Q1. Other than the fact that people can acquire cultural traits, what is an example of a fact about human beings that illustrates the the “psychic unity” thesis?
Q2. When anthropologists describe a society as being matrilineal or patrilineal, what specifically are they saying about that society?
Q3. Why do anthropologists use unstructured interviews?
Q4. According to Ryan’s lectures, would an anthropologist agree that we can classify every human society according to its mode of subsistence?
Q5. What kind of ethnographic perspective is one taking when one creates a kinship diagram to record all of the genealogical relatives one person has?
Q6. Although cultures will construct the meaning of male and female in different ways, one is either culturally male or culturally female for one’s entire life. What is an ethnographic example from our class lectures and readings that would disprove this statement?
Q7. What does it mean to say that alliance theory claims that horizontal links are more important than vertical links? What does this explain?
Q8. According to Jadran’s lectures, what is the most important element of the experience of a shaman?
Q9. What was the most important difference between Boas’s definition of culture and Tylor’s definition of culture?
Q10. Do you think an ethnographer who is also an insider is better or worse than one who is an outsider? Why do think this? (In your answer, consider both the strengths and weaknesses of doing research on a society in which one grew up, and the strengths and weaknesses of being an outsider in the field.)
Q11. What is a contemporary example of an ethnocentric perspective that people in Australia (or a society that you know well) generally have? What would Franz Boas say to challenge this perspective?
Q12. Being kin (or being related) to someone means that you are fundamentally the same as that person. Based on our study of kinship in this class, would you agree with this statement or not? Why?
Q13. Is it correct to say that the shamanistic complex is a religion? Why or why not?
