Exam 2: Culture

What do we call the process that diminishes the diversity of the world's cultures as a result of foreign influences that inundate local practices, products, and ways of thinking?

About fifteen years ago, Walmart opened a store in Germany. Ten years later, it pulled out of the country. As the text shows, some corporations, like McDonalds, have succeeded in other countries. What do critics fear that the expansion of these stores will do?

Mental maps of reality constitute one of the four elements that anthropologists often consider when conducting cross-cultural research. Define mental maps of reality and discuss the two important functions that mental maps of reality play regarding culture. Provide a concrete example for each of the two functions. Conclude by discussing why anthropologists should consider a group of people's mental maps of reality when trying to understand their culture.

The difficulty of establishing clear links between genes and behavior has led to the recognition that culture is not part of our DNA. What are we born with that allows us to create culture?

Anthropologists have been successful in uncovering evidence of vast trade networks done entirely on foot throughout the entire continent of North America that long preceded the arrival of Europeans. This movement and exchange of material goods and cultural pieces supports which of the following concepts?

Humans learn culture from the people and cultural institutions that surround them. When does this occur?

The work of many nonanthropologists through the nineteenth century suggested what theoretical idea about human life that anthropologists applied to culture?

A global outlook is emerging in response to increasing globalization linking cultural practices, norms, and values across great distances, even to the most remote areas of the world. What do anthropologists call this?

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) described hegemony as one of two primary aspects of power. Define hegemony and provide at least two concrete examples of how it serves as a form of power. What is the second aspect of power that Gramsci described and how does it differ from hegemony? Which of the two aspects of power do you believe is likely to be more effective and why?

The advent of computers and deregulation of banking in the 1970s initiated major changes in our financial environment. What was one of the biggest changes?

Recognition that our genes are themselves highly susceptible to environmental factors is a body of research called ________.

Current estimates suggest that children in the United States view almost 40,000 commercials a year. All of this is accomplished by advertising, which helps us learn how to:

In 2015, what was the average level of credit card debt per household?

Focusing on early anthropology, define the approaches of historical particularism and structural functionalism. Who developed these approaches and what do these approaches examine when working to learn about other cultures? How did these two approaches differ from the preceding approach of unilineal cultural evolution?

Recent research has revealed the existence of a kind of "second body" within all humans, one that may be a crucial part of how we interact with our own bodies and others. What is this called?

The culture of consumerism in the United States and globally has intensified, especially during the last 50 years. What constitutes a culture of consumerism and how does it relate to the concept of culture more generally? What are three examples of how the culture of consumerism affects culture in general in the United States? Does it affect cultures worldwide, and if so, how?

Anthropologists seek to counter ethnocentrism by:

Which student of Boas explored the unique patterns and integration of cultural traits and entire cultures?

In many European and Latin American cultures, people commonly greet one another with a kiss on the cheek. In the United States, people may be more likely to greet one another with a hug or a handshake. An anthropologist would call these ________ actions.

What do anthropologists call the uneven distribution of resources and privileges, often along lines of gender, racial or ethnic group, class, age, family, religion, sexuality, or legal status?