Research Paper Outline For Anthropology

Interview Preparation Outline

I. Defining Anthropology: Anthropology is the study of the human species. It does not focus on one aspect of the existence of humans, but the entirety of their existence. The field of anthropology is interested in what makes people, of the past and present, who they are and why. Origin, evolution, culture, beliefs, and behavior are a few of the areas of concern for anthropologists. Due to the vast complexities of people anthropology can be broken down into the subfields of biological, cultural, archaeology, and linguistics. All the subfields interconnect to form the field of anthropology because anthropologist have a holistic approach to answering questions. An isolated event cannot be understood without perspective

For example, Dr. Rebecca Hardin, a cultural anthropologist, and Dr. Melissa Remis, a biological anthropologist, collaborated to understand the interactions between humans and primates in the Dzanga-Ndoki Park and Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Reserves. The combination of cultural and biological anthropology provided insight into the changing human uses for the forest, human and animal adaption to habitat change, and a decline in animal densities (Hardin and Remis, 2006). To have a better understanding of the human and primate interactions multiple areas of anthropology intertwine. Cultural anthropologists could consider the hunter and gather aspect of the human primate relationship. While, the biological anthropologist address the issue of human attack and predation on the primates. Environmental anthropologists could also be brought in to examine the relationships between humans and the environment over time.

II. Anthropological Perspective: It is important for people to have an anthropological perspective because it allows for a better understanding of humans and what their reactions might be. Knowing the reasons behind someone’s actions and can make it easier to interpret the situation. Having and anthropological perspective forces people to think beyond what is normal to their own culture and try to understand the behaviors of

Family history gives one a sense of “self” through ancestral connections and cultural belonging. This emotional connection to the past help people make sense of their own lives and can change their sense of “self” in the present. Personal exploration of values and roles can be influenced by the knowledge of family history, by the need to feel like they belong (Hayden, 2010). Although familial past influences the development of one’s identity it does not dictate everything. One can develop their own present identity while still maintaining a close bond to their family history. Developing autonomy, personal explorations, and acknowledgement of familial past all contribute to the development of their present