Exam 7: Analyzing Sociocultural Systems

Polyandry is the marriage of two women to two men.

When examining cultural systems, anthropologists often use the image of social structure, which posits that societies are random, chaotic collections of people who accidentally interact with one another.

Through enculturation people learn the specific norms regarding the expectations of society, and this, in turn, brings about perfect social control since these internalized norms are always followed.

The __________ of a society consists of the social relationships that organize the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

A biome is a cultural area where people behave in a predictable manner because they follow the ethos of the society.

You have just been awarded a grant of $100,000 to conduct research among the Tingunee of the lower Quebin river valley. The Tingunee have never been visited by other peoples and nothing is known about their culture. What might your goal be in this study? Formulate a general research design to study the culture of these people. What research strategies might you employ, what data might you collect, and what concerns might you have in doing this study?

Ethnographic research can be very demanding, and often ethnologists experience psychological stress that results from adjusting to the realities of a society radically different from their own. This reaction is called:

The substantivist approach in economics differs from the formalist view by:

Both sex and gender are biologically determined.

Full-time religious specialists who serve in an official capacity as the custodians of sacred knowledge are:

Clifford Geertz provides the following as a definition of religion: "A religion is a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic." Examine this quote closely while thinking about your religion or belief system. What do you think of Geertz's definition? Does it apply to your particular religion or belief system and perceptions? If not, why not?

Formalists maintain that the best method for studying any economy is to view it as being embedded in the sociocultural system, including the values, beliefs, and norms of the society.

Part of the challenge for anthropologists in doing field research is adjusting to a different society and gaining a much better perspective of one's own society.

Anthropologists who use the holistic approach to analyze sociocultural systems try to "shoot holes" in the theories and studies of other anthropologists.

Anthropological research has shown that in some cultures females do not have social roles; only men have roles.

Since there are no ethical guidelines in conducting cultural or anthropological research, the anthropologist is free to examine any topic and gain information in any manner he or she sees fit.

Political systems with centralized bureaucratic institutions that establish power and authority over large populations in a specific territory are known as:

The relationship between age and status is an anthropologically interesting subject. Which of the following statements concerning age and status is correct?

Cross-cultural studies:

During your lifetime you will probably be a member of two families, the family of orientation (the family into which you were born and enculturated) and the family of __________ (the family in which you will have or adopt children).