Jestoni Udal

1. Define the following terms:

a. Anthropology
The word anthropology is derived from the Greek words anthropo, meaning
human beings or humankind, and logia, translated as knowledge of or the study
of.
1
Likewise, it is a study which comprises four subfields: the physical anthropology,
archaeology, linguistic anthropology and cultural anthropology or ethnology, which
constitutes a broad approach to the study of humanity.
2
Furthermore, Anthropology is
the exploration of human diversity in time and space.
3
Consequently, anthropology is a
study or discourse of human being which deals human condition in every particular
context and time, both past and present. It is a study that deals humans as biological
species, as beings with culture and language present in a society, and so on.

b. Cultural Anthropology
Cultural anthropology is the study of human society and culture, the subfield that
describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains social and cultural similarities and
differences.
4
So, it is in this field that human beings are studied in a cultural perspective
in order to identify the commonality and difference of one culture to the other. Likewise,
Cultural anthropology or ethnology is the subfield of anthropology that examines
various contemporary societies and cultures throughout the world.
5
Therefore, it does
not study human being individually but societally or as a group, in order to come up with
a generalization of their way of life.


1
Raymond Scupin, Cultural Anthropology: A Global Perspective, 8
th
ed. (Boston: Pearson Press, 2012), 1.

2
Ibid.

3
Conrad Phillip Kottak, Cultural Anthropology: Appreciating Cultural Diversity, 14
th
ed. (New York: The
McGraw-Hill), 4.

4
Ibid., 9.

5
Scupin, Cultural Anthropology, 7.

c. Ethnology
Ethnology examines, interprets, analyzes, and compares the results of
ethnographythe data gathered in different societies.
6
Likewise, ethnology is the
comparative science that attempts to identify and explain cultural differences and
similarities, test hypotheses, and build theory to enhance our understanding of how social
and cultural systems work.
7
Thus, ethnology is the science in which the data gathered by
the cultural anthropologist from the different societies through observation are put into
analysis and examination. In other words, it is a cross-cultural study. By this, cultural
anthropologists describe the similarities and differences of one culture from the other and
make generalization about society and culture.

2. What are the two approaches we use in the study of Anthropology?
There are two ways of developing testable propositions: the inductive method and
the deductive method. In the inductive method, the scientist first makes observations and
collects data. On the other hand, deductive method of scientific research begins with a
general theory from which scientists develop testable hypotheses. Data are then collected
to evaluate these hypotheses.

3. Why the study of Anthropology is important today?
Studying human beings, Anthropology is very important today for it examines,
analyzes, compares and makes generalization about how people live and behave. In fact,
it is so vital to study it these days for this field deals not only the present generation of the
human kind but also even those of the past, the history and artifacts, with their way of life
basically analyzed and is compared to what we have today. Likewise, it is also crucial to
discuss this subject matter, especially cultural anthropology, for it gives anybody a kind


6
Kottak, Cultural Anthropology, 10.

7
Ibid., 15.

of self-awareness to cultural diversity. Hence, anthropology will make us aware of cross-
cultural understanding in this diverse world and appreciate the uniqueness of one culture
to the other. Furthermore, studying so would give us knowledge in order to avoid
ethnocentrism or superiority of one culture to the other for no culture is actually higher
than the other.
On one hand, anthropology contributes to a general liberal arts education, which
helps students develop intellectually and personally, as well as professionally.
8
So, it is
important as well to study anthropology nowadays for it tries to investigate human
condition according to four perspectives, namely, the physical anthropology,
archaeology, linguistic anthropology and cultural anthropology, which is needed in every
career that one may take. Well, for us, seminarians, I think it is an imperative to have
knowledge about this course for it enables us to develop our understanding, especially
when it comes to cross-cultural one, as future missionaries to foreign lands someday.



8
Scupin, Cultural Anthropology, 17.