Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Back to course Home Page) Remember that the final exam will be comprehensive. Go over the first three exams and on-line exam study guides – if you missed any questions, be sure to review class material so that you understand why you missed them! Use the questions below as a study guide for the final. We will review for the final in detail on the last class, and I'll give several more review questions then. Come to class with questions! Describe the process of natural selection in a few sentences. Explain the idea of niche construction in a few sentences. Explain in a sentence or two why dividing humans into "races" does not make sense biologically. What is the difference between egalitarian and stratified societies? What are some of the attendant cultural changes that go along with the adoption of an agricultural way of life? What is an "archaeological culture"? Why do many anthropologists avoid using the term "culture" to refer to a particular society (e.g. "Japanese culture"? Explain the difference between a band-level and a chiefdom-level society. Give a brief explanation of how culture is patterned. Use a specific example from class readings or lectures of how a cultural pattern changed through time. A common creationist argument against evolution is, "If we evolved from apes, why are the apes still here?" Explain in a sentence or two how this argument demonstrates at least one fundamental misunderstanding of evolution. What do scientists mean when they say that a feature confers "genetic fitness"? Who are the Nacirema? What is the concept of punctuated equilibrium? What is a genetic cline? Name and give a brief explanation of the four sub-fields of anthropology. What is an ecofact, and how is it different from an artifact? Why can bioarchaeology tell us more about the health histories of children than adults? Briefly explain the difference between egalitarian and stratified societies. What is the difference between a prescriptive grammar and a descriptive grammar? Be able to give a brief explanation of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. According to Applying Anthropology, why were Peace Corps workers in Botswana becoming "burned out" so quickly? Incorporate the idea of cultural facts into your answer. Explain at least one line of archaeological evidence for social complexity. Explain at least one line of archaeological evidence for ascribed status. What is the difference between sex and gender? How are kinship systems cultural facts? Why do anthropologists consider stratified societies to be examples of "heterarchy" instead of "hierarchy"?
Be sure you can explain the meaning of each of the following terms: Achieved status
|
