everything.
People are like bees but with conscious control over behavior. To understand bees you must study the bees, all bits of them. To understand people you must study the people, all bits, but unlike bees there is the bonus category of culture.
Anthropology is, basically, the study of WHAT AND WHY HUMANS DO. GETTING KNEE DEEP IN SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HUMANS AND HUMANITY.
Why do we LOOK like we do
Why do we ACT like we do
Why do we INTERACT the way we do
Why do we TALK the way we do
WHY DO WE DO THE WAY WE DO.
Meals on Wheels: Welp
So due to medical concerns I'm dropping the class. Yesterday was the 'easy ride' and I had 1 or more asthma attack.
Instead, I will be spending the next two years training myself to Not Be So Fucking Terrible At Lungs.
I will return