Anthropology Field Notes WK 1

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School

University of Nevada, Las Vegas *

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300

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Anthropology

Date

Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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Uploaded by CaptainGorillaMaster267

1 Field Notes Week 1 Paige Stephenson Nightingale College ANT 300: Cultural Anthropology 4 September 2022

2 Day 1 At first, when I learned that I was taking an Anthropology class, I thought to myself why do I need to learn about Anthropology in a nursing program? I ’ ve taken Anthropology before at a junior college, so it seemed a little weird to be taking one when I want to be a nurse. Then I found out that it was going to be Cultural Anthropology, so I was intrigued. I enjoyed Anthropology at my other school, so I figured this class would be fun too! After doing some reading and participating in the discussion, I understood a little more why they would have this class in a nursing program . In the medical field, our main goal is to care for and treat patients as best as we can. Well, part of being able to care for them the best way that we can is having a good understanding of them and how we can best treat them. Understanding their culture plays a big part in that. Each patient is going to be different, therefore we will have to care for them differently. One patient may not care if a male or female doctor treats them, while the next may only prefer a health care provider of the same sex. Different cultures have different beliefs, and that includes when it comes to being cared for medically. Understanding other cultures can be as simple as taking time and listening to the patient ’ s beliefs and what they would like to happen moving forward. I ’ m eager to learn more about Cultural Anthropology and how it will help me while being a nurse . Day 2 In this week's reading, I learned the different characteristics of a culture. Before being enrolled in this course, I had my definition of culture, which is that it is a way of life of a group of people, including beliefs, behaviors, values, etc. The characteristics of culture include humans having the capability to learn the culture of different groups, culture can change with internal and external factors, humans can both conform or choose not to in regards to culture, etc. Culture is such a broad topic when you dive deep into it. We learn and hear about different cultures all the time, but don ’ t always take the time to fully understand them because they may not be what we believe in. It is so important to have a good understanding of different cultures to have a sense of togetherness. If people took the time to understand other cultures, instead of being ethnocentric, or believing their culture is better than others, maybe there wouldn ’ t be such a divide in the world . I ’ ve always enjoyed learning about different cultures and believe it would be beneficial to everyone to learn about other cultures. Cultural relativism is something that continues to happen unfortunately because it can be hard to understand other cultures that are not your own. Individuals will always compare their culture to others, instead of trying to understand it from an outsider's point of view. Taking time to learn about other cultures and beliefs isn ’ t hard to do, people just have to be willing and open to learning about them .

3 Day 3 While continuing to go through this week's reading, I discovered what fieldwork is and what an anthropologist goes through to conduct their research on different cultures around the world. Anthropologists gather data, or ethnography, which is an in-depth study of everyday practices and the lives of people. One way that anthropologists gather their data is through their observations by working and participating in activities with the people they are gathering data on. Before ethnography was created, anthropologists used techniques such as using other people's travels as their research to come up with conclusions about other cultures. Anthropologists typically used information from missionaries, business travelers, and others to help with their research. Using other people's experiences to conduct their research and come up with conclusions about other people and cultures, could be very conflicting and inaccurate. What one person experienced on their travels with different cultures, may not be accurate because it is from their point of view, or they could be exaggerating what they experienced. Now anthropologists conduct their research, so it is more accurate . Besides participating with the individuals they are studying, anthropologists use other techniques to gather information. Simple techniques such as having conversations and conducting interviews help anthropologists gather ethnographic data. You can learn so much about a person by engaging in a conversation with them, and once there is a sense of comfortability, more topics can be discussed to understand them and their culture even further. Other strategies that anthropologists use to conduct their research and gather information include gathering life histories, using the genealogical method, using informants, and writing field notes . Day 4 In the discussion for this week I was able to read and learn about other people's different definitions of what they believe that culture is. It is so interesting to see how other people define culture and it helps you understand it from a different point of view. At times it can be hard to get your point across, or you can ’ t come up with the words, but when reading it from a person it helps broaden your view on what culture is. Culture is such a huge topic, and can be defined as different things, so participating in these discussions is so helpful to understand such a broad topic . I enjoyed reading about how other students described how ethnocentrism can or cannot affect their job as a nurse, and how to avoid it. In the medical field, we need to be sensitive to our patient's cultures and not be judgemental. We expect our patients and others to respect us, so we need to respect them and their views. Ethnocentrism could cause many problems, such as not providing adequate care to patients, or misdiagnosing them by not taking time to understand their culture. It is important to have an open mind and be understanding, even if we may not agree with their cultural beliefs . I don ’ t have any prior experience in the medical field, but I have worked in education for about seven years. While working in education, I have taught students with many different cultural backgrounds, so I believe this will help me as I continue on my nursing journey. Being exposed to different cultures allowed me to reach my students in a different way that was a better fit for them. If I had a hard time understanding why a student was acting a certain way, or wouldn ’ t participate in an activity, I would just speak to their guardian, and in most cases, it was

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4 due to their cultural beliefs. Having an open mind when it comes to culture is important in life and our jobs. I ’ m excited to see what this class has to offer and what else I can learn about the culture and how it ’ ll help me as a future nurse .