Anthropology

Ivana E. Legaspi

Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. It studies humanities in its all aspects: from our evolution as a species to our relationship with the present world.  For anthropologists, it is the application of knowledge to the solution of human problems. Since anthropology is a very broad and diverse topic, it is divided into four areas namely sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology. These areas integrate the perspectives of several of these areas of one’s anthropologist into their research, teaching, and professional lives.

Sociology and anthropology are social science disciplines that focuses on studying the behavior of humans within their societies. Sociology focuses on society and tackles about a specific time period; anthropology tackles about both the past and present and the origin of it. They are both distinct areas of study with separate histories but different ways of looking at the world. It is the study of the nature of humanity and the scientific study of social aggregations, the entities through which humans move throughout their lives.

Anthropology is a very broad scope social science discipline. It provides a broad framework into which many other subjects can be fitted. Considering its four areas named sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, and linguistic anthropology, we can tell that one could not master all parts of it. In fact, no one can master all of it.

Indiana Jones shortened to “Indy” in the movie is a good example of anthropology because he digs up things that are hidden by the time, what an archaeologist does. He has a lot of knowledge about core history and their linkings to the society, including the behavior of different societies.