Cultural Anthropology

1. Language

1.1. Language is a system of communications that uses symbols such as words, sounds, and gestures, organized according to certain rules, to convey any kind of information

1.2. A system of symbols, it is a system of otherwise meaningless sounds, marks (writing), and gestures that are made meaningful by a group of people through the collective history and tradition of their culture (Guest 115)

1.3. Even animals have their own type of language, they rely on a call system of sounds and gestures that is promoted by environmental stimuli (Guest 113)

2. Anthropology

2.1. The study of the full scope of human diversity, past. and present, and the application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds better understand one another

2.2. Derives from the Greek words anthropos ("humans") and logos ("thoughts", "reasons", or "study") (Guest 7)

2.3. Ethnocentrism: The belief that one's own culture or way of life is normal and natural; using one's own culture to evaluate and judge the practices and ideals of others (Guest 9)

3. Culture

3.1. A system of knowledge, beliefs, patterns of behavior, artifacts, and institutions that are created, learned, shared, and contested by a group of people. It is our manual for understanding and interacting with the people and the world around us.

3.2. We learn culture throughout our lives from the people and cultural institutions that surround us (Guest 36)

3.3. Never static. Culture is always constantly contested, negotiated, and changing (Guest 37)