Course Description

What do all humans have in common? Why do beliefs and practices vary from one society to another? Explaining our remarkable capacity for culture--the customary, learned behavior of all people, everywhere--is cultural anthropology’s goal. No other discipline has so broad a perspective or offers so much insight into so many contemporary issues. A knowledge of anthropology helps us understand ourselves and appreciate cultural differences when we travel. It also helps us communicate with others at home and abroad, an important skill when our students, clients, customers, or fellow workers are likely to come from different cultural backgrounds than our own. Most importantly, an understanding of others’ perspectives is essential for survival in a world increasingly integrated by mass communications, trade, and transportation.

The goals of this course are to:
1. Introduce the perspective and methods of cultural anthropology.
2. Present anthropology’s most significant findings about human culture.
3. Illustrate the importance of culture in everyday life and the relationship between culture and the individual.