I. What do you understand by the term culture? Give examples of distinct human groups that you might consider to belong to different cultures. Describe the hierarchical model of culture held by anthropologists of the Victorian era. Explain why this model is unsatisfactory.
II. Colloquially the terms race, culture and ethnicity are often used interchangeably:
a. Is there a biological basis to the concept of race? Is this concept useful in anthropology and sociology? Why or why not?
b. Distinguish between the terms cultural group, ethnic group and social group.
III. What do you understand by the term cognition? In what ways do you think culture might influence cognition and vice versa? Explain the term ecological validity in the context of the study of cognition.
IV. In the context of sociology and anthropology explain, giving examples, the terms functionalism, functional analysis, structuralism and structural analysis.
Suggested sources:
1. Kuper, Adam and Jessica Kuper (Eds.) (1985) The Social Science Encyclopedia. Routledge, London and New York.
2. Cole, Michael and Sylvia Scribner (1974) Culture and Thought: A Psychological Introduction. John Wiley, New York. (Chapters 1 and 2)
3. The MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science.
Anthropology Tutorial (Tue 24-12-02)