Anthropology and anthropologists engage in a myriad of manners of studying the human condition. With this idea in mind, what is the meaning of being an anthropologist?
Each of the following questions is worth 20 points. In order to earn 20 points, you will need to completely answer the question(s) in grammatically correct English. You will want to write at least 3-4 paragraphs per question.
Of course, I want you to think on your own. However, our thinking develops out of reading, discussion, lecture, and experience. When someone (like a professor) asks you how you know or how you came to a specific understanding, you should be able to point them in the direction that your learning took.
Remember that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Exams should not be stressful, worrisome, nor anxiety building exercises. Exams should be exercises in learning. You can and should ask questions if you become stumped. You should not be asking questions of the internet/Wikipedia. You should be asking each other and the professor.
All answers should be in grammatically correct English. Again, you should avoid the words ‘it, this, that, thing’ or any of their derivatives. Review the documents uploaded to the course site “How not to get an A” and “Student perspective”.
Good luck and may the force be with you!
1) Anthropology and anthropologists engage in a myriad of manners of studying the human condition. With this idea in mind, what is the meaning of being an anthropologist? In your answer, please discuss about fedual anthropology, capitalism, agriculture, and hunter gatherers and what each does well and the challenges faced by each.
2) What are the 4 modes of production we have discussed in class? What are the corresponding forms of religion? Now, choose a mode of production; identify a cultural group that functioned/functions under that mode of production; describe their religion; and provide an argument as to why this religious practice is the only possible religious practice in which this group of people might engage.
3) Choose a creation myth from any culture in which you might be interested. Briefly summarize the creation myth. Then, using cultural materialism; structural-functionalism; and symbolics create an analysis of the creation myth. (You might focus on how the creation myth incorporates important qualities of the natural environment; you might focus on how the myth describes the relationship between humans and the divine/natural environment/each other; etc).
4) There are numerous forms of narrative produced by a culture. Define and describe: myth; creation myth; folktale; legend; and urban legend. Finally, create an argument defending which of these narratives you think are the most powerful in influencing cultural change.
5) Altered states of consciousness appear to play an important role in human history and current human culture. Choose a specific culture and a specific means by which they seek to alter their consciousness. Analyze the practice of altering consciousness using either cultural materialism or structural-functionalism. (Ask yourself: why is this group altering their consciousness in the manner they are due to their physical environment?; what about the environment would necessitate or explain why the culture endorses or demands altered states of consciousness?; is the altered state allowed for everyone or just a chosen few (and why)?; etc.)
EXTRA CREDIT (20 Points)
Cultures change for various reasons. We have discussed some of those reasons in class. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to watch the film “Agora” (Amenabar 2009). After your viewing, describe and analyze at least three of the processes through which ancient Roman culture changed during the time period of a new, and spreading monotheistic religion.
