Anthropology Case Study

STUDY UNIT 1
Question 1: What makes the discipline of anthropology qualitative in nature?
Anthropology delves into the complexities of human societies, with a holistic approach to their culture and development. In doing so, the anthropological researcher ethically focuses on all human aspects and favours an approach that is centred on collecting and analysing data which is mostly non-numerical and rich in accumulative detail. Unlike in other scientific disciplines which favour quantitative research methods, anthropological researchers prefer using participant-observation techniques, as well as an emic approach in order to gain insight into the lives of the people being studied.
STUDY UNIT 2
Question 2: Identify the three paradigmatic styles

The first is informed consent. This implies that prior to conducting any research, the anthropologist must provide the research participants with all the relevant information regarding the study so that they may consent to participating. The second is personal honesty. It is unethical to mislead informants or to attempt to obtain information under false pretences. The third ethical issue is ethical and cultural relativism. Since belief systems and cultural practices are relative, anthropologists often find themselves amidst groups of people who participate in practices that conflict with the anthropologist’s personal ethics. The final major ethical issue that anthropologists must contend with is the researcher’s responsibility to the research subjects. Anthropologists in the field are at the forefront of the pressing issues in their research community. This raises questions about whether or not the anthropologist should assist them financially or otherwise, which could subsequently alter their findings. If, however the researcher does nothing to assist the research group, they might find the informants to be unwilling to