This chapter has two major objectives: (1) an introduction to the nature of anthropology, including discussion of the characteristics and subfields of anthropology, and (2) an introduction to the general nature of evolutionary science, including a historical overview. The chapter concludes with a contrast of evolutionary science and “creation science.”
1. You should understand the general structure of anthropology, including the four subfields. |
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2. You should understand the biocultural approach to studying humans. |
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3. You should understand science as a dynamic process and how knowledge can be acquired and tested scientifically. |
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4. You should understand the role of adaptation, variation and natural selection in evolution. You should also know the important ideas contributing to the theory of evolution developed before Darwin. You should be able to describe the contributions of Darwin to this model. |
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5. You should be able to discuss how the arguments for evolutionary science and creation science differ, especially in relation to testable hypotheses and the scientific method. |