Course Snapshot for ANT101 - Introduction to Anthropology: Culture and Communication
The information listed below is subject to change. Please review the course syllabus within your online course at the start of class.
Course Competencies
The competencies you will demonstrate in this course are as follows:
- Explain the methods of research and investigation utilized by anthropology, both scientific and humanistic.
- Describe the history, purpose, branches, and features of anthropology as well as its relation and relative position within the general framework of academic disciplines.
- Identify and explain the procedures used by anthropologists to study world cultures, especially field and comparative methods.
- Differentiate the qualities, both specific and universal, of culture and some of the important anthropological theories formulated to explain its formation and development.
- Compare and contrast distinct cultures with regard to any cultural facet.
- Explain the academic and applied goals of the field, and especially with regard to the promotion of intercultural tolerance and understanding.
- Describe the field of linguistics and its important contributions concerning the foundations of human language (historical linguistics) its features (descriptive linguistics) and its intrinsic relationship to culture.
- Define the important cross-cultural systems developed by human groups to reckon kinship and descent, and social affiliation.
- Compare and contrast a given number of cross-cultural systems of familial descent.
- Describe strategies developed by different world cultures for the establishment of marriage, divorce, and residence.
- Identify the non-kinship systems of establishing human relations and association such as age, gender, and status.
- Describe some of the methods used now and in the past by humans for the purpose of food acquisition and other material comforts.
- Explain the universal nature and purpose of law and some of the cross-cultural strategies developed to impose legal rules of conduct.
- Discuss the important anthropological ideas regarding the origins, causes, and effects of war.
- Define cross-cultural patterns of political organization and explain how they may relate to particular circumstances.
- Define the cultural institutions developed by humans to explain origins, causes, and events as well as express ethical, moral and aesthetic values.
- Define the anthropological theories regarding the origins and development of religion and magic, as well as their mythical, ritualistic and dogmatic aspects.
- Explain the existence of folklore as a human cultural universal, its purpose with regard to mythological, epic, and historical events, and its value both as instruction and entertainment.
- Explain the culturally specific and universal aspects of human values and their formation as a part of human conduct and attitudes.
- Select and apply contemporary forms of technology to solve problems or compile information.
- Write and speak clearly and logically in presentations and essays.
Module Outcomes Mapped to Competencies
Module 1 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Explain the general definition and purpose of anthropology. | 1, 2 |
| Describe the scope of anthropology. | 2 |
| Explain the holistic approach. | 2 |
| Explain anthropology’s distinctive curiosity. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Differentiate among the five major fields of anthropology. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Explain the ways in which anthropologists specialize within their fields of study. | 2, 3 |
| Communicate the relevance of anthropology. | 1, 2, 4 |
| Discuss the concept of culture as used in anthropology, its salient properties, and controversies surrounding the concept of culture. | 3, 4, 5 |
| Describe direct and indirect cultural constraints and how they relate to norms. | 3, 4, 5 |
| Identify attitudes that hinder the study of cultures. | 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Critically assess the concept of cultural relativism. | 3, 5 |
| Describe the methods by which anthropologists describe cultures. | 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Explain why culture is integrated or patterned. | 3, 4 |
| Describe and give examples of how cultures change through discovery and invention, diffusion, and acculturation. | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Relate culture change to the process of adaptation to a changing environment. | 3, 5 |
| Evaluate the problems and opportunities posed by globalization. | 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 |
| Describe and give examples of ethnogenesis, or the emergence of new cultures. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Characterize what anthropologists predict about future cultural diversity. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Describe universals in human psychological development. | 12, 13, 19, 20 |
| Discuss anthropological findings regarding childhood. | 2, 3 |
| Describe cross-cultural variations in childrearing and their implications for behavior and psychological development. | 4, 7, 19, 20 |
| Explain psychological variability in adults. | 1, 3 |
| Discuss psychological explanations of cultural variation. | 1, 3 |
| Discuss and give examples of individuals as agents of social change. | 4, 5 |
| Define explanation, associations, and theory, and discuss the roles of these concepts in research. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Explain the purpose of theories and how researchers use them. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Describe the progression of theoretical anthropological approaches involving evolution and ecology. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Explain the process of operationalization, the importance of measurement, and the value of statistical evaluation in testing explanations. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Differentiate the types of research in cultural anthropology. | 1, 2, 6 |
| Define communication, and compare and contrast human and nonhuman communication. | 1, 2, 5, 7 |
| Explain how the study of creole and pidgin languages and of children’s acquisition of language might tell us something about the origins of language. | 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Discuss the major components of descriptive linguistics (phonology, morphology, and syntax) and the key findings in each of these areas. | 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Describe how historical linguistics establishes historical relationships between languages and language families. | 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Identify the process by which languages diverge. | 5, 6, 7 |
| Discuss the relationship between language and culture. | 2, 4, 7 |
| Discuss the relationship between ways of speaking and issues of class, gender, and ethnicity. | 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13 |
| Identify the origins of writing and literacy, and assess the impact of writing and literacy on culture and communication. | 2, 3, 4, 6 |
Module 2 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Describe variation in gender concepts. | 4, 5, 11 |
| Identify differences in physique and physiology between males and females. | 5, 11 |
| Explain differences in gender roles. | 11, 14 |
| Analyze relative gender differences in terms of contributions to work. | 5, 11 |
| Discuss gender differences in terms of political leadership and warfare cross-culturally. | 11, 14, 15, 17 |
| Analyze relative status among women cross-culturally. | 5, 11, 14 |
| Discuss gender differences in personality. | 11 |
| Explain variability in sexual behavior and attitudes between different cultures. | 5, 11, 17 |
| Define marriage in anthropological terms. | 1, 10 |
| Explain the near-universality of marriage across cultures. | 5, 10 |
| Identify the various ways that marriage is marked out in different societies and the economic exchanges that accompany it. | 5, 8, 9, 10, 17 |
| Critically assess different explanations for the universality of the incest taboo. | 8, 9, 10, 17 |
| Discuss the types of restrictions on whom one can marry. | 5, 9, 10 |
| Describe three different rules regarding how many persons one can marry, and explain social or economic reasons for each. | 5, 9, 10 |
| Describe and explain variation in family form. | 5, 8, 9, 10 |
| Explain reasons for extended-family households. | 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| Describe the various patterns of marital residence. | 5, 10 |
| Discuss the structure of kinship and distinguish among the various types of affiliation. | 5, 8 |
| Discuss variation in unilineal descent systems. | 9 |
| Describe the functions of unilineal descent systems. | 9 |
| Describe ambilineal systems. | 9 |
| Discuss how residence can vary. | 10 |
| Explain the emergence of unilineal descent systems. | 9 |
| Explain how ambilineal and bilateral systems might emerge. | 9 |
| Explain the various systems of kinship terminology. | 8, 9, 11 |
Module 3 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Describe foraging and complex foraging, and identify the general societal features associated with food collecting. | 13 |
| Describe the various forms of food production (horticulture, intensive agriculture, and pastoralism), and identify the general societal features associated with each. | 13, 16 |
| Identify the environmental restraints on food-getting. | 5, 13 |
| Discuss the origin of food production. | 4, 13, 20 |
| Describe and critically discuss the spread and intensification of food production. | 3, 4, 5, 13 |
| Compare and contrast the allocation of resources among foragers, horticulturalists, intensive agriculturalists, and pastoralists, and discuss how colonialism and the state have affected that allocation. | 13, 14, 15, 16 |
| Explain the different types of economic production and economic exchange and their effect on labor. | 14, 16 |
| Explain the three general types of systems for distributing goods and services (reciprocity, redistribution, and market or commercial exchange). | 13, 14 |
| Discuss the worldwide trend toward commercialization and its social effects. | 13, 14, 16 |
| Discuss the concepts relating to the variation in degree of social inequality. | 8, 11, 13, 14 |
| Describe the characteristics of egalitarian societies. | 8, 11, 12, 13 |
| Describe characteristics of rank societies. | 8, 11, 14 |
| Describe the characteristics of class societies. | 8, 11, 14 |
| Discuss how racism and inequality are related. | 8, 11, 14 |
| Explain the relationship between ethnicity and inequality. | 8, 11, 14 |
| Discuss the emergence of stratification. | 8, 11, 14, 16 |
| Explain the characteristics of associations and how they vary. | 8, 11, 12, 16, 17 |
| Describe the various forms of non-voluntary associations and identify their functions. | 8, 11, 16, 17 |
| Describe the various forms of voluntary associations and identify their functions. | 8, 11, 16, 17 |
| Discuss the cross-cultural variation in the types of political organization. | 5, 11, 16 |
| Explain the spread of state societies. | 12, 15, 16 |
| Describe and explain the variation in political structure in various societies. | 5, 14, 15 |
| Critically examine the methods used for resolving conflict, including warfare, in different societies. | 15, 16, 17 |
Module 4 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Characterize the universality of religion and discuss various explanations for that universality. | 5, 15, 17, 18, 19 |
| Discuss the range of variability in religious beliefs. | 5, 15, 17, 18, 19 |
| Describe the variability in religious practices and practitioners cross-culturally. | 5, 15, 17, 18, 19 |
| Discuss religion in terms of adaptation. | 15, 17, 20 |
| Explain and give examples of various forms of religious change, such as conversion and revitalization movements. | 5, 15, 17, 18, 19 |
| Analyze the purpose of body decoration and adornment. | 11, 17, 18, 19, 20 |
| Explain variation in the arts in relationship to other societal features. | 11, 17, 18, 19, 20 |
| Identify ethnocentric attitudes and practices toward non-Western art by Westerners. | 5, 11, 17 |
| Assess the relationship of culture contact and artistic change. | 5, 11, 17 |
Module 5 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Discuss the ethical code of applied anthropology and discuss the ethical issues faced by practicing anthropologists | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 |
| Discuss the need to evaluate the effects of planned change. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Identify and give examples of some difficulties in implementing planned change. | 5, 12, 14, 20 |
| Describe the field of environmental anthropology. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Describe the field of business and organizational anthropology. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Describe the field of cultural resource management. | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 14, 16, 20 |
| Describe the field of museum anthropology. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Describe the field of forensic anthropology. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Discuss cultural understandings of health and illness. | 5, 12, 13, 19 |
| Discuss various approaches to studying treatment of illness. | 2, 5 |
| Describe political and economic influences on health. | 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 |
| Discuss a sampling of health conditions and diseases studied by medical anthropologists. | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Explain how cultural, economic, and social factors can cause or exacerbate natural events and cause disasters and famine. | 13, 15, 17, 18 |
| Describe the factors that lead to inadequate housing and homelessness. | 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 |
| Discuss the magnitude, causes, and consequences of family violence. | 8, 9, 12, 14, 17, 18 |
| Explain how cultural and societal features relate to crime, especially in regard to homicide. | 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19 |
| Discuss warfare in terms of cultural, social, and ecological factors, and describe the reasons societies go to war. | 12, 15, 16, 17, 20 |
| Describe the difficulty of defining terrorism and discuss what is known about the factors associated with it. | 12, 15, 16, 17, 20 |
| Discuss some lessons learned from anthropology that could make the world a better place. | All |
Course Time Commitment and Expectations
For every credit hour, students should plan to spend an average of 2-3 hours per week for course-related activities in a 15-week course. For example, a 3 credit hour course would average an average 6-9 hours per week to read/listen to the online content, participate in discussion forums, complete assignments, and study the course material. For 10 and 6-week courses, the amount of time per week will be higher so all course competencies, module outcomes, and assignments will be covered.
Aside from typical reading assignments, this course has the following (Please Note: This list is subject to change based on the discretion of the instructor facilitating this course.):
Assignment | Points |
|---|---|
| Discussions (11 @ 50 points each) | 550 |
| Module 1 Assignment: Orientation Paper | 100 |
| Module 2 Assignment: Research Topic (for final paper) | 50 |
| Module 3 Assignment: References (for final paper) | 50 |
| Module 4 Assignment: Outline (for final paper) | 50 |
| Final Paper | 200 |
| TOTAL | 1000 |
CCCOnline Course Quality Commitment
CCCOnline goes to great lengths to assure the quality of your online learning experience. You can expect the following from our courses:
- All CCCOnline courses are developed by content experts and a professional team of instructional designers.
- CCCOnline courses are built with a template that assures accessibility and Quality Matters Design Standards.
- There is navigation consistency across all CCCOnline courses.
- Most of our courses come with illustrative models and videos to enhance learning concepts.