1) Ethnocentricism
Define the concept Ethnocentricism. Give specific historical examples of
ethnocentric ideas. How were the ethnocentric ideas of colonial Europeans used to justify colonialism? What are some of the methods that anthropologists have attempted to move beyond ethnocentricism? How have these ideas failed or succeeded?
2) Reciprocity & Trade
Explain the concept of reciprocity. Suggest why this concept is so prevalent
across numerous cultures. Explain the concept of wealth. Is the notion of wealth the same across every culture? Discuss the relationship between trade (exchange) and the specialization (division) of labor. Do you think the concepts trade and exchange as they are understood in the U.S. today are the same among hunter-gatherer populations? Why?
3) The Neanderthal
Approximately when did Neanderthals goextinct? What are some of the
reasons archaeologists have given for Neanderthals’ disappearance? What are some key differences and similarities between the physical and cultural evolution of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals? How might changes in climate have impacted the evolutionary trajectories of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens over the past 50,000 years?
4) The Neolithic (Agriculture)
What are some explanations archaeologists have suggested for why human
populations undertook the domestication of plants and animals? Name some of the benefits and some of the drawbacks of sedentary agriculturalist lifestyles. Approximately when and where do archaeologists currently think that domestication first occurred (give or take a few thousand years and miles)? Do you feel that large-scale empires were inevitable after we began farming?