{"data":[{"id":467,"title":"The History of Our Tribe: Hominini","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2017,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"Where did we come from? What were our ancestors like? Why do we differ from other animals? How do scientists trace and construct our evolutionary history? The History of Our Tribe: Hominini provides answers to these questions and more. The book explores the field of paleoanthropology past and present. Beginning over 65 million years ago, Welker traces the evolution of our species, the environments and selective forces that shaped our ancestors, their physical and cultural adaptations, and the people and places involved with their discovery and study. It is designed as a textbook for a course on Human Evolution but can also serve as an introductory text for relevant sections of courses in Biological or General Anthropology or general interest. It is both a comprehensive technical reference for relevant terms, theories, methods, and species and an overview of the people, places, and discoveries that have imbued paleoanthropology with such fascination, romance, and mystery.","contributors":[{"id":4252,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Barbara","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Welker","location":"SUNY Geneseo","background_text":"Barbara Welker is Associate Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Geneseo. She received her Ph.D. in 2004 from SUNY Buffalo. She is a biological anthropologist, anatomist, primatologist, and behavioral ecologist. She teaches courses in biological anthropology, e.g. “Human Evolution”, “Human Ecology”, and “Primates”, and anatomy, e.g. “Human Osteology”. Her research involves feeding ecology and color vision genetics in mantled howler monkeys in Costa Rica."}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":30,"name":"History","parent_subject_id":6,"call_number":"D20","visible_textbooks_count":52,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/history"},{"id":6,"name":"Humanities","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":null,"visible_textbooks_count":418,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/humanities"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":393,"url":"https://milneopentextbooks.org/","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:39.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-04-15T13:41:17.000-05:00","name":"Open SUNY"}],"formats":[{"id":676,"type":"PDF","url":"https://milneopentextbooks.org/download/the-history-of-our-tribe-hominini-2/?tmstv=1672257463","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":677,"type":"eBook","url":"https://milneopentextbooks.org/download/the-history-of-our-tribe-hominini/?tmstv=1672257463","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":678,"type":"Online","url":"https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/the-history-of-our-tribe-hominini/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4","textbook_reviews_count":7,"reviews":[{"id":2003,"first_name":"Mary","last_name":"Baker","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Rhode Island College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This a great undergraduate-level text focusing on human paleontology that fills a gap between less detailed introductory texts and more complex or challenging text meant for the graduate level.  The book highlights the key fossil primates and gives complete coverage of the hominid record.  There is no index, but I didn't find this to be a problem.  ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content was accurate and unbiased, which is not always easy in this discipline.  I did not find errors.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book is up-to-date, covering the most recent discoveries.  If the rate of discoveries continues, updates will soon be needed, but the organization of the text lends itself to easy amendments.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This is a excellent book for an undergraduate course on human paleontology that is written with a sense of humor that should help draw students in to a fascinating topic.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This is a wonderfully consistent book which I think will support student-learning.  Key terms are highlighted and some include pronunciation guides.  When possible, every section covering the fossil record is organized in the same subsections:  Sites, main people associated with the fossils, a brief introduction, discovery and geographic range, physical characteristics with tables highlighting primitive and derived characteristics, and environment and way of life.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Overall, I like the text's organization.  For future editions could separate the section on dating techniques from the history of the discipline.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization makes sense and it follows the structure of a typical undergraduate course on human evolution:  an overview of the discipline including dating techniques, a section that connects human and nonhuman primate ecology and behavior, the evolutionary history of the primates, anatomy, and the human fossil record.  I think students will find the consistent structure to be easy to follow and understand.\n","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Excellent use of images, charts. and tables.  All of the links work.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The writing is clear, easy to understand; I did not find errors.  The content is sufficiently challenging but avoids unnecessary jargon or overly complex concepts and details.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Explores evidence for the evolution of culture and fossil diversity.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I plan to adopt the book.","created_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2056,"first_name":"Brian","last_name":"Peasnall","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Delaware","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The comprehensive nature of the material presented in this textbook was uneven. While some topics such as primate social organization was thorough and well presented, other topics were found wanting and sorely inadequate. This is particularly obvious with introductory material. For instance, one would expect a textbook on human evolution to present a discussion on the process of evolution by way of natural selection. Although the terms “evolution” and “natural selection” are used throughout the book, there is no explanation of what evolution is and how it works.  Having taught many courses in physical anthropology, it has become painfully obvious that many, if not most, students have a poor understanding of these concepts. It is fair to assume that any textbook on the evolutionary sciences will contain a basic presentation of what evolution is. However, the discussion of evolution is pretty much summed up by the following sentence: “Biologists and geneticists have refined the theory of evolution by means of natural selection by determining how traits are inherited” (page 5).\n\nAdditionally much of the basic introductory material is perfunctory.  For example, the history of paleoanthropology is presented in a single paragraph (page 7).  Likewise, students often wonder how we know when certain hominid species lived. And it is important that they know that the dates we have are actually based on real evidence. However, the discussion of dating techniques is extremely abbreviated, frequently omitting detail about the underlying premises upon which the dating method is based.  The student is told that obsidian hydration dating is used to date obsidian (volcanic glass) by measuring the amount of hydration that has occurred (page 11).  This is not particularly useful to the student who has no familiarity with how the past is dated. It would have been much more effective had the author explained that after a piece of obsidian is broken, it will absorb water at a constant rate along the broken edge. This then can be measured to determine how long ago the piece was broken or chipped. And if this piece happens to be tool or the byproduct of tool manufacture, we can tell how long ago the tool was made.  Discussion of other dating methods suffer from the same lack of detail and explanation.\n\nSimilar issues occur for the author’s discussion of primate classification (pages 13-23). Thus, the discussion on cladistics suffers from the same perfunctory treatment as dating methods mentioned above. At the very least, a formal definition of “cladistics” would have been useful. Instead the author presents terms used to delineate branches in a cladogram without actually talking about what a cladogram is or even what cladistics is.\n\nOn the other hand, other topics, such as primate social organization and the characteristics of Hominim anatomy are thorough and well presented. Where the textbook really shines is in its presentation of the various hominid species that have evolved throughout the Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs. In these chapters, which are located at the end of the book, the author presents a wealth of information concerning each hominid species, including information about the relevant fossils, important sites, who discovered the fossils and what the each species reveals about the evolution of our own species, Homo sapiens.\n","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Overall the book was generally accurate in terms of the material it presented and in terms of the general consensus held by those who work within the field of paleoanthropology. However, there is one glaring issue that hits the knowledgeable reader in the face, the mistranslation of the scientific names given to some of the species discussed in the book. For some reason, the term for the genus name “Homo” was erroneously based on the Greek word homo meaning “same” rather than the Latin word, homo, which means “man”.   This results in strange translations for the various species under discussion. So Homo habilis, which should mean “the handy man” in Latin (in reference to its production and use of the first known stone tools) is instead translated as “the same man”. This makes one wonder how such basic information made it past the editorial process, and may cause one to question the validity of other information presented in the book.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The material is current and up to date in terms of the research and presents the most recent understanding of hominid evolution. This is quite an accomplishment for a text dealing with a science that is constantly facing new data that challenges everything we thought we knew. Furthermore, the structure of that part of the book dealing with various hominid species is presented in a catalog form that will be very easy to update as new developments emerge.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"Clarity of material presented in the textbook is somewhat uneven. Most of the lack of clarity stems from the same issues discussed above in terms of the book’s comprehensiveness. This is further exacerbated by prose that is frequently stilted and awkward, potentially impeding the students’ understanding of complex ideas. Furthermore the author’s tendency to add silly comments throughout the book frequently gets in the way of communication of the material.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is consistent in its use of terminology. And the overall framework for how the material is organized and presented is logical and well done.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The overall structure of the textbook makes it easy to divide the book into logical segments to be assigned for reading throughout the semester in a general course on human evolution.  The topics presented are: Paleoanthropology, Primate Classification, Primate Evolution, Primate Social Organization and What is a Hominim. This is then followed by a comprehensive discussion and catalogue of various hominim species thus far known.  The only real problem is that, although the book is divided into topics that make sense, the coverage of the topics themselves is uneven with some topics being thorough and others lacking in the presentation of information.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"As indicated above the organization of the book is logical and well planned. However the perfunctory nature of some topics and the tendency towards the use of stilted, run-on sentences sometimes impedes the flow of information.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"With exception of images drawn specifically for this book, images used in the book are all public domain images. Although not always the best, most are adequate to demonstrate the ideas being expressed by the author. On page 22, the author presents a link to an informative video demonstrating rudimentary linguistic capabilities of a bonobo chimpanzee named Kanzi. The link worked well. However some of the diagrams and text boxes, particularly those in the chapter on primate classification, are sometimes confusing.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"With the exception of run-on and stilted sentences, the book is relatively free of grammatical errors. However those that do occur standout like a sore thumb. For instance, on page 15, where the author discusses the diminution of our olfactory senses, the author writes “We haplorhines have simpler, dry noses and do not smell as good!”","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The language throughout the book is gender neutral and inclusive.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"Due to the various issues discussed above, I would not adopt this book as a primary text for a course in human evolution. There are far too many gaps in basic information the students require in order to understand fully the concepts underlying the evolution of our species and the process of evolution generally. This need would be better served by a more detailed text on paleoanthropology and human evolution. However, I would certainly adopt this text as supplemental material primarily due to its excellent catalogue of the various hominid species that provides an invaluable understanding of our own evolutionary pathway.","created_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2236,"first_name":"Christine","last_name":"Boston","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Lincoln University (Missouri)","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"While the front matter of this textbook suggests that this is a textbook meant to cover physical anthropological subject matter this textbook emphasizes that which the title refers to: human evolution, or as the author liberally defines, subject matter related to primates: nonhuman and human alike.  These are two primary topics addressed within the text, meaning there is a great emphasis on primatology (primate classifications, anatomy, and social organization) and paleoanthropology (hominid/human evolution).  I disagree with the the author’s recommendation of this textbook for an introduction to physical anthropology class.  Having taught introductory anthropology courses for over a decade it is my belief and experience that this text is not suitable for such a course.  In the Introductory chapter the author admits that she wrote it with her 200 level Human Evolution course in mind, and the subject matter seems to mirror that curriculum closely.  Topics that I would expect to see in an introductory text but are excluded herein include an overview of anthropology and its subfields, a history of evolutionary thought, evolutionary theory, Mendelian and population genetics, and modern human variation.  Several of these topics are briefly discussed but in insufficient detail to allow a novice student the ability to understand the subject matter as presented in this textbook.  That is not to say that this textbook is not without its merits.  What it does discuss-primatology and paleoanthropology-is very well addressed and rather comprehensive.  This textbook would therefore make an excellent supplement to an advanced (300-400 level) primatology or human evolution course where students already have the background missing from this text.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Based on the content presented herein being primarily based on primatological and paleoanthropological subject matter I see no glaring inaccuracies in the subject matter, as well as no biases.  The subject matter is presented clearly and with multiple viewpoints shown when needed.  Therefore the accuracy is very high given the ever changing nature of the paleoanthropological subject matter.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The paleoanthropological content is up-to-date based on the current information within the field regarding the specific species that are known and published in the literature.  I find fault in the author’s lack of inclusion of more information pertaining to the debates regarding the origins of modern Homo sapiens, specifically her brief discussion on the Out-of-Africa, Multiregional, and Mostly-Out-of-Africa hypotheses.  These hypotheses are at the forefront of much current debate within the paleoanthropological scholarly community, and at the present time there does not appear to be a suitable means of incorporating that information into this textbook without creating a new chapter.  This may actually be preferred given the amount of information on this topic, which is a favored one for students to explore in writing assignments for introductory and advanced physical anthropology courses.  Overall, though, the information presented herein is quite relevant, making this textbook one that can be used for several semesters before either major edits are required to the text or a large amount of supplemental information is necessary to make up for deficiencies that occur as new information is discovered.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"Unfortunately, this textbook does lack in clarity in various ways.  While there are summary tables that are meant to enable the reader to better understand the content through concise description of the information presented within the body of the chapters many of these tables are unlabeled and a couple are not closely positioned to the content they are meant to summarize.  This left me, an advanced reader and physical anthropologist, confused, which means that students, who do not have the same background, may become lost by the content.  When the tables are labeled and closely positioned they are amazing resources.  This just is not consistently done throughout the textbook.  \n\nAnother area of lack of clarity is the information presented within the first few chapters that are meant to summarize content related to archaeology and evolutionary theory.  These chapters are quite sparse and act more of summaries than actual explanatory content.  They currently warrant additional information to enable an introductory student the ability to understand the content.  As written these chapters are most suitable for students who already have the background to understand what the author is referring to, further demonstrating the usefulness of this textbook in advanced anthropology courses.\n\nLastly, the author explains the differences between Australopithecines and Paranthropocines rather oddly.  She correctly identifies that the primary differences between these two genera is based on the cranial morphology, specifically related to mastication, but she provided more detail on what specifically these differences entailed with the Paranthropus introduction, which came after the introduction to Australopithecines.  I feel this explanation is needed with the Australopithecines to better explain the differences between the genera.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This textbook is internally consistent.  Each major section is introduced by a brief introduction, providing the reader with an idea of what the main theme is.  The chapters follow a sequential order that is required and standard of physical anthropological subject matter, as well as chronological order of the hominid species addressed herein.  The chapters have similar structure, allowing for ease of understanding by the reader.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"As noted above there are main sections identified within the text, which does allow for an educator to easily assign specific sections or modules of information to students.  The only critique within this criteria is that the summarizing tables are often not labeled, which can cause confusion and difficulties in quick review of the information by readers.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The subject matter and order presented herein follows the standards within the field of physical anthropology.  The only critiques are the lack of introductory information pertaining to anthropology, evolutionary theory, etc. (as noted above), and the inclusion of anatomical terms between the sections on primates and human evolution.  I understand why the author may have chosen this placement as her discussion on primates was not very anatomically heavy, whereas the discussion of human evolution is, but it can seem to distract the reader if they are not able to make that connection.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Several of the images are distorted and blurry.  This includes photographs, charts, and figures.  This disables the readers ability to clearly understand and read the content of these images to understand what the author is referring to in the chapter content.  Unfortunately, at least in the downloaded PDF, there is no way to download the images to view them through a different image viewer to try to remove this distortion.  As well, while I appreciate the inclusion of videos in this textbook as it enhances the learning experience it is unclear in several videos that there are embedded hyperlinks to view them.  \n\nLastly, the author adds personal commentary throughout the text.  This can be a boon or a bane to the reader, depending on how they feel about said commentary.  This may draw readers in as they appreciate the quirkiness of the author’s thoughts and humor, engaging them in the subject matter further, or this may turn off the reader and act as a distraction.  I found some of the commentary to be entertaining, while others were distracting and irrelevant (e.g. the Black Skull and the Skull and Cross Bones image).","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The textbook was largely grammatical and spelling error free.  The only critique is the lack of capitalization of formal names of specific hominid species (e.g. Neandertals).","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The author does not engage in any culturally insensitive language or writes in an overtly offensive manner throughout the text.  My only concern is the Eurocentric nature of her discussion of anatomically modern Homo sapiens.  She claims that her discussion of largely European evidence is based on the amount of it, but I do not feel that is a logical argument to exclude the evidence from Africa.  I would like to see an inclusion of that information within this chapter as it is different sets of evidence that demonstrates cultural diversity that has and continues to exist among groups on either continent, as well as showcases how environment affects cultural evolution.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"None at this time.","created_at":"2018-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2275,"first_name":"Daniel","last_name":"Kreutzer","position":"Community Faculty","institution_name":"Metropolitan State University","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book feels like it begins in the middle of the semester. The subject of paleoanthropology is introduced without an explanation of what anthropology is and quickly summarizes the history of paleoanthropology while touching upon major subjects like evolutionary theory and population genetics, which are rather important to the concept of an evolving hominin lineage. How paleoanthropologists conduct research in the field and in the laboratory would benefit from additional details and explanation. There are three chapters that discuss the primates as an Order comprehensively, including their classification, evolution, and social structures. Likewise, the chapter that describes the hominins is equally comprehensive in introducing the group. The majority of the text is dedicated to a chronological listing and description of the genera and species identified as hominins, taking a splitter’s approach by exploring each species separately. The latest available information is used along with maps, photographs, and sketches, which allows for a fairly complete picture of hominin history and diversity.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"There are no glaring inaccuracies within the text. The public domain images used connect to the material and are placed appropriately within the text. The sketches that begin the chapters are creative interpretations and visually interesting.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The information is relatively up-to-date, which is not easy in this field. The way the text is organized should make it easy to update information as needed.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The author’s voice clearly comes through in the writing style. While her sense of humor won’t appeal to everyone, personally I find it more accessible than the usual dry style of the typical textbook.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There are no obvious inconsistencies within the text.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The text is highly modular and could easily be divided into numerous sections. Some chapters are far less informative than others, but that is more a reflection of how spotty the evidence is for some hominin species.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization of topics is logical and the chronological presentation of the hominin species is standard for texts on this subject at this level.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Some of the public domain images used are distorted at 100% magnification, including text elements that are unreadable.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The most glaring error is chapter 5’s title, What is a Hominim, rather than Hominin. Otherwise, spelling and grammar are acceptable.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"In chapter 36, Homo sapiens, the discussion of cultural traits and innovations focuses on Europe to the exclusion of AMH elsewhere in Eurasia and especially in Africa. This makes it seem like all paleolithic cultural development occurred in Europe.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"The textbook works better as a supplemental resource for biological anthropology courses rather than as a primary text because it is focused solely as a paleoanthropology text. Even for a paleoanthropology course there would need to be more information on evolution, archaeological methods and laboratory techniques, especially on the topics of reconstructing paleoenvironments and relative and chronometric dating.","created_at":"2018-08-02T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-08-02T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2402,"first_name":"Cat","last_name":"Sartin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Fort Hays State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book offers a comprehensive overview of the Hominini fossil record, including many recent finds. In order to use this book in a Biological Anthropology or Human Origins course, it may be necessary to pull in other, more introductory, resources about constructing phylogenies, dating fossils, etc. ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"This book offers an accurate description of all the fossil material. When discussing how different fossils fit into the phylogeny, it does a good job of indicating where there are disagreements and the nature of those disagreements.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This book is up-to-date and arranged in a way that would make up-dates relatively easy and straightforward to implement. As new discoveries are likely, and those discoveries will likely change and/or add to our existing theories, up-dates will almost certainly be necessary. However, it is impossible to predict how far in the future the next such big discovery will be made.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The writing is extremely clear, but does not shy away from technical terms. Students would need knowledge of human osteology and, depending on prerequisites for the course, may need additional materials to aid their understanding.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The layout for each chapter is consistent and makes it very easy to navigate and find information.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each chapter, which usually covers a single taxa, is relative short. Within each chapter are sections headings, which could easily be assigned individually if the full chapter was too long.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is organized into broad geologic time periods. Within each time period, each fossil taxa is given its own chapter. This will make it quite easy to move taxa in light of new evidence. It also helps to reinforce the idea that evolution is not directional - that it not a straight line, but resembles a bush instead.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The book was easy to navigate and read on my laptop (HP), tablet (HP), and iPhone. It was formatted nicely for each device and free of distortions and other formatting problems.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text is well written and free of grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This text addresses misconceptions about different taxa, such as H. neanderthalensis, in an objective and scientific manner. When discussing anatomically modern H. sapiens, the text addresses the paucity of the fossil record and why more is known about certain regions (e.g. western Europe) than others.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2018-11-25T12:30:29.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-11-25T12:30:29.000-06:00"},{"id":2506,"first_name":"Guy","last_name":"Prouty, Ph.D.","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Boise State University","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"There is no index or glossary to this text; they are needed to make this text more comprehensive. Plus, a number of the references are cited from Wikipedia.  Although using Wikipedia may be useful for initial research to prepare content, it would have been better instead to cite the academic literature for students.  Plus, there is no tight peer review for Wikipedia articles.  I teach online sections in introductory Biological Anthropology, plus lab, and I do not use Wikipedia for this very reason.  \r\n\r\nIn addition, Part 1 needs expansion; there is too little material present.  There is little discussion of the principles of genetics, natural selection, and the process of fossilization. These basic biological topics are essential to help students understand the evolutionary and adaptive processes of primates and hominins. \r\n\r\nI also would have preferred to see a chapter on modern biological variation.  I try to make my courses very relevant to my students, especially to those who are not anthropology majors, and they enjoy learning why there is no such thing as “race.”  This would have been a welcome addition to this text.\r\n\r\nFinally, I would have preferred to see a module presented on the last 10,000 years of human prehistory, particularly how the development and adoption of agriculture impacted human health, such as the increased rates of developing type II diabetes, obesity, cancer and how they may be treated.  My students are often surprised to learn this, along with the fact that modern Homo sapiens are continuing to evolve.  \r\n\r\n","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I found all of the sections to accurate, and I appreciate the updated material on the individual chapters on the various species of hominins analyzed in the text. ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"As previously noted, more relevant material needed to be added about modern human biological variation and the last 10,000 years of human prehistory. These are very important topics and need to be included in all introductory texts such as this one. \r\n\r\nThe author has done a nice job of keeping the material up to date and updates should be relatively easy. \r\n","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"I found the text to be well-written overall with adequate definitions of jargon and technical terminology.  However, more clarification is needed about dating techniques, genetics, and natural selection. In-depth discussions of these would help illuminate content for students, especially when they read technical material about hominins in the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene epochs. ","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The text is consistent in terminology and framework.  I did not observe any significant inconsistent statements or content. \r\n\r\nHowever, I think that each chapter, whenever possible, should have at least one video to maintain consistency. Many, if not most introductory students are visual learners, and I think they would appreciate viewing a number of excellent video productions available on the Internet. \r\n","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I found the text to have adequate subheadings, and not overtly self-referential.  The modules on the various hominins discussed and analyzed in Parts II, III, and IV are well done.  Often, in traditional texts, a number of hominin ancestors are discussed together, which can confuse students. A chapter dedicated to a specific genus and species in this text is most welcome. \r\n\r\n","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I found the topics in the text to be well organized and easy to follow.  There are no discrepancies that I observed. ","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"A number of the tables and figures were difficult to read; apparently, there was a problem in resolution, and they were not sharp and clear.  How will students with visual problems, along with normal vision, be able to clearly read these?  The text obviously needs to be updated with these corrections to prevent confusion or distractions. \r\n\r\nAlso, although I appreciated the figure drawings by KIeenan Taylor, they are not of the caliber found in traditional textbooks. Although creating more professional illustrations would require greater costs, the quality of the drawings needs improvement. \r\n","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"Homo was described as “same”, rather than the correct Latin description of “man.”  The heading of chapter 5 was also misspelled as “hominim”, rather than “hominin.”  These are the only grammatical problems I observed. Tighter proof-reading is needed.  ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The material is benign and is not offensive to different ethnicities and backgrounds.  As noted earlier, a discussion on racism is needed to make the material relevant to students. ","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"As this text is currently presented, I would not use it to replace my current textbook; it’s lack of introductory material on genetics, natural selection, and modern biological anthropology does not fulfill my needs for a 100-level textbook.  Rather, I would gladly use it as a supplement, especially the material presented in Parts III-IV where each chapter is dedicated to a specific hominin ancestor. \r\n\r\n","created_at":"2019-01-09T15:35:29.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-01-09T15:35:29.000-06:00"},{"id":35202,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"It provided an excellent review of primates and human evolution. Later homo is a bit scanty, but the lineage is clearly covered. No discussion of current trends.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Well supported and well referenced.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Updates and additions will be easy to include.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Consistent in format and easy to follow.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I love the consistent pattern throughout each section. So great!","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each section is modular and has the same approach.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Flows well across each evolutionary period. Covers same format for each.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Excellent diagrams and illustrations. Would like more media links.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"None noted.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"No mention of local conservation of sites and materials.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"Would like greater coverage of later homo. Inclusion of modern homo. Inclusion of more media links. Inclusion of discussion questions.","created_at":"2024-08-15T11:59:02.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-08-15T11:59:02.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-history-of-our-tribe-hominini","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:09:08.000-06:00"},{"id":464,"title":"Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology","edition_statement":"Second Edition","volume":null,"copyright_year":2020,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"We are delighted to bring to you this novel textbook, a collection of chapters on the essential topics in cultural anthropology. Different from other introductory textbooks, this book is an edited volume with each chapter written by a different author. Each author has written from their experiences working as an anthropologist and that personal touch makes for an accessible introduction to cultural anthropology. Our approach to cultural anthropology is holistic. We see the interconnectedness of cultural practices and, in all of the chapters, we emphasize the comparison of cultures and the ways of life of different peoples. We start with Laura Nader’s observation that cultural differences need not be seen as a problem. In our complicated world of increasing migration, nationalism, and climate challenges, cultural diversity might actually be the source of conflict resolution and new approaches to ensuring a healthier world. Indeed, as Katie Nelson reminds us, anthropology exposes the familiarity in the ideas and practices of others that seem bizarre. Robert Borofsky advocates for anthropology’s ability to empower people and facilitate good. Borofsky calls on anthropologists to engage with a wider public to bring our incredible stories and important insights to helping resolve the most critical issues we face in the world today. This book brings Nader, Nelson, Borofsky, and many others together to demonstrate that our anthropological understandings can help all of us to improve the lives of people the world over. We need you, as students, to see the possibilities. As instructors, we want to help you easily share anthropological knowledge and understanding. We want all readers to be inspired by the intensely personal writings of the anthropologists who contribute to this volume.","contributors":[{"id":4245,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Nina","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Brown","location":"Community College of Baltimore County","background_text":""},{"id":4246,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Thomas","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Mcllwraith","location":"University of Guelph","background_text":""},{"id":6699,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Laura","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Tubelle de González","location":"San Diego Miramar College","background_text":""}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":46,"name":"Cultural \u0026 Ethnic Studies","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"HM621","visible_textbooks_count":26,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/cultural-ethnic-studies"},{"id":47,"name":"Gender \u0026 Sexuality Studies","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"HQ1101","visible_textbooks_count":16,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/gender-sexuality-studies"},{"id":51,"name":"Religion","parent_subject_id":6,"call_number":"BL1","visible_textbooks_count":19,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/religion"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":404,"url":"https://perspectives.americananthro.org/","year":2023,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:39.000-05:00","updated_at":"2023-11-29T13:28:37.000-06:00","name":"American Anthropological Association"}],"formats":[{"id":692,"type":"PDF","url":"https://perspectives.americananthro.org/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":1710,"type":"eBook","url":"https://perspectives.americananthro.org/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":3884,"type":"Online","url":"https://pressbooks.pub/perspectives/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":3885,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"https://www.amazon.com/Perspectives-Open-Invitation-Cultural-Anthropology/dp/193130355X","price":{"cents":6900,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":18,"reviews":[{"id":1888,"first_name":"Alcira","last_name":"Forero-Pena","position":"Adjunct Assistant Professor","institution_name":"LaGuardia Community College of The City University of New York","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Very few times I have come across a more comprehensive textbook. The 18 chapters cover major topics in Cultural Anthropology ranging from a very critical introduction by Laura Nader on what this discipline has historically been about, its uniqueness within the social sciences to a thought provoking chapter on Public Anthropology by the distinguished scholar Robert Borofsky. Every chapter includes useful sections such as the Learning Objectives at the beginning and the Discussion Questions at the end. Besides, for every theme the students will find excellent material in the form of photography as well as links to websites with scholarly and other sources where both students and instructors would be able to expand or go deeper into a subject. The use of notes is also pertinent and to the point.\n\nOther key feature present in each chapter is a variety of case studies that would support the students' understanding of anthropological concepts, theories, the historical and social context, and the role of the ethnographer or anthropologist within and outside academia. Also, there is no scarcity of websites for students to get hold of documentaries, other audio-visual and written material to facilitate their grasp of the subject. The Glossary at the end of each chapter also contributes to make this textbook a very user friendly one.\n\nI would hardly find a more comprehensive presentation and discussion of all the subjects included in the textbook. Another illustration of my point is Chapter 10 on the complexity of sexuality and gender coordinated by Carol Mukhopadhyay, which in my opinion goes beyond undergraduate level so the instructor has plenty of possible entries to these subjects.\n\nI am adopting the textbook with no reservations whatsoever and I am glad that my students in the Community College I am teaching will not have to pay for it","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"From the chapters I read I found accurate presentation and discussion of themes backed by Notes and Bibliography to credit the sources.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"One of the qualities I found in the textbook is the treatment and inclusion of the \"classic\" works in Cultural Anthropology as well as a wide array of works by contemporary practitioners and authors. I can see how the textbook will stand the test of time. ","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"By and large, the language used by the authors is clear and they provide explanations and illustrations to make their point(s) clear.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Every chapter of the textbook is consistent with an overall pattern that I am sure the editors where very careful about.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Perhaps the second edition should work to achieve better modularity. Taken into account that each of the 18 chapters is written by different author(s), I can explain why some sections (blocks) could be better organized.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"There is a logic presentation of each chapter with a general introduction to the subject followed by the intricacies, both conceptual and ethnographic of the theme. I really appreciate the inclusion of case studies with very interesting and current perspective.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I did not find a particular problem related to interface issues. The images are clear and well chosen and the display of links to websites or other sources is correct.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any grammatical error in the several chapters that I reviewed.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"One of the main reasons that drew me to the textbook is the cultural relevance of the theoretical, methodological, and ethical aspects of the material presented. I will be very happy with the exposure my students will have to main tenets of Cultural Anthropology with careful and inclusive choices of language and illustrations of concepts and case studies that incorporate up to date material.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I am going to adopt the textbook and I would like to keep in touch because, after all, it is in the actual experience that we learn and appreciate a textbook.","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":2015,"first_name":"David","last_name":"Beriss","position":"Associate Professor of Anthropology","institution_name":"University of New Orleans","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"All basic cultural anthropology texts strive to be comprehensive. This is hard to do, given that our discipline aspires to be a science of humanity itself – to be comprehensive is to cover holistically nearly every aspect of human life (or at least, all aspects that relate to society and culture). That is hard to do in one book, especially if there is only one author. As a collection of individual essays, this book succeeds in ways other cannot. Each individual essay is the work of an anthropologist with expertise in that specific area, so that each chapter is mostly comprehensive in its own terms. The book covers all the areas that standard textbooks cover (culture, language, kinship, gender, economics, etc.). It goes beyond those areas, however, with chapters on sustainability, performance, media, medicine, and public anthropology. And it has some excellent interviews and resources that can liven up the readings for students. It is a remarkable resource that I will draw on in upcoming classes.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Each chapter has an individual author and each other seems to have done their best to provide an accurate set of insights into the history, theories, and methods of the particular part of anthropology they study. That said, there is always room for other anthropologists to disagree, to assert alternative ideas, or contradictory evidence. Within the usual framework of our discipline, this is a very accurate representation of cultural anthropology.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This is a very up-to-date representation of cultural anthropology as of early 2018. Many of the chapters should remain relevant for quite some time. It might be helpful in the long run to add or change some of the interviews, as new anthropologists with interesting insights become available. Also, some of the links to videos in various chapters already appear to be broken. They may still be available with some searching, but that is a bit of an issue.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The chapters are mostly written in a style that should be easily accessible to undergraduates. Jargon and technical terms are explained and each chapter has a list of keywords and definitions, which is very helpful.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The format of each chapter is the same, with learning objectives, the text, highlighted terms and concepts, questions for study, a glossary, a an author bio, bibliography (often very helpful!), notes.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This book is designed so that an instructor can easily assign individual chapters without needing the entire book. This is a great feature for teaching.That said, I would not recommend breaking up the chapters into smaller sections.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The flow of the book replicates the style of most cultural anthropology textbooks, except for the extra material (interviews, etc.) at the end.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I used the Apple Ibook reader and it seems fine.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The grammar and editing were excellent.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This is a cultural anthropology introductory textbook. It covers quite a lot of ground in terms of different cultures, social structures, etc. People may be offended when confronted with the full range of human thinking, activity, etc. This is the kind of book people need to read if they want to learn about humanity and think critically about their own culture and society. If they are not prepared to be shaken out of their own insensitivity, they should not read this book. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I am quite happy to have read this and look forward to incorporating parts of it in my next intro cultural anthropology class.","created_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2058,"first_name":"Víctor M","last_name":"Torres-Vélez","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Hostos Community College, CUNY","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Content wise the book is comprehensive and it addresses each one of the major themes/topics that an introductory cultural anthropology course needs to cover. The order of the topics follows a logical progression, from the simple to the complex, that allows a proper introduction to anthropology’s key ideas.\n\nThe review was done on the PDF version of the book, which is my preferred reading format for students and myself. I prefer PDFs because they retain all the formatting layout of the original printed versions, which allows for proper page citations and referencing of passages when discussing it. The chapters layout on, Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology, indeed reproduces what you will expected in a printed version. However, the PDF version was lacking a Table of Content, and an effective index and or global glossary. In order to view the table of content you have to go the online version of the book, a rather unnecessary step. Although there is not a global glossary, individual chapters have, after the conclusion, useful chapter glossaries and discussion questions.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"This book is meant as an introduction to cultural anthropology and as such is a survey of the key concepts and debates that makes up the discipline across time. The book is accurate on its representation of the multiplicity of approaches the discipline is known for.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Both the overall structure of the book as well as the organization of each individual chapter makes this book relevant, up-to-date and easily modifiable. This is particularly true of the well organized chapter structure. From the outset you have clearly stated learning objectives. Each chapter is highly modular, broken down in smaller sections with clear headings. Key concepts are in bold. Well placed images further expand on concepts discussed. At the end of each chapter succinct conclusions accompanied by discussion questions and a chapter glossary just make of this book a joy to read for the students. \n","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Even when the book is a collaboration of multiple authors, I found remarkably consistent the writing style. Particularly how clear and clean the prose was. The editors did a great job in keeping the writing consistent across the board.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Anthropology is a discipline with a multiplicity of approaches, theoretical and otherwise. Emphasis on what is relevant when addressing a topic vary greatly depending on the viewpoint. However, what makes this text interesting is how the editors made sure the structure of the chapters remained consistent regardless of the disciplinary approach.\n","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"While some of the chapters could have use a little more modularity, the majority of the chapter are modular, well structure and clear.\n","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Both the overall structure of the book as well as the organization of each individual chapter makes this book relevant, up-to-date and easily modifiable. This is particularly true of the well organized chapter structure. Content wise the book is comprehensive and it addresses each one of the major themes/topics that an introductory cultural anthropology course needs to cover. The order of the topics follows a logical progression, from the simple to the complex, that allows a proper introduction to anthropology’s key ideas.\n","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"On the PDF version, other than lacking a table of content and a global glossary, the book is flawless in its typesetting, layout, and overall organizational structure.\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Superbly written. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I cannot wait to use parts of this book in many of my classes.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This book was a pleasure to review.","created_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2194,"first_name":"Jason","last_name":"James","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Mary Washington","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text as a whole is very comprehensive, as are the individual chapters.  With one exception the text covers all of the topics I include in my introductory course in cultural anthropology.  The one topic missing in my view is social class and the cultural dimensions of inequality, particularly the concepts of cultural and social capital as well as resistance.  Anthropological approaches influenced my Marx and Marxist thinking could receive more attention.   Chapters on language, politics, and economics do address the issue to some extent, but my ideal text would include a more extensive treatment of this topic.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"I find the text to be quite accurate on the whole.  I found very few mischaracterizations of ideas or situations.  In a couple of instances very brief reference was made to an interpretation that is highly speculative.  This is a bit dangerous in my view given that many students in introductory courses may be skeptical of anthropology's validity.  In a case like this it is better to leave a very questionable point out, or to provide more information about the issue to allow students and instructors to discuss the matter in more detail.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The text does a nice job overall of using both \"classic\" anthropological ideas and examples/case studies as well as very recent examples.  The inclusion of examples with which students will likely be familiar is very important to demonstrating the relevance of cultural anthropology to issues students are likely to see as close to \"home.\"  At the same time, such examples can easily become less relevant in a fairly short time.  Although it is a decidedly important area of interest and one most students would be aware of, Donald Trump's presidency received a bit too much attention.  And although Islamic State is a very important example for political anthropology, the extent of that treatment is a bit out of proportion in comparison to other chapters' case studies.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"By and large the chapters are very clearly written and seem to be \"pitched\" at the right level.  Some parts of the first three introductory chapters (anthropology, culture, research methods) struck me as a bit too elementary, but all of the topical chapters were clearly written.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The text is reasonably consistent, especially considering that each chapter was written by different authors, often multiple ones.  The use of multiple authors makes it unavoidable that as a whole it is not as consistent as a book by a single author would be, but again, the consistency is very good given that fact.  The consistent format is helpful.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"I could imagine assigning individual chapters of the text, so I would rate the modularity as good.  With some exceptions, individual chapters and sections are of reasonable length.  The chapter on gender in particular struck me as quite long — perhaps finding a way to create two chapters would have been helpful.  Given that the text lends itself to possibly assigning individual chapters, it would be helpful if it were offered not just with the entire text as a pdf file, but also as individual chapters, or on a site where students could select individual chapters to read.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The overall organization works well.  The one thing that struck me as less than ideal was the degree of overlap between the first three chapters.  This is understandably challenging: the discipline, its central concept, and its methods are all very closely intertwined, so it is challenging to separate those topics from one another and discuss them effectively in distinct chapters without too much overlap.  That said, I could imagine my students finding some of the material/chapters repetitive.  Repetition is not always bad, and the editors note that the overlap can be used to highlight the centrality of holism, but I think some additional editing to reduce some of the overlap in the early chapters would be welcome.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface is generally user-friendly.  I appreciate the inclusion of live links to videos and other materials.  As noted above, the single pdf file that I used is a bit cumbersome if one is doing anything other than reading all of the chapters in order.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not identify any significant problems with grammar.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The variety of examples is impressive.  This is no doubt one advantage of having many authors.  The nature of the examples and commentary in some cases make the chapters less than ideal in my view.  This may depend on the student population with which one works.  In my view cultural anthropology meshes closely with what broadly counts as a \"liberal\" perspective, and it certainly does so in my case.  In many parts of this text that connection is also evident.  That said, I work to balance that with the awareness that many students find it easy to dismiss the findings and perspectives of the discipline as simply \"liberal opinion.\"  Here too the number and nature of references to Donald Trump certainly make the text timely, and I welcome that, in part because I support engaged anthropology.  At the same time, in my particular case the need to be strategic in order to not alienate too many students is also important.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"I appreciate the work of the editors and authors to make a strong open source introductory text in cultural anthropology available.","created_at":"2018-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2739,"first_name":"Jessica","last_name":"Park","position":"Professor ","institution_name":"College of Marin","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Overall the content is quite comprehensive. Introductory courses like cultural anthropology are taught as a survey course, covering a lot of material at a basic level. As such, these classes are quite broad. Perspectives does an excellent job of covering the content offered in most cultural anthropology courses. Many of the chapters present the standard topics found in most cultural anthropology textbooks, however Perspectives adds content not often found in many cultural anthropology texts (culture/sustainability, seeing like an anthropologist, media and public anthropology). This makes Perspectives more comprehensive than most cultural anthropology textbooks out there today and provides great flexibility in what chapters, topics and content the instructor wants to use. This is an excellent textbook.\r\n","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Perspectives provides very accurate content within the topics/institutions presented in each chapter as well as the overall methods and perspectives used to study humans through an \"anthropological\" lens. \r\n","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Perspectives presents a very current outlook of cultural anthropology, especially with the recent nature of the additional interactive links/material. Though this text provides many formative and historical examples, I think the contemporary examples of anthropological work are valuable to the students as it exemplifies how anthropological concepts can be used to study our world today. And, as most of the academic content in each chapter is similar to other cultural anthropology textbooks, I think the basic content of this textbook will remain relevant for many years. However, some of the current examples and interactive material could loose relevance over time. Maybe newer culturally relevant examples could replace the older examples when the authors update the textbook. Overall, this is a very strong text and I can see using it in my courses for many years.\r\n","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I found Perspectives to be a very clear and approachable text. The language style use by the authors is appropriate to students at an undergraduate level. The discipline/topical terms are all clearly identified (bolded) and defined, followed by a chapter glossary at the end of each chapter. I also think that the additional interactive content, links to maps, videos etc., not only enhances the experience of this text but helps to provide clarification and concrete examples of material discussed in each chapter. \r\n","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I found the each chapter to be quite consistent. Even though a different individual authors each chapter, the language style and approach to the material are very similar to each other. It reads like a text that has a single author, but benefits from the perspectives and knowledge of several different academics', each who have relevant experience in the topic they author. Also, the consistency in the layout and organization makes this a very accessible text to read and navigate.\r\n","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I found the modularity of the text to be quite good. I found a copy of this text at http://perspectives.americananthro.org. This site allowed me to access and download each chapter individually.  This creates a lot of flexibility in which chapters can be assigned to students. Moreover it increases the usefulness of the text for me because it can easily be incorporated into course management systems like Canvas (or others) which is a great feature for anyone who teaches online. I LOVE this aspect. As for the chapters, each is well divided into readable sections of content via headings. As a text, I believe that Perspectives is flexible enough to allow instructors to tailor the book to their courses and content.\r\n","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book has excellent organization, structure and flow. The first thing I noticed is that the chapter content is similar to o other cultural anthropology textbooks I have used and is organized in a similar fashion. Each chapter starts with a set of learning objectives followed by clear subject headings throughout the text making the material very easy to follow. Like most texts, the important terms for each topic are bolded and defined throughout the chapter. Finally the chapters wrap up with an overall conclusion, discussion and chapter glossary of all of the important terms from the chapter. Mimicking the traditional structure of a book chapter makes the transition to reading this in an online format much easier. As I have stated the content is similar to that of most introductory cultural anthropology books. As such it allows for a lot of flexibility in coverage of topics. Also I was able to find a version of the text at http://perspectives.americananthro.org that allowed me to access each chapter individually. This would increase the flexibility of use for this textbook and again, is great for the modularity aspect of this text.\r\n","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I reviewed the PDF version of Perspectives. I prefer the PDF because it retains an original textbook style formatting and seems more stable across multiple devices (like computers and mobile devices) than other online formats. I did not encounter any navigational issues. The text and each chapter is very well organized and extremely consistent in its layout. The regularity in the lay out makes it very easy for the reader to navigate each chapter. The photos were clear and well placed. I REALLY loved interactive links interspersed throughout the text. These links make for a much more interactive and dynamic experience that I think students will love.\r\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The book is very well edited.  I found no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Cultural anthropology is a comprehensive discipline that covers many aspects of humans and our life-ways. Some topics such as race and gender may push some individuals out of their comfort zones, but I believe this is an important aspect of college and learning about the diversity in what it means to be human. Anthropologists aim to be both culturally relativistic and holistic in their approach to studying humans.  I think perspectives does an excellent job of applying these concepts.  No aspect of this text is insensitive or offensive. The authors were comprehensive and inclusive in their use of cultural examples and language.\r\n","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"This is an excellent textbook. I had a lot of fun exploring each chapter and I am very excited to use this text in my classes!\r\n","created_at":"2019-04-06T16:33:28.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-04-06T16:33:28.000-05:00"},{"id":3334,"first_name":" Nikki","last_name":" Manning","position":"Instructor of Anthropology/Archaeology","institution_name":"TRAILS","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"I particularly appreciate the highlighted terms within the text and the glossary associated with each chapter. This is a useful tool for those with a verbal/linguistic style of learning and I have found for newcomers to a particular subject. While I am not a big fan of traditional testing that employs the use of defining terms or multiple choice, it does make the student creation of a study guide more simplistic. I would like to see the discussion questions at the end of chapters be a bit broader in scope in order to help students form a more comprehensive understanding of the chapter. \r\n\r\nI appreciate that the introductory chapter brings forward many of the original thinkers and practitioners of Anthropology right in the very beginning. It provides a foundation of early/classic anthropological readings for any student so inclined to delve a bit deeper than the textbook. I particularly appreciate that anthropology, as described in the introduction, is a discipline that transcends the science/humanities divide.\r\n\r\nThere are two topics that I would like to see included that I cover a great deal in my class discussions – Human Migration and Cultural Heritage and its Conservation. Not only is migration not a new human behavior but it is a complex human behavior in terms of motivation, patterns, politics, economics, and cultural diversity. It is also a current topic of anthropological concern and relevance. Chapter 14 on “Performance” (not a fan of the title) touches on intangible heritage without necessarily calling it that but teaching anthropology students early about the concept of cultural heritage – a very difficult term to truly and completely define – and getting them to start thinking in that direction is imperative. Why discuss culture if we don’t think of it in terms of heritage that should be understood, respected, and protected?\r\n\r\nWhile the introduction does explain that in most academic settings the field of Anthropology has a four subfield approach and even touches on some specialization within Anthropology, it is very heavily reliant on ethnographic research and methods as examples, leaving out physical anthropology and forensics, and archaeology. I realize this is a book about cultural anthropology specifically but would like to see a little more about the other subfields at least in the Introduction. ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"While I am not an expert of details in terms of all examples used in the text, I do not find any glaring inaccuracies or errors in the general anthropological text. I have a few bias concerns. For example, the section in Chapter 7 (Political Anthropology) on the U.S. Prison System pushes the boundary between presenting information and promoting opinion. While I do not disagree with the argument presented, this seems to be more appropriate for a journal article or a type of “text box” call-out (as I refer to in the “Relevance Longevity” review section below). ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"On a positive note, Chapter 5 (Subsistence) is one of the chapters (along with the chapters on Culture and Sustainability and Media Anthropology) that provides content that can be most relevant to current times and events while still reaching back in time to explain the different modes of subsistence and how those have evolved over time and how globalization has impacted subsistence. \r\n\r\nUnfortunately, some sections throughout the text (for example: some references to Donald Trump) read more like current events articles than academic textbook, especially an introductory text. Other language usage hinders the texts longevity as well. “Over the past [two] years” and “recently” are two examples. The discussion in the political anthropology chapter about ISIS and the formation of state is fascinating. It is not often that a current generation has the ability to see something like this taking shape before their very eyes but perhaps restructuring the format a bit would be helpful. For example, the reference to Abu Bakral-Baghdadi is extremely relevant to the topic but he has been killed since the text was written. The suggestion is to make it less “current events” and more “just the facts.”\r\n\r\nI like the “Text Boxes” in the Gender \u0026 Sexuality chapter (Chapter 10) because it employs a means of incorporating very current information as examples but they are easily interchangeable and updatable without having to affect the main body of the text other than to perhaps change the Text Box number in the text. As an aside, the “Text Boxes” are more reader-friendly and break up the main body of the text to keep it from being to monotonous.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The language and tone of the text is academic without overuse of technical jargon. The necessary anthropological terms that would be unfamiliar to beginner students are highlighted within the text and the glossary associated with each chapter. Learning objectives are a plus.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Understandably, the byproduct of an edited volume, there are some framework inconsistencies that could be addressed. The learning objectives, glossaries, discussion questions, video and hyperlink call-outs, and special text boxes, all contribute to a smooth consistency throughout. However, two of the chapters have activities which give students the opportunity to “hit the ground running” as young anthropologists by not just reading about anthropology but by doing it. Chapter 4 (Language) incorporates the “Try This” activities and Chapter 10 (Gender \u0026 Sexuality) has a list of Activities to choose from at the end of the chapter. It would be interesting to see more of this in other chapters.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"As an open and dissected text, the modularity is great. I would definitely use many of these chapters in a course of mine.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"While some repetition in terms and glossary are a good way to reinforce concepts, there is a little bit of disjointedness from having multiple authors cover some of the same topics within the text that makes it less reinforcement and more overly repetitious. For example, Chapters 2 and 3 discuss “armchair” and “off the veranda” ethnographic methods when it is really only needed in Chapter 3 about field methods in Anthropology. Chapter 1 also uses the same example from Chapter 2 to discuss the four field approach and holism. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The incorporation of links to videos and other readings is very useful.\r\n\r\nThere are a few errors in chapter organization between the Table of Contents, the digital chapter sections, and the PDF version of the text. This involves the chapters Health and Medicine, Anthropology in Practice, Media Anthropology, and Public Anthropology.\r\n\r\nI had a very difficult time reading the Public Anthropology chapter. The plethora of bold type-face is extremely distracting although it is meant to help make some points clearer. I also take issue with the author encouraging the students to skip and skim using the bold type. While this is an invaluable skill later in college and particularly graduate school, I would not encourage my freshman or sophomore students to engage in this practice with an introductory textbook.\r\n\r\nInterview sections in the teaching resources appendix are awesome! More of these would be welcome. Students in an introductory Anthropology course are often in the process of deciding if Anthropology is for them and being able to make life and career applications are important. Maybe there could be one of these for each chapter, an interview with someone who specializes in that chapter’s topic.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not notice any glaring grammatical issues.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The chapter of Anthropology in Practice encourages students to check their bias at the door by at least acknowledging that it exists and affects the research. This is very important – perhaps include a brief discussion on this in the introductory chapters, as well. I appreciate that ethics conversations are important and present along with subjectivity and objectivity, cultural relativism, and activism presented as a debate for students to think about.\r\n\r\nIn the first chapter, there is a section on plasticity that has a few references that are questionable. First, “After all, Navajo means people and many groups think they are superior to others” and second, a reference to the “Islamic scarf.”  I am not entirely sure what is attempting to be conveyed there but it could be misconstrued as offensive when I suspect it is much more a sentence structure issue. (That section on plasticity has multiple sentence structure issues.)\r\n\r\nIn Chapter 2, in trying to explain the pitfalls of ethnocentrism, talking about “going native” as an actual anthropological term and not part of our anthropological dark past basically perpetuates the concept of “Other” and could be avoided.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I would definitely use this book, especially certain chapters of it, in my classes and would recommend it to others. I am actually looking forward to using it and appreciated the opportunity to review it.","created_at":"2019-11-29T18:34:37.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-11-29T18:34:37.000-06:00"},{"id":4309,"first_name":"Hilary","last_name":"Morland","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Community College of Aurora","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text is an edited volume of chapters written by different authors.  It covers the history, theoretical framework, and methodology of anthropology and includes individual chapters on important topics and concepts in contemporary cultural anthropology.\r\n\r\nThere is a Table of Contents for the entire book. Each chapter includes its own glossary and bibliography. However, there is no index or search function and it might be difficult to locate a particular topic by chapter or page number. \r\n\r\nThe range of topics within cultural anthropology is immense and it would be nearly impossible to produce a textbook that covers EVERYTHING. \r\n\r\nI would like to see a chapter about human evolution; while this subject falls within the purview of biological anthropology,  one could argue that students must understand the evolutionary history of humans as a species in order to fully understand the significance of contemporary human cultural variation.  I also would like to see one or more chapters explore classic ethnographies about indigenous cultures that no longer exist as they did when they were documented by anthropologists. Often, these peoples are mentioned to illustrate a concept but I believe there would be value to students at the introductory level in studying lost and changing cultures in depth.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not notice any errors in content or obvious sources of bias.  Anthropologists by definition attempt to be unbiased in their presentations.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Perspectives is in its second edition, updated in 2020. The textbook is designed to be a living document that can be used in part or in whole and easily updated. The editors have included a Teaching \u0026 Learning Resources section, and invite instructors to contribute to the collection.  \r\n\r\nPerspectives includes chapters on contemporary topics such as Globalization, Media Anthropology, Public Anthropology, and Environmental Anthropology and the Anthropocene. Presumably, the events of 2020 will merit revision and updating of some chapters (e.g., race and ethnicity, medical anthropology, globalization) and/or the addition of brand new chapters discussing the anthropological perspective on these events.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Accessibility is one of the most attractive features of Perspectives. This is not a typical anthropology textbook, crammed with dense text, sidebars, boxes, diagrams, and charts. One of the major strengths of this textbook is the writing style.  Although each chapter has a different author, the style is remarkably consistent across chapters.  Each chapter is written in a highly engaging style. Each author weaves their own personal and professional experiences into their academic treatment of the topic. Terms are explained well in the text and also defined in a glossary at the end of each chapter.  Photos, occasional diagrams, links to external content, and mini-bios of the author are used to enhance the presentation of the material. There is so much here for students to relate to in the material and in the authors' experiences of being anthropologists. Each chapter is enjoyable and easy to read.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There is consistency across chapters. The focus of each chapter is to discuss cultural variation among contemporary human groups using examples and case studies from the anthropological literature. Each author discusses the history of anthropological studies on the main topic, defines important terminology, and explains relevant concepts. Each chapter includes a set of Learning Objectives at the start and a list of Discussion Questions, glossary of terms, and bibliography at the end. There is some overlap of discussion about basic concepts across chapters, particularly in the opening section, and this repetition should reinforce important concepts for students.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The list of chapters and content should align well with any syllabus for a typical introductory cultural anthropology class. It would be equally effective to use the entire book or to pick and choose individual chapters according to the particular emphasis of the syllabus. \r\n\r\nThe textbook landing page is well organized with a list of chapter titles and authors clearly presented. Chapters are numbered once downloaded, and page numbers and/or subheadings would allow parts of chapters to be assigned for reading. \r\n\r\nThere are a variety of options for accessing the material. Students can download individual chapters or the entire book or read the material directly online through a browser. There are options for pdf format or for print format. \r\n\r\nThere is an excellent set of teaching and learning resources available for download, including an instructor’s manual with questions, activities, reading, films, and other resources, powerpoint presentations, and test bank (available only to instructors).","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion.  There are chapters on the history, methodology, and theoretical framework of anthropology and chapters on various topics of interest within the field.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The text contains a variety of photos, diagrams, and links to external content.  I did not experience any interface issues.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not notice any grammatical errors in any of the chapters.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"N/A.  Anthropology is by definition the study of different races, ethnicities, identities, cultures, and backgrounds and the concept of cultural relativism  (defined in the text as “the idea that we should seek to understand another person’s beliefs and behaviors from the perspective of their own culture and not our own”) is the cornerstone of our field.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I would highly recommend Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology for any introductory course on any college campus.  Perspectives is designed to facilitate effective teaching of introductory cultural anthropology, whether remote or face to face.  The material is well organized and accessible, and presented in an engaging, interesting, easy to read manner. Helpful instructor resources are provided on the website. Adopting Perspectives in an introductory cultural anthropology class would surely enrich the experience of both student and instructor.","created_at":"2020-08-12T14:56:55.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-08-12T14:56:55.000-05:00"},{"id":4535,"first_name":"Jennifer","last_name":"Haynes-Clark","position":"Adjunct Professor","institution_name":"Rogue Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook offer a holistic approach to the broad field of cultural anthropology which includes an overview of special topics that should be included in any introductory course, as well as a focus on issues that are especially relevant to contemporary anthropological study such as globalization, sustainability, climate change, the role of media, the influence of culture on identity and applied anthropology.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not notice any inaccuracies or errors in the chapters that I reviewed. Because this text is an edited volume, a collection of chapters written by different authors, a wide variety of perspectives contributes to an approach that is as unbiased as possible.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Unique as an introductory textbook, many chapters present topics are particularly cutting edge in the field of cultural anthropology and would be of great interest to today's student searching for relevancy in the subject matter. One such topic would include the section on applied anthropology and the use of media in anthropology to advocate for young people's interests in hip hop in Peru. The use of such methodology as photovoice and other participant-driven methods demonstrates to students that anthropology offers a fresh, dynamic, and even empowering approach to understanding cultural diversity.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Each chapter included highlighted key terms, a glossary, and fascinating case studies and photographs that illustrate the concepts using examples from practicing anthropologists.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There is consistency in the way the chapters are organized, each chapter beginning with a list of Learning Objectives which are included as subtitles of sections throughout the chapter. Each section contains relevant key terms that highlighted and defined in a glossary at the end of each chapter. Main concepts are illustrated through case studies describing the work of practicing anthropologists.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text can be easily divided into smaller sections that could be rearranged by an instructor based on individual curriculum. For example, there are many examples of applied anthropology throughout the text that illustrate the relevance of anthropological study in addressing social issues that stem from climate change, health issues, and the global impacts of neoliberalism.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The textbook is organized in a logical way, beginning with foundational concepts, methodology, and theory, and then moving on to areas of special study within the larger field of cultural anthropology.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I did not notice any significant interface or navigation issues. All images headings, links, images and text seem clear and formatted correctly.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not notice any grammatical issues in the chapters that I reviewed.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"As this is a cultural anthropology textbook, the aim of this book is to present cultural diversity with exceptional sensitivity to inclusion in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, belief, ability, and other backgrounds. I feel this text provides a wide variety of examples of diversity, acknowledging the importance of broad representation in pursuit of an unbiased approach to cross-cultural understanding.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I would recommend this textbook for all students who are interested in social science and its growing relevance in understanding a rapidly changing world. This book highlights the relevance of the anthropological perspective in resolving many of the complications that we are experiencing in our complex social lives. A greater understanding of cultural diversity and giving voice to a multitude of perspectives is a source of empowerment that I believe students will especially appreciate. This textbook is useful in its flexible organization, its variety of perspectives and its helpful resources for instructors.","created_at":"2021-01-07T13:59:41.000-06:00","updated_at":"2021-01-07T13:59:41.000-06:00"},{"id":4851,"first_name":"Toni","last_name":"Tileva","position":"Professorial Lecturer","institution_name":"American University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The chapters are written in a sophisticated way and cover a wide variety of topics. Because the authors are different, students are exposed to a variety of approaches. Each chapter includes a glossary and bibliography. The chapter on language is especially well-written, as is the globalization one. Good coverage of methods in anthropology as well.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not notice any inaccuracies or biases.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Perspectives is in its second edition, updated in 2020. Contemporary topics such as Globalization, Media Anthropology, Public Anthropology, and Environmental Anthropology are especially salient.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Terms are explained well in the text and also defined in a glossary at the end of each chapter. This text manages to cover so much in a very succinct and accessible way.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The chapters meet the learning objectives outlined.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I assign chapters along with other articles, so it works perfectly not only assigned in whole but also broken down. I even assign parts of certain chapters--it has worked so well.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The trajectory/story arc makes logical sense, so I would say this is well designed.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The text contains a variety of photos, diagrams, and links to external content.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not notice any grammatical errors in any of the chapters.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This text really does offer a variety of perspectives. It is written in a non-didactic way and encourages critical thinking quite naturally and seamlessly.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I have looked at a number of anthro textbooks (open source and not) and this is by far the best one I have encountered. Really well-done, AAA and authors.  In fact, I am using in my class!","created_at":"2021-04-26T14:00:52.000-05:00","updated_at":"2021-04-30T12:09:42.000-05:00"},{"id":5120,"first_name":"Luis F. B.","last_name":"Plascencia","position":"Adjunct Instructor","institution_name":"University of Texas at Arlington","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text does a good job of introducing the field of cultural anthropology, though not the four-fields of anthropology. Chapter one does introduce the four fields, but the presentation is limited. This is understandable, due to the fact that it would take more than one chapter to present each of the three remaining fields (i.e., archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology) and the methodologies and conceptual frameworks in each one. Although the individual glossaries in the individual chapters in Part One allow for the chapters to be used independently, this leads to much duplication. The citation of sources in individual chapters also duplicates the listing of sources across chapters.\r\n\r\nThere is no Index in the book. But since it appears that the anthology is constructed to be read as independent chapters, then an index would not have the value that it would have if it was a single book.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"There are some minor issues that can be easily corrected. One issue is the listing of the editors as authors. Perspectives is an anthology not a co-authored book, but the title page does not include the terms “Editors,” as is the normal practice in the publishing of academic books. Related to this, the listing of editors did not include “and” after the second editor—the standard form in academic books.\r\n\r\nOverall, the copy-editing of the text is good. However, there are some issues that the editors overlooked such as some references not cited correctly; some important terms are presented, but they are not defined/explained, and others. There is significant repetition within Part I. Basic ideas/concepts are repeated in the first twelve chapters. Again, if the chapters are supposed to stand-alone, then this would be expected. But if the editors intend for the text to be read as a whole, the reader is confronted with much repetition. If the latter is the aim, then it would make sense to combine the chapter glossaries into a single glossary at the end of the book, as well as combine all of the references into a single Works Cited section at the end of the work.\r\n\r\nThere are also some concepts that are not accurately defined. One example is the concept of “intersex” that is introduced in Ch. 9. The text defines the concept as “individuals with ambiguous genitals” (p. 247). This is an incomplete definition. First, like the construct of “race,” “intersex” is a social construct, and reflects multiple elements. Intersex is a general term for multiple biological variations that appear in humans, some appear at birth, others can surface at puberty. An intersex person may or may not have ambiguous genitals, they may possess variation in the presence of “sex” chromosomes (i.e., XX-female, XY-male, XX-male, XY-female, XXY, XYY, XXX, etc.), or persons can have different levels of androgen and/or testosterone production, and degrees of insensitivity to these. This means that a new-born human can be categorized as having ‘normal’ genitalia, be categorized as a “girl” or a “boy,” but have a complex chromosome or hormone make-up that is not apparent to the parents or medical staff. There is also the relatively-rare condition where a human, for example, is born with “normal” female genitalia, but at puberty may develop male characteristics. Such persons are also commonly categorized as intersex.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"The content of some of the chapters can be framed as “up-to-date,” however, a good number of the chapters in Part I contain terminology and concepts that are not current within the field of social anthropology, or at least not commonly deployed today such as: “informants,” “traditional,” “emic” v. “etic,” and others. There is also some presentation of “cultural” groups as homogeneous, unvaried communities. Much of social anthropology has moved to recognizing that labels such as “the Navajo” (or the Diné), “Americans,” “traditional Chinese,” “undocumented,” etc., represent incomplete and somewhat misleading statements. \r\nThe presence of some of these issues complicate easy revisions of the entire book.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The prose of most of the chapters is accessible to undergraduate students. Most concepts introduced are highlighted, and presented in the individual chapter glossaries. However, as noted in the other answers, structural and conceptual issues need more careful discussion.","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"Since the textbook is an anthology, the text represents the multiple views of authors. There are some areas that the editors could have discussed with the contributors and presented more consistently in the anthology, or more directly addressed in the Introduction. The most important of these is the central concept of “culture.” \r\nFor example: Ch. 1 defines “culture” as “a set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that are learned and shared. Together, they form an all-encompassing, integrated whole that binds people together and shapes their worldview and lifeways” (p.17). And in Ch. 4, the reader is informed that “culture” is “An integrated system of mental elements (beliefs, values, worldview, attitudes, norms), the behavior motivated by those mental elements, and the material items created by those behaviors” (p. 71). Students that are asked to read several of the chapters in Part One may struggle to understand the concept of \"culture,\" given multiple definitions encountered.\r\nSome of the concepts in both definitions have been under debate among anthropologists for a good number of years. The assertion that “culture” is an “all-encompassing, integrated whole” or “an integrated system of mental elements” are not constructs that I have heard at the annual meetings of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) for a good number of years. They are constructs I would not use in an Introduction to Cultural/Social Anthropology courses.\r\n\r\nThe editors also could have standardized the presentation of endnotes and references/citations. Some chapter have both, and the endnotes contain full citations. Full citations should have been integrated into the References/Works Cited, rather than duplicate the same information. And more than one style is used in the chapter bibliographies. Within The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), in social science books, the endnotes are used to present an idea/observation that would distract the reader if included in the text; or the place where the author wishes to guide the reader to other important works. Generally the form used is the CMS author-date format (e.g., See Foucault 1982; Bourdieu 1988). The Works Cited would have the full citation of each.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"There are a small number of chapters that I could integrate in my Introduction to Anthropology course. The course has a four-field focus. The notable chapters are Chapter Four on Language, and Chapter 13 on the History of Anthropological Ideas.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The organization follows a common pattern among introductory books. The limit of this, however, is that by segmenting social actions in a particular community, as “family and marriage,” “religion,” “economics,” etcetera, it inadvertently argues against the proposition that cultural anthropology is “holistic.” The presentation reinforces the view that one can easily segment the lives of individuals and communities. In our lives, for example, we know that how we view political actors or statements may be shaped by our religious background, our racio-ethnic position, our economic class, our sexual orientation, etc. The areas of our daily lives are not easily segmented into clean categories, and most individuals have multiple identifications. An individual can be a parent, a spouse, a university professor, a brother, a Sunday school teacher, a volunteer in a political campaign, a feminist, etc.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"With the use of Adobe Acrobat Pro, the chapters can be easily selected into individual chapters.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The only grammatical error I encountered is found on p. 355: “are are”.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"Something that stood out for me was the absence of citations of the important work of established Chicano/Mexican/Latina/o anthropologist. Carlos Vélez-Ibáñes, Martha Menchaca, Robert Álvarez, Diego Vigil, and others were overlooked. Thought the text did mention Leo Chávez in two pages, Patricia Zavella was noted in three endnotes, but not in the text; Renato Rosaldo was mentioned in two pages; Lynn Stephen was noted in one page; and Arturo Escobar appeared in one endnote. The very limited inclusion of established Latina/o anthropologist suggests that the contributors may not have been aware of their substantial contributions.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"At the University of Texas at Arlington, the anthropology program does not have an Introduction to Cultural/Social anthropology, but it does have the Introduction to Anthropology course aimed at non-anthropology majors, and the focus of the course is the four fields in anthropology. This limits the integration of the anthology reviewed.\r\nSecondly, the anthology contains only two contributions from established anthropologists: Laura Nader (Ch. 13) and Robert Borofsky (Ch. 19). The inclusion of other prominent anthropologist in current discussions, such as Achille Mbembe, Didier Fassin, and others, would aid in drawing interest in the anthology.","created_at":"2021-06-18T15:20:04.000-05:00","updated_at":"2021-06-18T15:20:04.000-05:00"},{"id":33520,"first_name":"Laura","last_name":"Elder","position":"Associate Professor \u0026 Chair of Global Studies","institution_name":"Saint Mary's College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text covers all areas appropriately and in depth.  My only quibble is that I hope in future iterations the authors will include more interviews with practitioners (as they did in section on \"why anthropology is important\" pp. 18-24 and in the \"practicing anthropology\" interview on pp. 417-418.  Another text that I have used (Race: Are we so different? Goodman, Moses \u0026 Jones) includes interviews throughout and students found them very engaging.  I expect that students will appreciate similar interview sections in the various topical areas such as language, gender, health, etc. of this text.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is accurate and unbiased.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Some of the case studies dealing with current issues (such as Globalization in Application: The Syrian Situation Today (courtesy of Laurie King) pg. 325-326 need to be updated.  In addition, some of the hyperlinks (such as http://www.pbs.org/thelinguists/Endangered-Languages/Hear-Them-Spoken.html) are either broken or link to material which is no longer accessible (such as the McDonald's menu items hyperlinked on pg. 308).  Of course in future iterations the authors can easily update these links.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Despite the multiple authorial voices, the text is lucid and accessible.  One drawback is that there is repetition between sections (as for example between \"the culture concept\" and \"doing fieldwork\").  However, as noted below, because of the ease in \"remixing\" these sections to suite individual course needs this does not pose a problem.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I particularly appreciate the text's modularity which provides flexibility in mixing and blending between sections in the interests of providing most effective coverage of topics with a limited time frame.  For example, I tend to cover subsistence and ecology together in order to disrupt students' biases in favor of technological approaches to sustainability.  Blending the \"culture \u0026 sustainability\" and \"subsistence\" sections and subsections was quickly accomplished and provides excellent coverage.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization of the text is clear and logical.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"In the PDF version of the text some of the pages have large gaps between text and images but this problem does not occur when reading online. Graphics and images are clear and legible.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any grammatical errors in the text.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The book is highly relevant and culturally inclusive (including case studies and perspectives from many marginalized groups globally).","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I look forward to using this and future updated editions.","created_at":"2021-12-10T16:30:21.000-06:00","updated_at":"2021-12-10T16:30:21.000-06:00"},{"id":33880,"first_name":"Erin","last_name":"Gould","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Johnson County Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"In terms of comprehensiveness, I think the book does a great job of covering a lot of the areas that I want covered in an introductory text. Some of the ideas are covered in multiple chapters (including things like culture, kinship and family), which can help reinforce topics but can also become slightly repetitive. The only topic that I discuss while consulting other textbooks is the topic of economic class and inequality. While there is an Economic Anthropology section, the way that contemporary understandings of class are discussed is not as robust as I want for my students. Class is inherently one of the topics that is overlooked in the United States (with the exception of political rhetoric during election times), and due to this, the topic is something I want to make sure that students engage with on a deeper level. The glossaries for each chapter are great resources for students, and I like the fact that all the words in the glossaries are bolded in the actual text.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I think the accuracy is high due to the great diversity of authors that write each individual chapter in the text. For each topic, there is a scholar or multiple, whose expertise lies within the area, that describe the history and development of different concepts, which really brings out the best information to give students. It is clear through stories and scholar highlights in each chapter that those interviewed, writing, and editing the chapters of the textbook care about giving up to date information to our students.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"I think that the textbook does a great job of including people's scholarly journeys and other highlights that the text will stay relevant for a longer period of time, but I also think these are things that can be updated more easily than the bulk of the text itself. The chapters are organized in a way that the beginning highlights some of the development and foundation of each concept before diving deeper into case studies that are supposed to speak more to students. These case studies could be kept for a long period of time, but this is the area that it may be important for editors and authors to update with new case studies to keep up with student interests and contemporary times.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"To provide context to my answer in this section, I'd like to note that I've taught with this text for three years at this point. I think the text does a great job of outlining material that needs to be covered in a way that is appropriate and clear. The only comment I usually get from students is that the textbook chapters are long, but this comment is also made about my shorter readings that I assign in complement to the longer textbook chapters. With clarity never being an issue with any comments I receive from students, I have to assume that all parties are able to understand the content given in the textbook!","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I think the text is consistent in that the chapters are organized in the same way, with the history/foundation content or introductory stories, followed by deeper dives into content, followed by case studies and samples from scholarly research, and ends with the glossary of highlighted terms. There are also always questions for students to go through to keep thinking about the content/review their comprehension. Due to the fact that each chapter is written by a different author or authors, there is some overlap or explanations of frameworks that occur to make sure students understand the author(s)'s perspectives on content.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity of the text is great, as they make an effort to have many headings and subheadings within each chapter that can be used to delineate what sections students should pay closer attention to. The text itself has some repetitive chapters (Chapters 1 \u0026 2--Introduction to Anthropology AND What is Culture?; Chapters 8 \u0026 10--Family and Marriage AND Gender and Sexuality), but I keep one chapter assigned and one for optional reading in case students are more interested in the topic. Also, due to the way the information is displayed on the website, the textbook can be used for individual chapters as you see fit as an instructor. There are 19 chapters, so it covers a lot of content that you are free to assign as you see necessary for your class's content, and each chapter can be downloaded or read online (and a link can be given for each chapter you assign).","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The content of the book looks like it is organized so that if you needed to use only Part 1 chapters for your introductory Cultural Anthropology class, everything would be there for you, including introduction to anthropology (generally), what is culture, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, globalization, etc. So Part 2 chapters focus on more content that may or may not be usually included in an introductory class, including things like sustainability, performance, history of anthropological ideas, public anthropology, health and medicine, and so on. I find that, due to the extra benefits of a test bank and lecture slides, this could be a good approach for an instructor who does not have a lot of time to organize the class content before starting the semester. However, I do actually use many chapters from Part 2 instead of some chapters from Part 1 because I feel that they fit better with my idea of what content I want to expose my students to.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface for the text is pretty basic, but that also means that there are not many glitches/issues with accessing material or with formatting of charts and images. They do a good job of including different images and charts, as is pertinent, and there are times where they also embed links to different videos. From other reviews on the book (on this website), people noted that some of these video links don't work. However, I may not be using all the videos included in the book, but the ones that I do use have been working for the last three years of using the book. But, if another reviewer mentioned this, I would also make sure to try links within the chapters that you assign to make sure that students will have access to those if you assign those elements within the text.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"No texts are ever perfect, but my experience with this text has been pretty good. I find that sometimes the extra content or some random sentences in the text need to be updated with their editing, but nothing egregious or anything that students would have trouble understanding due to grammatical structures.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"As a textbook for Cultural Anthropology, if this text received less than a 5, it would be quite surprising. Due to the many different authors of each chapter/content area, there are a lot of different case studies brought up from around the world. In my classes, students have commented that even though I don't cover all of them in class, they get a good picture of a lot of different ideas of what anthropology can be from the case studies from around the world. I also like that the examples in the text are not just from places that people would call \"exotic,\" as this would just deepen the erroneous understanding that most people have about anthropology already. For instance, in the chapter on Gender and Sexuality, the authors actually bring in an example about gendered language and stereotypes brought up during the 2016 United States Presidential Election, demonstrating how our biases/understandings of gender and use of gendered language can be seen in our everyday interactions and EVEN within politics--while many of us may be able to acknowledge that, many of my students have been surprised to see how these everyday situations can show enculturated understandings of the concepts we learn about in class.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I thoroughly enjoy using this text in the classroom, and I enjoy being able to support other anthropologists who have put together great scholars to provide open access information for students. My students are always happy to use this textbook. While the text provides a basic foundation for learning, it is placed on the instructor to create activities and classroom discussions of the content, but do note that each chapter provides further discussion questions/review questions near to the end of each chapter. The test banks and the instructor slide bonus materials have been invaluable to the continued use of this textbook, even if at this point, my lecture slides diverge significantly from those provided. I find that the text gives a good foundation for students that instructors can easily supplement with other materials to get main points across.","created_at":"2022-05-26T15:15:43.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-05-26T15:15:43.000-05:00"},{"id":33961,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"A key strength of this source is its comprehensive coverage of the key concepts found in Cultural Anthropology. And, each concept is highlighted in the text for ease of finding it by the students as well as listed in the Glossary at the end of each Chapter.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Sources are listed and material is well supported. I would like to have seen additional direct quotes of the movers and shakers that students might know of.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Content coverage is mostly our basic content found in all anthropology texts. I would like to have seen more current examples that students could better relate to.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Clearly written and readable. There is some evidence of different writing approaches between the chapters and authors.","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"There is some evidence of different writing approaches between the chapters and authors. I love the coffee shop framework of the first two chapters and then it is gone. Others begin with a story while others a basic introduction. I would also like to see the integration of media be consistent in all chapters.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"The third section seems to be a hodgepodge of areas that lack internal coherence. And, there are far too many sections for a quarter into course.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"See comment above. The first two sections have better organization in my opinion, especially the first section. I like the inclusion of the discussion questions and glossary for each chapter.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I like the inclusion of the discussion questions and glossary for each chapter. Some of the photos lack clarity and interest.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Readable and I did not see any errors that jumped out at me.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I would like to see more global examples and more current ones that grab the student's attention.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"The strength of this text is its comprehensive coverage of the major anthropological concepts in a clear and concise manner and a in a readable style that the students can easily understand.","created_at":"2022-07-27T15:27:04.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-07-27T15:27:04.000-05:00"},{"id":34032,"first_name":"Sanaa","last_name":"Riaz","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Metropolitan State University of Denver","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book provides a clear introduction to the field of anthropology and the essential aspects of culture that inform anthropological inquiry. Each chapter ends with some discussion questions and a list of important key terms/glossary. \r\nIt has long been debated whether non-Anthropology students taking an introductory class in cultural anthropology need to learn about the history of theoretical paradigms in the field. This book is divided into two parts. Part 1 introduces the different sub-fields of anthropology, concepts integral to anthropological inquiry of human behavior and anthropological fieldwork methods. It covers these topics to move on to a chapter exclusively dedicated to the conceptualization of culture, which includes a brief discussion of the important figures and schools of thought in anthropology. The rest of the chapters in Part 1 are focused on what we conventionally expect an introductory text in cultural anthropology to cover, that is, aspects of kinship and marriage, religion, political organization, and gender lives. Part 2 of the book essentially explores the new arenas of cultural representation and change that represent newer sub-disciplines within cultural anthropology or that point to new avenues of anthropological inquiry in a global world. If an instructor was interested in the more conventional anthropology textbook format, they can use Part 1 of the book with the option of including the theoretical development and thematic specializations in the field from Part 2 or replacing the Part 1 first chapter with it. Alternatively, if an instructor wished to provide an overview of the fast-growing specializations within cultural anthropology, such as anthropology of performance, media anthropology, environmental anthropology and public anthropology, they could include Part 2 of the book.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is accurate from classic definitions of culture to cutting-edge discussions on anthropocene. It is typically in the images of non-white smaller subsistence communities, laborers in commodity chain and or informal economy, and gender plurality and religious rituals related illustrations that anthropological textbooks reek of ethnocentric, unethical and exotic white portrayals of other cultural lifeways. This textbook is free of all such problematic and exotifying images of \"other\" cultures, which really helps students see the universality of the discussions on spiritual well-being, non-industrial food production, non-Christian beliefs and gendered subjectivities, to name a few.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Part 2 of the book uses anthropocene as a point of departure to discuss ethnographic studies in environmental anthropology, applying political economy approach to sustainable development in First World countries, the importance of public anthropology, and also provides teasers into new avenues of anthropological inquiry, such as media anthropology and multi-species ethnography. While these features make the content up-to-date, they do not make the text obsolete. Rather, they create a model for incorporating updates in a straightforward process by adding ethnographic examples to the burgeoning fields of cultural anthropology discussed.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The most attractive aspect of the book is that it is written with introductory readers in mind. My students have never had a problem understanding information in the assigned chapters, nor do they find reading burdensome because of the textbook's accessible prose. All chapters begin with clearly stated learning objectives. The text opens with teaser questions on the topic followed by personal anecdotes and experiences from the field, such as the author's reflection on people's perceptions of their racial and ethnic heritage in school based on appearance in the chapter, Race and Ethnicity, to begin a discussion on the social construction of race, which ease the reader into deconstructing the concepts that will be covered. Section headings are also in line with the conversational pattern of the prose and key terms are dispersed at adequate intervals to allow for easy cognitive processing.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This being an Open Educational Resource, the chapters and sections within are parsable. The terminology in each chapter, however, is kept consistent with the basic premise of analyzing each aspect of culture holistically. This can be seen in the discussion on syncretism in the chapter, Globalization. The textbook framework moving between key terms in bold to section headings containing ethnographic examples and conceptual discussions allows instructors to create definition-based objective questions as well as subjective discussion questions from each chapter.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This Open Educational Resource can be edited within chapters or as a selection of chapters. I found it very easy to mix and match chapters in Parts 1 and 2 of the book based on my Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course weekly themes. The textbook does not assume that the reader will have arrived at a chapter after reviewing a previous one and eases readers with overlapping but not replicative content, such as on theoretical approaches between chapter, The Culture Concept and chapter, The History of Anthropological Ideas, on subsistence covered in the chapter, Economics, in the chapter, Culture and Sustainability: Environmental Anthropology in the Anthropocene from a sustainability angle, on a discussion of \"Ritual as Performance\" in the chapter, Performance with a focus on performance in ritual, rather than the types of rituals, as enumerated in the chapter, Religion, etc.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"As an Open Educational Resource, it is an advantage for instructors that there is not much self-referencing in the textbook and the chapters can be modified and rearranged. That said, the textbook moves in a logical manner with Part 1 beginning with an introduction to the field and sub-fields of the discipline and the concept of culture to verbal, non-verbal communication to economic behavior and political institutions to forms of social identity (family, gender, race, ethnicity) with a discussion on globalization providing a closing statement on the changing nature of culture and setting a logical framework to move from the classically small-group case studies that anthropology is famous for towards the macro-level, global issues that can be deconstructed from an anthropological lens, such as development, environmental disasters and medical pluralism, the focus of chapters in Part 2. Part 2 also elaborates on themes in Part 1 in a clear fashion with a focus on introduction to and case studies from the growing sub-fields in cultural anthropology, such as media anthropology, public anthropology and environmental anthropology.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I adopted this textbook on the Blackboard Learning Management System and then again on Canvas. I have had students access it outside United States with erratic internet and they have not encountered any issues with the display. I have used the textbook with large classes where students on the autism spectrum and those receiving learning and physical disabilities assistance have used it without noting any distracting features or images. The textbook was also cleared by the instructional design team and online course quality standards review team at my University.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text contains no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Typically, an inherent bias in textbook discussions on non-American and non-Western cultural ways, be it in the domain of marriage, subsistence, religious expression or other is that they insensitively include National Geographic style glossy, colored images of non-white faces and bodies. There is not a single instance of insensitive or offensive photography in this textbook. Moreover, pictures like a diverse group working at Starbucks in the discussion on coffee commodity chain in the chapter, Subsistence and of a Trump impersonator at a pro-Trump Rally in the discussion on how transnational identities and religion impact perceptions of American politics in the chapter, Religion make the cultural content more inclusive and relatable.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"Power is a concept that has been officially defined in the chapter, Political Anthropology, but used in every chapter to highlight its relevance in economic relations, matriarchal/patriarchal systems, and other aspects of cultural life. In future revisions of the textbook, I would like to see a more formal undertaking of the concept of power and representation in defining culture and in cultural continuity. It would be great to see power established as a point of departure for understanding all aspects of culture early on in the textbook (the chapter, The Culture Concept would be a good place) and revisited in relation to each chapter topic. Thus, power can be a keyword repeated in individual chapter glossary, but with an emphasis on labor relations in one chapter and on racism in another. Also, the chapter on Health and Medicine can be moved to Part 1, as it has been discussed holistically in relation to faith, communal healing, culture bound syndromes and other cultural behaviors.","created_at":"2022-09-07T01:46:41.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-09-07T01:46:41.000-05:00"},{"id":34195,"first_name":"Miriam","last_name":"Kilimo","position":"Visiting Assistant Professor","institution_name":"James Madison University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Overall, the textbook covers the main topics that are in many other introductory cultural anthropology texts. The 2nd edition of the book is organized into two main parts. The first part provides an overview of the main topics, whereas the second part provides information about more specific subfields in cultural anthropology such as health, media, and performance. The textbook encourages instructors to ‘build their own book’ by adapting chapters as needed. A key difference between this textbook and other textbooks is that the chapters are written by different authors. The use of multiple authors helps to provide different perspectives on anthropology. However, it also leads to a bit of repetition, as definitions and materials that have been covered in previous chapters can be repeated in other chapters.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is accurate and error-free. I did not identify instances of bias.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This book functions as a good textbook that provides a lot of background for the main topics in an introductory cultural anthropology class. Since the textbook is written by multiple authors, I’m not sure to what extent updates can be easily made, save for including new chapters in the text. Additionally, while the textbook provides good background information, I found that some chapters did not always provide enough context about the racist and colonial roots of anthropology. This information is mostly only included in one chapter that describes the History of Anthropological ideas. I would have appreciated it if this information was included in the chapters, for example, describing how the colonial roots of political anthropology. However, the fact that the chapters are written by multiple authors means that there may be competing priorities.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is written in an accessible way. The authors describe any concepts they introduce. Each chapter also includes a glossary that provides definitions of key terms used in the chapter.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The text is consistent in framework and terminology. The main difference is that because it is written by multiple authors, some concepts are repeated with authors providing their own definitions.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Each chapter has various subsections. Several of the chapters open with a vignette about the author’s experience, which they revisit at various points in the chapter. Therefore, it’s not very easy to simply use one section of a chapter in case it refers to an example that was discussed earlier in the text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics are organized well. The textbook has two parts: the first part includes main topics in cultural anthropology that are in common anthropology textbooks. The second part includes more specific topics and begins with a chapter that provides an overview of various specializations in anthropology.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The text can be downloaded as a PDF. The PDF includes a navigation pane that one can use to link to various chapters. The subsections are not available on the navigation pane, so one needs to go through a chapter to identify the main subsections.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not observe any glaring grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not observe any cultural insensitivity. The book draws from examples across the world, focusing on examples of different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I found the textbook useful as an open-access resource that provides background for introductory classes in cultural anthropology. Given that the textbook provides lots of information on general and specific topics, the editors encourage instructors to adapt the book according to their needs, such as only using various chapters or sections. I assigned chapters of the textbook alongside other film and ethnographic essays. The chapters were intended to provide a background for key concepts in anthropology. One downside is that because the textbook is written by multiple authors, there is no “central thesis” about cultural anthropology that brings all the chapters together. The emphasis is on the diversity of voices provided by the perspectives of different anthropologists. I also found that some chapters did not always provide critiques of various aspects of anthropology, for example, a perspective that describes the colonial roots of political anthropology. The textbook also comes with three other resources that I found incredibly useful: an instructor’s guide, a test bank, and slide decks. These three resources are very useful during lecture prep, and one can easily look at additional texts when sourcing for information that may not be included in the chapters. The instructor’s guide also includes discussion questions, homework assignments, and suggestions for films based on the topics in the textbook.","created_at":"2022-11-27T17:24:58.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-11-27T17:24:58.000-06:00"},{"id":34251,"first_name":"Jennifer","last_name":"Bauder","position":"Adjunct Instructor","institution_name":"Massachusetts Bay Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"I was impressed by the degree to which this textbook covered both topics/areas of interest/ideas that have historically been considered essential to cultural anthropology (language, subsistence, political anthropology, marriage and family, economics, sex and gender, etc) AND those that have gained attention and traction more recently (globalization, environmental anthropology, media, etc).  Not only does this text do a good job of covering the historical and current breadth of the field but there is significant depth to each of these areas.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"In a field as broad and varied as anthropology, I have no doubt that professionals reviewing this text may quibble with some of the choices made by authors- arguing perhaps that a definition left out a relevant feature or that a classification scheme would be best presented another way, etc.  That said, the text does well presenting material in a way in which I think most anthropologists would broadly consent is accurate and holistic.  Debates within the field are presented as such. It is acknowledged where there is difficulty in arriving at definitions that are fully agreed upon- for example, in Chapter 2: Culture Concept, the authors explictly write that there is no one agreed upon definition of culture and discuss how anthropologists have come to understand culture over the course of the discipline's history as well as discuss how this may articulate with the broader public's understanding of culture.  By centering the very difficulty in definition the authors created a useful framing which accurately reflects the development of thought.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"As discussed above, I was impressed by this book's coverage of more recent topics/areas of interest to cultural anthropology as well as coverage of those that have been more well established.  Topics like environmental anthropology and anthropology and the media are essential to understanding the ways the field continues to develop apace with broader social and environmental changes in our world.  These topics are especially relevant to introductory classes so students can see anthropology as a vibrant and dynamic field with opportunities for growth and not a hide-bound dusty discipline that only looks backward to long established arenas.\r\nI particularly appreciated the section in Chapter 1 which asked three current anthropologists to discuss what drew them to the field and to describe their work.  This worked well to highlight diversity in the work of contemporary anthropology and allows students to hear from anthropologists directly in their own voices.  The structure of this section would allow for easy future updates to highlight other anthropologists if desired.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This book seemed very appropriate to an introductory level class in terms of clarity.  Authors did not avoid use of relevant vocabulary and discipline specific terminology but these were always well defined or explained in context.  Formatting helped significantly in this regard- key terms were highlighted in various ways including being pulled out into individual text boxes or placed in bold within the text. Students should have no trouble identifying key terms and phrases within the chapter and are additionally aided by a separate glossary section at the end of each chapter.\r\nAdding to clarity- I felt the choices of images and graphics was well curated for each chapter to highlight particular ideas, people, etc.  Placement of these as well as captions made their connection to the text easy to discern.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There is good structural consistency to this volume of the type you would expect from any quality textbook- a section at the beginning of each chapter to list learning objections, a section at the end for discussion questions and a glossary, etc.\r\nThere is a fair degree of redundancy to presentation of certain terminology and historical context of the field.  This is not necessarily a negative- students may not be asked to read/engage with the entirety of the text so the repetition may serve to introduce them to relevant ideas, vocabulary, etc in one area of the book without requiring them to read others.  And if a student is reading chapters that have a redundancy in presentation this can serve to reinforce those ideas, vocabulary, etc as important.  In those cases it is important that there is a consistency to the presentation of materials and I do see that in this text.  Content is not repeated verbatim but there is coherence to the presentation of terminology and ideas.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Chapters vary to some degree in their modularity- some have larger blocks of text than others.  But, this is to be expected as different topics within chapters lend themselves to parsing in different ways.  All chapters worked to have some level of modularity and headings and subheadings were easy to identify and would allow for instructor to make clear which sections within a chapter they wish students to focus on.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I found individual chapters well organized.  I could easily follow each chapter through the material.  \r\nIn terms of overall book organization I struggled to fully understand the division of the book into two main parts.  The preface indicated that Part 1 contained more fundamental topics that would be found in most other textbooks on the subject while Part 2 contained in-depth discussions of more specialized topics.\r\nI did not necessarily find this division useful in understanding how chapters were ordered or in thinking about how I would use different chapters in a class.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I did not encounter any negative issues with the interface.  I had no issues navigating the text, viewing images or connecting to embedded links.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Well written with no noted grammatical issues.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"As this is a book designed to instruct in areas of culture I felt the authors were all acutely aware of being relativistic, inclusive and presenting examples in a way which is illustrative and instructive without being sensationalistic.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I appreciated the thought and time that had clearly gone into the production of this text.  I was impressed by the quality in terms of breadth and depth.","created_at":"2022-12-08T09:44:50.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-12-08T09:44:50.000-06:00"},{"id":34311,"first_name":"Lawrence","last_name":"Ramirez","position":"Adjunct Instructor","institution_name":"California State University, Dominguez Hills","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This textbook gives a solid overview of key concepts, disciplinary concerns, and methodological approaches for an introductory course in cultural anthropology. Within each chapter, the authors offer a basic primer for the selected topic as approached through anthropological disciplinary perspectives, dipping into theoretical engagement at a level appropriate for an introductory class. The glossaries at the end of each chapter, taken together, provide a strong listing of key disciplinary terminology. Likewise, chapter bibliographies can lead interested students into a deeper understanding of the discipline. Thus, this textbook is a good starting point for students to learn about cultural anthropology.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The information provided is accurate, specifically for an introductory textbook. There might be issues of being a bit out of date in some areas, or using older disciplinary terms, such as “informant,” or failing to address in greater detail contested concepts within the discipline. Although these critiques would be valid, they do not point to anything truly problematic for a beginner’s overview. Likewise, there are drifts in nuanced concepts from chapter to chapter, because of the different authors involved, but these drifting definitions, for example in discussing the concept of culture, are not significant impediments for introductory students learning the concepts. Overall, the information is clear, accurate, and consistent.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Overall, this textbook grounds itself in the ethnographic experiences of the writers to illustrate a concept or concern. This is an effective method by which ideas are exemplified and contributes to the textbook’s longevity. Certainly, some examples could be updated, but they still work as intended. A more complicated concern relates to privileging “canonical” anthropologists and their studies, crowding out work by more recent researchers, specifically BIPOC and decolonial scholars. This is a valid concern, but the use of the “canon” fits the needs of many introductory courses. Instructors simply need to be aware of this issue and introduce alternative approaches within their lectures. As decolonial and alternative paradigms come into greater prominence in the discipline, this may become a more pressing issue.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Clarity is the strong point of this textbook. It is written in clear language, with a robust glossary included in each chapter. Concepts are explored with rich ethnographic experiences. Subchapters break down complicated ideas and theoretical paradigms. In short, the textbook is written with a beginning student reader as the intended audience and is designed to render the materials in as accessible a manner as possible. Overall, the writers succeed in this task.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"In terms of design and layout, the textbook is very consistent. Given the number of contributors, the textbook is amazingly consistent in the degree of information conveyed in each chapter. Because each author draws upon their own ethnographic experiences, the wide array of fieldsites can feel a bit overwhelming, chapter from chapter, but, as illustrations for the specific concepts under discussion, they serve an important role. Overall, the consistency is excellent.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Although the chapters can vary in length, the modularity of this textbook is good. The strength comes from the consistent layout that each chapter utilizes. Additionally, the chapters can “stand alone” or be remixed to suit course design. For example, I have used the chapter on environmental anthropology as a short primer reading in upper division courses. In identity-focused courses, the chapters can be rearranged to flow from performance to gender to race/ethnicity to religion to political power in a smooth reconfiguration of the materials. This works well specifically because the modularity facilitates the remixing of information to fit pedagogical needs.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"This textbook is structured into two parts. In Part 1, the chapters deal with the standard materials of an introductory cultural anthropology course, like methodology, language, subsistence, race/ethnicity, religion, and kinship. In Part 2, the chapters contain more specialized topics, like environmental anthropology, medicine and wellness, and public anthropology. Thus, the basics that constitute an introduction to the discipline are all covered in Part 1, but the materials of Part 2 are available to remix the course to suit pedagogical focus. This results in a very flexible and adaptable textbook.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface is good. The ability to easily use a text reader, either online or by downloading the text, makes this a very accessible textbook. Likewise, the links that I have used have reliably connected to the intended materials. However, it is likely that link maintenance needs to be regularly and comprehensively reviewed. Overall, the ability to easily access this textbook online has never been a problem for me or my students.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The textbook is well written, well edited, and free from grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text draws upon many examples grounded in real world experiences and diverse situations from a variety of backgrounds. Examples like social dancing, sexist discourse in politics, and holiday gift giving situate the course concepts in a manner to which a diverse readership can easily relate. They help students think about complex issues, like global commodity chains, hegemonic bio-medical models of health, and performative configurations of subjectivity, through everyday experiences of these issues. Therefore, the textbook does an excellent job of illustrating the relevance of anthropological concepts through examples from a variety of backgrounds and positionalities.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"This textbook provides a strong foundation for an introductory course in cultural anthropology. For an instructor who likes tailoring courses to their pedagogical focus, this book is easily remixable. For instructors who like supplementing with additional readings, the bibliographies in each chapter offer excellent suggestions. Finally, the support materials available, like the slides and text bank, can be a great assistance to novice instructors, as well as being viable timesavers for more experienced instructors. I have used this textbook a few times and have been greatly satisfied with it.","created_at":"2022-12-19T12:59:33.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-12-19T12:59:33.000-06:00"},{"id":35526,"first_name":"Erin","last_name":"Ferris","position":"Adjunct Professor","institution_name":"Springfield Technical Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers a vast array of information related to cultural anthropology from the foundational knowledge needed such as language, politics, and family structures, followed by the inner workings of practicing cultural anthropology through media, performance, and public works. The table of contents is easily understood and provides proper navigation.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"This text is accurate and provides the foundational knowledge needed to study and learn about cultural anthropology. The key thinkers within the discipline are highlighted and provide solid information on the key concepts a student will need to successfully complete an introductory cultural anthropology course.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The content of this book will need to be updated within a few years, but that is the nature of cultural anthropology. When discussing terms such as sex and gender, cultures can change rapidly. However, this would be true of most cultural anthropology books so it does not denote the significance of this OER.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"One of the predominate reasons I would use this text in the classroom is due to its readability. Although the topics can be dense, the authors have used common language that allows an introductory student to read with ease rather than becoming frustrated with discipline specific language that may not be easily comprehended.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The format and layout of each chapter is consistent, which permits readers to know what to expect from each chapter. Topics are easily located within the chapter and key words are bold faced allowing for quick retrieval.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"There are not enormous blocks of text that can be daunting for readers. The sections are manageable, which will not hinder the student from reading through the sections. Using this text for an introductory course will promote readership from students due to the ease of navigating the chapters and the content.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization of this text is in a logical order and builds upon concepts as the reader continues through each chapter. This is beneficial for professors using this book because it follows a very similar flow as a typical intro to cultural anthropology course would follow.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"When reviewing this text, there were no navigation concerns. This is a great benefit of this book because technical issues can cause students to forego the reading.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Little to none grammatical errors were found while reading this text. Sentence structure is at college level while providing all the necessary information needed for this topic.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Given the nature of the text, this book is culturally sensitive. Many different races, ethnicities and backgrounds are highlighted and celebrated. The pictures related to the context are diverse and represent many different types of people, which is representative of our diverse world.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I will be adopting this book for my upcoming anthropology course. When I first started teaching cultural anthropology over a decade ago there were no OER options. I am glad there is finally a suitable book for my students that is easily read, interesting, and provides all the information they need to succeed in my course!","created_at":"2025-06-15T10:40:48.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-06-15T10:40:48.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/perspectives-an-open-invitation-to-cultural-anthropology","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:37:56.000-06:00"},{"id":656,"title":"The Art of Being Human: A Textbook for Cultural Anthropology","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2018,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":"","accessibility_features":[],"description":"Anthropology is the study of all humans in all times in all places. But it is so much more than that. “Anthropology requires strength, valor, and courage,” Nancy Scheper-Hughes noted. “Pierre Bourdieu called anthropology a combat sport, an extreme sport as well as a tough and rigorous discipline. … It teaches students not to be afraid of getting one’s hands dirty, to get down in the dirt, and to commit yourself, body and mind. Susan Sontag called anthropology a “heroic” profession.” What is the payoff for this heroic journey? You will find ideas that can carry you across rivers of doubt and over mountains of fear to find the the light and life of places forgotten. Real anthropology cannot be contained in a book. You have to go out and feel the world’s jagged edges, wipe its dust from your brow, and at times, leave your blood in its soil. In this unique book, Dr. Michael Wesch shares many of his own adventures of being an anthropologist and what the science of human beings can tell us about the art of being human.","contributors":[{"id":4772,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Michael","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Wesch","location":"Kansas State University","background_text":"Michael Wesch, Kansas State University"}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":43,"name":"Sociology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"HM586","visible_textbooks_count":35,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/sociology"}],"publishers":[{"id":635,"url":"https://newprairiepress.org/","year":null,"created_at":"2019-01-24T13:11:48.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-01-24T13:11:48.000-06:00","name":"New Prairie Press"}],"formats":[{"id":1130,"type":"PDF","url":"https://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/20/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":1746,"type":"eBook","url":"https://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/20/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4","textbook_reviews_count":9,"reviews":[{"id":2889,"first_name":"Lori","last_name":"Cole","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Chemeketa Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Let me start by saying I absolutely had no idea this book would be so fabulous.  If only all texts were written in this way we'd never have to worry again if our students were reading the information we provide.  Professor Wesch's writing style is brilliant.  I opened this book the first time thinking I'd read maybe the first twenty pages and only closed it when I realized I was late for a meeting, 175 pages later.  I couldn't wait to return to it.  Every page is a story with outstanding examples throughout.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The examples used in this text are completely unbiased.  Dr Wesch has a great sense of humor and is a natural-born storyteller bringing to the reading audience vast experiential information and scholarly work.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"I can't imagine this text ever becoming obsolete.  His information hits the core of the topic and explores the deep roots of humanity.  It's destined to become a classic.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The joy of this book is that it's in no way pretentious. By several pages into the text, I felt like I was sitting in a lecture hall listening to a person with amazing skill explain what very obviously, is a passion to him.  ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is simply simple and flows beautifully.  It's laid out in concise order with summaries at the end of each section directing the student to more information. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"One of the best things about this text is that each section is short enough to capture my interest and long enough to give me the information I need.  If the reader wanted to pick out one or two topics from this book, it's easy to do.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization of this text flows perfectly from one topic to the next.  The reader won't be stopping and having to look back for information to understand the current section's information.  Perhaps because it's so skillfully written to hold the reader's attention, information from one page to the next builds upon each other.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I loved that Dr Wesch used a simple anthropological diagram to show how the topics he covered were interconnected.  By seeing this particular diagram throughout the book, it helped immensely to understand the basic premises of humanness in a variety of topics.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There was just one place in the entire book where the word 'write' was entered when the word should've been 'right'.  ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I came away from this text feeling a respect and honor of our Earth's cultures.  Dr Wesch used numerous examples of his work in the field and never implied an egocentric attitude.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I was so moved by this book that I researched Dr Wesch and his work.  I viewed his YouTube video and, happily, found that he really IS humorous and unpretentious.  He's one of those rare teachers that is gifted beyond commonness to grab the attention of his reader and leave them wanting more. What a joy to have chosen this book to review!  ","created_at":"2019-05-05T20:13:58.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-05-05T20:13:58.000-05:00"},{"id":3006,"first_name":"Christina","last_name":"Cappy","position":"Instructor of Anthropology","institution_name":"Central Oregon Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book offers a creative and innovative approach to teaching anthropology. Rather than dividing content into topics such as gender, race, and the economy, this book adopts an alternative approach that covers key anthropological skills and asks students to embark on different challenges.\r\n\r\nThe biggest strength of this book is the author's skill of storytelling. He begins each chapter with an engaging and relevant story that he then uses to introduce anthropological concepts to the reader and allow them to see how these concepts can be applied to real-life scenarios. He is clearly aware of how students learn and what grabs their attention and uses this understanding to write this book. Through this style of writing, he is demonstrating how anthropology is also an art. Certain chapters of the book, such as the chapter on globalization and social structure, are quite comprehensive and cover content that is important for any anthropology introductory course.\r\n\r\nThe book could further acknowledge some of the complex and checkered history of anthropology, including issue of power dynamics involved in fieldwork in terms of who is producing knowledge and how knowledge becomes validated. In addition, certain sections of the book (such as the opening chapters) could work more to include more voices of the author's research participants in order to support the goal of allowing the reader to understand our shared humanness across cultures. Including these aspects could make the work even more comprehensive.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The information presented in this book draws on the works of well-known anthropologists as well as the author's own fieldwork experiences. It appears to be accurate. It could be improved by including more comprehensive citations for the reader to be able to refer to the sources being cited with greater ease, and also allow the reader to form their own judgements when generalizations are made.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The stories told and theories examined in this book are very relevant to undergraduate anthropology students and a broader US population. This book is clearly directed at an American undergraduate audience. It regularly draws cross-cultural comparisons to encourage readers to question their own perspectives. By covering topics in pop culture and issues surrounding media use this work will be easily accessible and relevant to many people in the US today.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is very clearly written. The author has a talent for explaining complex concepts in an easily digestible form.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This book is quite consistent in it's organization and writing style.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This book works well with regards to modularity. The book could be taken as a whole or certain lessons/chapters could be pulled from it to bolster a class that uses a different textbook or structure. I plan to use sections from it in future classes.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"This book is clearly laid out. The table of contents and introduction explain what to expect of this work, which is helpful. I would also suggest that each chapter could begin (perhaps after the ethnographic excerpt) with a few more guiding sentences about what will be covered in the chapter. Because this book offers such a different style for teaching anthropology, additional details as to the topics that will be discussed in the different sections of each chapter would be useful. In addition, the \"Learn More\" section at the end of each lesson that includes additional resources for the reader is helpful and I think that this can be further developed.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface of this edition is in a basic PDF format with occasional photographs and helpful diagrams to breakdown more challenging concepts. In future editions it could be useful to have hyperlinks to the different chapters as well as a brief review of concepts covered at the end of each chapter. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The writing of this book is very clean with little to no grammatical errors. This makes for very easy reading.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"This book strives to be culturally relevant and culturally sensitive. It's objectives of getting students to experience more, experience difference, and experience differently are central to any anthropology class. I appreciate how the book makes these the central objectives of the book rather than any one bit of content or getting students to memorize (and quickly forget) key terms. Overall, the book is strong in accomplishing this task but could be improved by including more voices of people from around the world, perhaps by drawing on a wider range of ethnographic studies that offer these expressions. As mentioned before, being more reflexive about where our knowledge comes from and the position of anthropologists in knowledge creation could also aid in this endeavor. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Overall this is an impressive and creative book. It is ambitious in the way that it turns anthropological teaching upside down to have students take away certain skills rather than just content knowledge. It is clearly written and easily accessible and I look forward to seeing how it will develop.","created_at":"2019-06-21T16:12:57.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-06-21T16:12:57.000-05:00"},{"id":3123,"first_name":"Sanaa","last_name":"Riaz","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Metropolitan State University of Denver","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers many foundational concepts, such as ethnocentrism, participant-observation, culture shock and others. However, there are very few important terms described in relation to politics, religion, health, socioeconomic inequalities, class and economics. While it is a very comprehensive text to understand the essence of anthropology and to deconstruct worldviews, it is not the most comprehensive introduction to the various aspects of culture holistically studied (what the author calls Seeing Big in Lesson 2) in cultural anthropology. Individual discussions on globalization, culture, health and evolution are very thought-provoking and comprehensive. However, discussions on forms of political organization, art, health and pluralism, ways in which applied anthropology is informed by cultural anthropology and the other sub-fields, and the relationship between the framework of the book (infrastructure, social structure and superstructure) are not included.  \r\nThe book lacks an index and a glossary. However, readers are pointed to the ANTH101.com resource for further learning, connections and questions. Each lesson ends with a challenge related to the topic of the Lesson that challenges students to deconstructing their own cultural ways and learning how to walk in someone else’s shoes. ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The book challenges subtle and overt biases and fictional approaches (tropes) in looking at other cultures and encourages readers to critically examine the idea of cultural-normative through the author's personal fieldwork examples and anthropological journey. The narrative is reflexive throughout and free of errors and biases.\r\n","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The text contains cutting-edge discussions on health and what the author terms mismatched diseases. In the most articulate manner, the author discusses the politics of life expectancy and the \"survival of the fittest\". The book tackles the sensitive topic of evolution in a way that can allow students to see how it is related to lifeways and flexibility towards various lifestyles, rather as through an isolated discussion on the history of human evolution. Because the underlying theme of the book is infrastructure, social structure and superstructure, as indicated by the barrel-shaped structure, it provides for a discussion of religion, marriage, gender, and globalization that will not only not go obsolete, but inform how additional aspects of cultural lifeways will continue to fall within the layers of the barrel categories. Finally, discussions on Twitter, snapchats in relation to language and on technology becoming the new human god in the future, as noted by the author, in relation to globalization put this text at the fore front of discussions about cultural transformation that anthropologists (as anthropological field sites also increasingly include virtual social media sites) must address. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The accessibility of the prose is the biggest strength of the book. The author uses fieldwork experiences as well as other ethnographic examples to contextualize important terms. The text is easy for an introductory student as well as a pleasure reader to understand the premise of anthropological inquiry.","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"The author notes in the introduction that this is not a typical textbook and therefore there will be fewer terms to memorize. It is highlighted that ten big ideas in anthropology on how to approach the idea of culture will be the focus. In Lesson 2, another framework, which informs the organization of the subsequent Lessons/chapters and discussions therein, the infrastructure, social structure and superstructure barrel-model, is introduced. The Lessons that follow highlight religion, marriage, economy, globalization in relation to each of the barrel categories. A formal statement of how the 10 points inform the framework in Lesson 2 or of the Lesson 2 framework at the beginning in Lesson 1 would have provided the readers a roadmap for addressing the book content. ","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"While the narrative flows, the text lacks subheadings throughout. Lessons are divided on the premise that some aspects of culture studied in anthropology will form the infrastructure, some social structure and some the superstructure means that while the text is divisible into smaller reading sections, the framework, highlighted through a barrel-shaped model, of the infrastructure, social structure and superstructure and each informing the other may be missed out. It is also not possible to assign the first Lesson as an introductory reading for the framework along with smaller sections from later Lessons, as the framework of the barrel model is discussed in the second chapter. Lesson 2, Culture, where the barrel model of the framework is first introduced, provides an overview of the underlying characteristics of culture in relation to the barrel-model and can be assigned independent of other Lessons.  \r\nChapter 5 on Infrastructure, discusses globalization in conjunction with content that is typically discussed in a separate chapter on economy in conventional textbooks. Because of its unique, futuristic manner of discussing subsistence strategies, economic challenges, globalization and technology all together, Lesson 5 can be assigned as stand-alone reading. ","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"Without Lesson 1, Fieldwork, including a statement on the ways in which the rest of the chapters/lessons would be organized, it is quite jarring to move from Lesson 8 on Globalization to Lesson 9 highlighting social and philosophical discourses on a good life and Chapter 10, the Art of Being Human, concluding the book with a focus on applied anthropology in the areas of environment, health and social inequality. In Lesson 2, the infrastructure, social structure and superstructure model has been introduced in the form of a barrel diagram. The lack of introduction in the first Lesson/chapter does not allow one to see that topics, such as economy, religion, marriage and others are organized in Lessons 5-7 around infrastructure, social structure and superstructure with the sub-headings included in the table of contents not providing any cues. ","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"There are no navigational issues with the text. There are a few images of people from fieldwork. Other images are of the barrel-shaped infrastructure/social structure/superstructure diagram and snapshots of Tweets are placed appropriately and do not distract the reader. \r\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There are no grammatical errors in the text. ","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The text largely comprise of the author’s reflections from ethnographic fieldwork, including some case studies to provide other cultural examples. As the author notes in Lesson 1, the text is meant to serve as an exploration of the 10 big ideas in anthropology. As Lessons/Chapters are organized around these ideas, certain topics, such as forms of political organization, kinship, religious systems, forms of art and others are left out as a result of which cultural examples from around the world throwing light on these aspects of culture have not been included in the book. \r\n","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"\r\nThis book is a refreshing text in the scheme of conventional textbooks in that it does not begin with an introduction to the field and sub-fields of anthropology, a discussion on schools of thought in anthropology and a history of the field onwards to a chapter dedicated to an aspect of culture, such as religion, political organization, etc. Instead, it provides a framework of infrastructure/social structure and superstructure to understand various aspects of culture, albeit the framework is not clearly presented at the beginning. Evolution is quite a sensitive topic to study and teach in the West as notions of cultural evolutionism still inform discourses on social inequality. Evolution is typically dealt with at the beginning in conventional textbooks and other aspects of culture, such as health and social inequality are not related to it. This book provides a fresh take on evolution by relating it to health and what the author notes as mismatched diseases. Each Lesson ends with a challenge for students, something that urges them to give up what they deem as normative or approach it from a completely different perspective or step into the shoes of someone from another culture, which is a great strength of the text. \r\nDiscussions on beliefs and points of view include Twitter snapshots and snapchats which are in keeping with the times. \r\nWith the framework laid out in the introduction and the links between infrastructure, social structure and superstructure of the book highlighted throughout all Lessons/Chapters, this could become one-of-a-kind introduction to the essence of the field of anthropology. ","created_at":"2019-07-27T00:38:13.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-07-27T00:38:13.000-05:00"},{"id":3169,"first_name":"Peggy","last_name":"Gibbons","position":"Assistant Professor of Social Work","institution_name":"George Fox University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Although this text is designed for an introductory anthropology course, students from\nother disciplines will find value in the content and in the power of great story-telling.\nThere are six sections to the book: Fieldwork, Culture, Evolution, Language,\nInfrastructure, and Social Structure. Professor Wesch’s narrative moves the reader\nthrough each by using personal stories, anecdotes, and information from researchers\nother than himself. Because his examples are strategically placed and centered on\npersonal connections, the concepts are easily understood. As a result, he carefully\nbuilds the foundation upon which readers will gain a broad understanding of\nanthropology while learning specific ways to explain the human condition. At the end of\neach section Wesch presents questions for reflection and challenges to his students to\ngo out and “do” something related to the content. These challenges appear to reinforce\ncore concepts while asking the students to push themselves as they develop their skills.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The content appears to be unbiased and accurate. Content is supported by research\nalthough sources are not cited in the text. While the lack of in-text citations or footnotes\nallows for easy reading, it also means the reader will have to search the references for\nspecific citations.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This book is relevant now because of the discussions on human rights, cultural rights,\nstructural power, the power of language, and because examples are pulled from around\nthe world and from different historical eras. The content is meaningful, important, and so\nclearly focused on the human condition it will be relevant well into the future.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Professor Wesch’s voice is clearly heard throughout the book. It is as if he were sitting\nnearby sharing stories – some colorful, others scholarly but none are boring or difficult\nto understand.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The design of the text is basic and incredibly easy to follow. Graphics and photos are\nplaced appropriately to illustrate salient points.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The six main sections of the book are distinct enough they could easily be used as\nstand-alone content but also combine to be a comprehensive text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Everything about this book is easy to follow. The table of contents is simple and\nmatches the headings in each section and chapter so the reader does not need to hunt\nfor particular content. The challenges and reference lists are in the same place at the\nend of each section. The overall format is a refreshing break from many textbooks with\nbusy, cluttered pages.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The PDF version type, graphics and photographs are easy to read. However, the book\nis more than 300 pages and scrolling from one section to another is a bit tedious. There\nare a few pages with extra blank spaces but they do not interfere with the readability of\nthe pages.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Only a few grammatical errors were noted.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Because there are so many relevant issues exposed in this book, this is a text for\neveryone, not just anthropology students. Hate, race, gender, social media,\nglobalization (and many others) are tackled in this book with an explanatory tone and\ndefined through examples and context. For example, Wesch explores how four cultures\ndefine and live out their values regarding love and marriage. He deftly shows the\ndifferences without promoting a right or wrong perspective. Readers can’t help but\npause for a moment and check their own value system and wonder how they would\nrespond in a similar situation. Wesch does a great job of not politicizing current events\nbut stays focused on the cultural lesson we all can learn about someone else’s human\nexperience.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"The most remarkable feature of this book is how it captured my attention and took me\nalong for the ride. I can only imagine how powerful Professor Wesch is to hear in\nperson. I imagine he sounds just like he writes and I would expect each day in his class\nis like visiting with a favorite relative who has traveled the world and has great stories to\ntell. A powerful component of his writing is the lack of judgment. He clearly shows how\nto be a respectful researcher and learner. Reading this book was enlightening,\naffirming, and a true pleasure. As a social work professor I found the sections on\nculture, language and social structure especially relevant and I will incorporate some\ncontent into my courses.","created_at":"2019-08-31T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-08-31T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":3385,"first_name":"Lincoln","last_name":"DeBunce","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Blue Mountain Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The Art of Being Human has no index or glossary but really doesn’t need one.  If you are looking for the tell-tale text book full of boldfaced words and concepts this isn’t for you.  Most topics covered in a traditional text book are here, though kinship seems short-sheeted.  If you want a few big ideas aimed to change the student from the inside out, and want students to really “get” cultural relativity and value the insights that anthropology can bring to a student’s life, then the topics covered in this 300+ text will largely be sufficient.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"This is not an unbiased book, but it is an honest book. Wesch is passionate about what an anthropological mind set did to change his life, and he is unapologetic in sharing his view point and personal journey. The book is light on the number of concepts, but those used are skillfully woven into the prose.  The book is intended as an introductory text, but not in the classic exhaustive way.  It is less a reference book and more of a self-improvement manual.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Is this text book relevant?—absolutely; three big recurring questions are identified and dealt with throughout: “Who am I? What am I going to do? Am I going to make it?” This is one of the strengths Wesch brings to bear. He taps into questions college-age adults are likely thinking about. Unfortunately, some of the examples used in exploring these questions are slightly dated. For instance, using a Miley Cyrus concert seems less than compelling for grabbing a student’s attention. References to the 2016 election and ongoing “culture wars” will quickly be dated.  This is too bad but it is an easy fix for those instructors willing to do a bit of editorial work and management of these examples.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Each chapter is about a lesson the author wants us to learn.  Careful, artful prose is employed throughout the book.  Thoughtfulness and good editing are found in each of the ten chapters.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There is a balance of length and depth between chapters. Writing is consistently polished and effective throughout.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Wesch offers ten lessons, one for each chapter. On the surface it would seem you could mix and match chapters to fit the needs of the class. Unfortunately, this would take a modest bit of work. Chapters refer to other chapters already read, or yet to be explored. I purposefully read a couple of chapters out of order. Referencing other unread chapters wasn’t a huge distraction, but noticeable.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The unfolding of chapters is logical and linear. After establishing the significance of exploring other cultures, Wesch introduces the “Barrel” model of culture, which includes infrastructure (used loosely to include economics), social structure, and superstructure (cosmology, worldview, etc.).  Topics flow forward from there.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"If you are a fan of referring to web pages outside of a text book this OER has an ancillary web site that is well developed and interesting to explore. Wesch provides tools, videos and guides for other instructors to use. The videos included are fun and enjoyable. What is a bit annoying is that the ancillary is entitled ANTH 101 and is listed as such in the text book.  If you teach cultural anthropology and your class isn’t titled ANTH 101, this could be confusing. Additionally, The Art of Being Human includes assignments that direct students to the ANTH 101 website.  If you are like me, you may wish to put your own twist on these assignments—this is not easily done without making a modification to the text or otherwise directing students to ignore the book’s directives.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Other than a handful of typos, The Art of Bring Human is a solid, well written and beneficial addition to the OER movement.  At times, the crafting of examples and storytelling is quite masterful.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"For the most part Wesch wears his anthropological hat well and provides the reader with specific examples of why thinking differently and holding empathy is a good thing. Regrettably, Wesch falls short at times in his inclusivity by making statements that assume we are from and part of his culture, using statements such as “we value and hold…” “From our western perspective… .” Interestingly, Wesch assumes a standard American culture that he characterizes and includes the reader as being a member.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"There are few books that have given me more to think about as a cultural anthropology instructor. Light on concepts and heavy on encouraging action, The Art of Being Human reads as a manifesto for living a fuller life, at least from one energetic anthropologist’s viewpoint.  As a book used to make an instructor think differently about what we should be doing as a teacher, this OER is a “can’t miss success.”  Used as an introductory survey text, this book is unconventional.  Do I recommend it as such? It depends on how adventurous or safe you want to be in the classroom. I envision some students being liberated by it, while those who have a hard time reading anything in the social sciences struggling to find their footing and an instructor struggling to keep them from shutting down quickly—it I that type of transformative reading.","created_at":"2019-12-16T16:33:59.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-12-16T16:33:59.000-06:00"},{"id":3873,"first_name":"Lara","last_name":"Watkins","position":"Anthropology","institution_name":"Bridgewater State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book is a short and easy-to-read introduction to anthropology.  It covers key concepts in a simple and engaging fashion.  It is not really a stand alone textbook, but rather a \"grabbing read\" that would be best complemented through an ethnography (or a few) and/or some case studies on specific topics of interest.  It does not have an index or a glossary.  Either or both of these would definitely improve the use of the text, particularly since it is aimed toward introductory students who are most likely taking their first anthropology course to fulfill a requirement.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The book is a blending of personal experiences that provide an overall narrative to anthropological ways of knowing, learning, and experiencing the world.  It could be strengthened through having more links to relevant references for more information and more details (such as urls) for recommended resources throughout.  \r\nWhile chapter one is written in an engaging fashion, it implies that fieldwork is haphazard.  It is important to note that while fieldwork can feel haphazard and sometimes decisions need to be made quickly while in the field, there is a lot of preparation that goes into fieldwork.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The content touches upon key, timeless concepts and terms in anthropology, such as ethnocentrism and participant observation.  There are some examples that may prove to be more timely now than in the future, such as the use of Miley Cyrus to bring the relevance of the classic article on the Nacirema \"up-to-date\".  However, similar to the article by Miner, this example may just feel a little dated at some point, but it will not take away from the intent of the use of the example in the future.  In other words, it may feel a little dated at some point for students, but the salience of the example will remain.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"A key strength of this textbook is that it is incredibly accessible.  It reads in a very straightforward and personal manner.  It feels like the reader is listening to a series of compelling stories being told by Wesch.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The 10 lessons / 10 challenges framework provides an easy to follow introduction to anthropology.  \r\n\r\nHowever, having well-documented and accessible resources (such as urls and/or complete bibliographic information) for expanding reading/viewing outside the confines of the textbook would be very helpful.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The 10 lessons / 10 challenges framework is perfect for breaking course material into sections.  However, the text does not follow the same format as many introduction to anthropology texts.  It does not obviously move through the standard topical areas in the standard manner.  Some instructors may find this refreshing, but some may find it frustrating.  A strength of the text is the use of challenges at the end of each of the chapters.  This provides a possible hands-on learning activity to integrate reading with student experience, thereby extending into experiential learning.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The text uses a clear 10 lessons/10 challenges framework that helps to weave together key concepts, classic examples, author's experiences, and potential student experiences.  It would be helpful to have an index, glossary and/or review terms and concepts at the end of chapters.  Wesch acknowledges early in the text that it is a loose framework for future expanded editions, suggesting that it will be revised over time to build upon this initial strong framework.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"There are no glaringly apparent issues with navigation.  It would be helpful if there were hyperlinks in key areas to aid in navigation, for example, if the table of contents had hyperlinks.  There are few places where margins appear to be different sizes and where the text appears to be a little fragmented.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"There are some paragraphs throughout that are rather short and feel somewhat abrupt.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"As an introduction to cultural anthropology text, different cultural examples are explicitly tied into the material.  \r\n\r\nStudents should be asked to interrogate their own backgrounds more and consider how their own identities impact their experience of the world.  This is particularly relevant to the chapter 7 challenge exercise.  This activity as it is written seems to reinforce \"othering\".  While the intention of this activity is appropriate for an introductory anthropology course, students should also consider their own positionality, thereby opening up classroom conversations around challenging topics.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"The strengths of this text far outweigh the challenges.  I am definitely considering using it the next time that I teach Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.  Its engaging narrative as well as the challenge activities at the end of the chapters are critical components for students who are most likely taking their first anthropology course to fulfill a requirement.","created_at":"2020-05-30T18:20:15.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-05-30T18:20:15.000-05:00"},{"id":3951,"first_name":"K.","last_name":"Drybread","position":"Lecturer","institution_name":"University of Colorado Boulder","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"In the introduction to \"The Art of Being Human,\" Wesch quotes a post that one of his students presumably shared on social media. It reads: \"today my anthro professor said something kind of really beautiful: you all have a little bit of 'I want to save the world' in you, that's why you're here, in college. I want you to know that it's ok if you only save one person, and it's okay if that person is you.\" If you believe that the practice of anthropology can be a form of self-help that might also produce some positive consequences in the world, and if this is what you'd like your students to learn from an introductory course in anthropology, then this book is a great fit. The text is lively and engaging, and it touches on a range of topics one would expect an introductory textbook to cover: culture, language, religion, gender, race, technology, and morality, to name a few. However, the text seems to value breadth over depth. Kinship, gender, race, colonialism, structural violence and power are noted but not addressed in significant detail. Nationalism, material culture, and ethnography are not mentioned at all. \r\n \r\nOf course, no introductory cultural anthropology text can be completely comprehensive; they all reflect the priorities of the author. This text seems self-consciously directed to an audience that is taking anthropology as a requirement rather than a vocation. It does not provide students with a sense of the history of the discipline, but it clearly shows how all of us can benefit from anthropological thinking. If the intention of your course is to fully prepare students for further anthropological study, this may not be the best fit. But if the intention of your course is to make students realize that anthropological thinking can make them more empathetic and effective global citizens, this text might be with adopting. \r\n \r\nThe book does not provide a glossary or an index, but it is table of contents and headings are easy to navigate, and the PDF provides links to Wesch's course website, which provides students with alternate ways to access the text and with additional, supporting materials.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The text is explicit in its agenda, but nevertheless provides students with access to a wide range of perspectives and materials. While the text accurately represents the information it references, it does not expose readers much actual anthropology. The majority content cited comes from journalists, novelists, and pop-psychologists rather than from anthropologists. Some might argue that this strategy makes anthropology accessible to students by because it presents influential anthropological concepts to students through examples that speak effectively to popular audiences and to the specific concerns of college students today. Others, however, might argue that by filtering anthropological concepts through the work of authors who write for popular rather than academic audiences, and by failing to provide a history of the discipline, the text gives the contributions of actual anthropologists short shrift.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The Art of Being Human: A Textbook for Cultural Anthropology uses up-to-the-minute cultural examples that will make it seem incredibly relevant to current college students. While the text's sheer hipness might negatively impact its longevity, it will not diminish the text's usefulness. Even if some of the examples in the text become dated, instructors can follow Wesch's model for finding and using relevant real-world events to teach anthropological concepts to students in the future.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text's biggest strength is that it is very accessible. Wesch uses little to no jargon and goes out of his way to put complicated anthropological concepts into plain English that anyone can understand.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is internally consistent and mobilizes its own terms regularly.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is divided into 10 lessons, and each of these lessons is divided into smaller segments. The title of each chapter and each segment clearly informs the reader of its contents, making it easy for instructors and students alike to reorganize the text to meet course objectives.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The author has intentionally organized the text to speak to U.S. college students and the values they presumably hold upon entering the classroom. The flow will work in some contexts, but in others chapters can be eliminated or rearranged to better suit the audience.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface on the PDF includes embedded links to the course website that are not visually indicated. This is the only issue I discovered that might annoy a reader. However, some readers might absolutely love that the text directly leads them to supporting materials that can reinforce the lessons taught. The course website contains videos, podcasts, and other multimedia materials instructors and students alike can take advantage of.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"Wesch clearly appreciates David Foster Wallace but does not share the novelist's obsession with grammar. Few of us, however, do. The text contains a few errors in grammar and usage. but these are not distracting and do not diminish the quality of the text at all.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The text seems to presume a white, middle class, Christian audience that shares the author's background. While the author is culturally sensitive and aware (he is, after all, an anthropologist who has obviously thought deeply about issues of inequality and cultural relativism and is careful not to deliberately offend), the text might not be as well received by students from different backgrounds.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2020-06-11T15:33:43.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-06-11T15:33:43.000-05:00"},{"id":3985,"first_name":"Diana","last_name":"Fox","position":"Professor and Department Chair","institution_name":"Bridgewater State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book takes a novel approach to introduce cultural anthropology to students, drawing on wonderful stories and ethnographic anecdotes as a way to discuss anthropological concepts. This means that there is somewhat of a trade-off between anecdote and number of and breadth of examples; however, the engaging nature of the writing compensates, and instructors can use the chapters as opportunities to explore more details, counting on student interest being heightened through the storytelling format.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"For a contemporary anthropology text, this is a somewhat complex question since anthropology embraces intersubjectivity as a window into cultural understanding and poststructural theory also demonstrates that bias is present across all forms of academic theorizing. The value of this text is that it is conscious of bias and instructive about where it is helpful as a tool of understanding. Data that is incontrovertible is accurately discussed.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"There are some contemporary examples that area already seeming somewhat out-of-date, such as the example of Miley Sirus and her dancing. However, the example is harnessed to make a point about how symbols can be manipulated particularly through social media and mass communication, while also recognizing the importance of cultural positioning of perceivers of symbols. In 10 years, the example will be more difficult to explain. Other examples are more likely to stand the test of time because they are more abstract and less tied to a popular culture moment.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is a great read. It is one of the most accessible Introductory Cultural Anthropology texts (with required forays into basic archaeological, biological and linguistic anthropology insights necessary for cultivating a four-field approach). It's fun to read, absorbing, and interesting, casting reflective light on anthropological perspectives and insights that even this 25 year veteran of the field found provocative.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The style and format are consistent and fluid.  There are suggestions for further reading and creative assignments at the end of chapters that engage students in activities that provoke reflection on the concepts outlined in the chapters, bolstered by the previously-mentioned ethnographic anecdotes.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Yes, and I am using this text exactly for this purpose, requiring students to read segments that blend well with other readings for a second-year seminar course on culture and sustainability.  There is a degree of layering of knowledge that is true with any introductory anthropology text; foundational concepts are necessary and other ideas build on them. This is true of this text as well, but there are sections that stand alone as well.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The topics are presented in a creative and unusual format; they do not progress through the conventional titles of Introduction to Anthropology texts such as kinship, political organization, magic/ritual/religion, language, etc. I welcome this creativity non-normative approach; through the unusual titles, the main topics of an Introduction to Anthropology text are addressed but in an unconventional fashion through stories. In the linguistic anthro chapter, for example, the major components of languages are shared, including significant theories such as Sapir-Whorf; however, it does not unfold in the typical structure. This makes it a bit difficult to search through and find; on the other hand, these ideas are relayed in an ethnographic context, which makes them more interesting to read--they are woven in rather than blocks of stand-alone \"phonemes' of information if you will.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No problems here. Images are well-explained and useful.","grammatical_rating":1,"grammatical_review":"There is a very low number of errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text addresses central concepts important to understanding human diversity such as gender, sex, and race, and does so drawing on anthropological knowledge as well as wider social impacts of the ideologies around race and racism and gender biases.  This is cultural anthropology so of course, global cultural, ethnic, and other forms of diversity are central to the text's makeup.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"While some of the comprehensiveness of a straightforward Introductory text is exchanged for stories that introduce concepts in a more narrative style, and while some instructors might miss all the kindship charts, etc., I found that the multitude of examples and relevance to contemporary global cultural life in the information age was extremely valuable and made the text highly readable.  I think this is a text students will enjoy reading, will actually read, and instructors can offer additional details through their own examples. I highly recommend this text.","created_at":"2020-06-15T13:54:18.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-06-15T13:54:18.000-05:00"},{"id":34222,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The material covers much of the material and ideas in an introductory text, but it is difficult to follow the sequence/order of the sections. Terms/concepts could be better identified in a coded or easy to spot framing. I love the colorful diagrams found in some chapters.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Much of the material is intriguing first hand knowledge. Other sections with non first hand stories could have been better referenced.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Some of the most up to date and intriguing examples I have seen for students to catch. Powerful, relevant examples. This is the real strength of the text.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Text is well written and not only captures, but sustains the readers interest with compelling examples and readable content.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Framework is recognizable throughout the sections and consistent. Shifts occur in the chapter lengths, types and amounts of graphs and images.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Yes, but I would shift the content around as it does not seem to follow a logical order that can be easily divided/organized.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"It does not seem to follow a logical order that can be easily divided/organized.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Interface is consistent and the graphs/images captivating and of good quality.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Easy to follow, not dry and good flow.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Will engage the student with up to date and meaningful examples and content.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I would like to see links added at the end of the chapters for the LEARN MORE sections. I know it would be hard to do, but I would love to see the chapters shortened as this text serves primarily as a supplement/reader primed for discussions and so on, so it can get long therefore leading to skimming after a bit of reading and it is too juicy to let that happen.","created_at":"2022-12-02T11:32:03.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-12-02T11:32:03.000-06:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-art-of-being-human-a-textbook-for-cultural-anthropology","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:26:59.000-06:00"},{"id":832,"title":"Explorations: An Open Invitation To Biological Anthropology","edition_statement":"2nd Edition","volume":null,"copyright_year":2023,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":"","accessibility_features":[],"description":"Anthropology is the study of humanity, in all its biological and cultural aspects, past and present. It is a four-field discipline comprised of biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology. The focus of this book is biological anthropology, which explores who we are from biological, evolutionary, and adaptive perspectives. We lay the foundation for this inquiry in the first four chapters by introducing the discipline of anthropology, evolutionary theory, molecular biology and genetics, and the forces of evolution. What's New in the 2nd Edition? Two new chapters; More concise chapters (8,000 to 10,000 words, not including call out boxes); Updated chapters with new discoveries and events; Diversity, equity and inclusion principles applied to the text and images; Enhanced accessibility standards reviewed by the ASCCC-OERI; Instructor guide detailing how to adapt the book to better fit your course. Student reviewed content.","contributors":[{"id":5136,"contribution":"Editor","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Beth","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Shook","location":"California State University, Chico","background_text":"Beth Shook"},{"id":5137,"contribution":"Editor","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Katie","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Nelson","location":null,"background_text":"Katie Nelson"},{"id":5138,"contribution":"Editor","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Kelsie","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Aguilera","location":null,"background_text":"Kelsie Aguilera"},{"id":7181,"contribution":"Illustrator","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Mary","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Nelson","location":null,"background_text":""}],"subjects":[{"id":37,"name":"Biology","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QH308.2","visible_textbooks_count":88,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/biology"},{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":811,"url":"https://explorations.americananthro.org/","year":2023,"created_at":"2020-05-14T12:20:06.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-08-01T12:14:50.000-05:00","name":"American Anthropological Association"}],"formats":[{"id":1797,"type":"Online","url":"https://pressbooks.calstate.edu/explorationsbioanth2/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":1452,"type":"PDF","url":"https://explorations.americananthro.org/index.php/pdf-chapters/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":"9781931303637"},{"id":4337,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1931303819?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_JH00C3TF1VQ6JT2EXFMC","price":{"cents":5000,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":4338,"type":"eBook","url":"https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12VGXSb_RuIMWeVonZB0zgpoZ0g84FB8h","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":2,"reviews":[{"id":33964,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The authors created a few Appendices in order to include more complete coverage of key areas. This will also be a great way to add updates to this rapidly changing field in our discipline.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Incorporates a diverse panel of reviewers, authors and sources.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Includes relevant and up to date material. Will likely need annual or bi-annual revisions as this is a rapidly changing field.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text has a smooth integration even though it was complied by a series of contributors. This is a difficult feat and it was accomplished by this group.  The material is easy to read and has the same beat even though by different drummers. The beat is clear, easy to follow and a breeze to get in sync with.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"A recognizable and consistent format through out. The text has a smooth integration even though it was complied by a series of contributors. This is a difficult feat and it was accomplished by this group.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Follows the typical modules for this course, but I love how the sections on race are added in the final section of the text on health, etc. This is a much better fit than the tradition of adding in the first introductory area. Bravo!\r\nI can break the text into nice sections for a term, easily","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Follows the typical modules for this course, but I love how the sections on race are added in the final section of the text on health, etc. This is a much better fit than the tradition of adding in the first introductory area. Bravo!\r\nI love the instructor resources! Hard to come by in the OER world. And, wow, those appendices !","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Great interface with images, photos and graphs. \r\nI would like to see more inclusion in the text itself of interactive social media and snippets,","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Did not see any errors jump out at me.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Excellent use of both temporal and spatial global examples.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"Wow, Wow, Wow! This is a very complex field for which to create a source. You nailed it and it is a stellar example of what a small group of people can do to create a village. It flows, has numerous and diverse images and photos throughout, a coherent tone and consistent approach even though it is compiled by numerous authors. Thank you for your endeavor!","created_at":"2022-07-28T16:43:30.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-07-28T16:43:30.000-05:00"},{"id":35064,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Part Time Instructor","institution_name":"Mount Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"All the chapters are covered except for future trends, dns trends and diseases.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Well supported and clearly referenced. References are up to date.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Yes, the area of hominid evolution needs updating every two years to be competitive and current.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Sentences are clear short and easy to grasp. Points are clear and well made. More examples in the real live world to expand and apply points would be helpfull.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Pattern is consistent. Discussion questions, websites and especially, video snippets would add to amplify  clarity .","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"Many chapters build on each other and the number of chapters are too long for quarters. So we would assign multiple chapters.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Eccellent. I would move race chapter to after genetics.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I am not sure.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Up to date and did mot see errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Neutral","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Missing are everyday hot news topics that students can telate too. These could be boxes or inserts. A chapter on the future is missing. Also, video snippets and relevant social media sites. That said, the text is thorough, well supported, well balanced, professional and conveys our message in a way that engages us as readers and students of anthropology.","created_at":"2024-05-22T13:41:29.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-05-22T13:41:29.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/explorations-an-open-invitation-to-biological-anthropology-shook","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:40:06.000-06:00"},{"id":199,"title":"Native Peoples of North America","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2013,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"Native Peoples of North America is intended to be an introductory text about the Native peoples of North America (primarily the United States and Canada) presented from an anthropological perspective. As such, the text is organized around anthropological concepts such as language, kinship, marriage and family life, political and economic organization, food getting, spiritual and religious practices, and the arts. Prehistoric, historic and contemporary information is presented. Each chapter begins with an example from the oral tradition that reflects the theme of the chapter. The text includes suggested readings, videos, and classroom activities. This text was updated September 2019; the changes are detailed in an errata section in the text.","contributors":[{"id":2910,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Susan","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Stebbins","location":"University at Albany","background_text":"Dr. Susan Stebbins (Doctor of Arts in Humanities from the University at Albany) has been a member of the SUNY Potsdam Anthropology department since 1992. At Potsdam she has taught Cultural Anthropology, Introduction to Anthropology, Theory of Anthropology, Religion, Magic and Witchcraft, and many classes focusing on Native Americans, including The Native Americans, Indian Images and Women in Native America. Her research has been both historical (Traditional Roles of Iroquois Women) and contemporary, including research about a political protest at the bridge connecting New York, the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation and Ontario, Canada, and Native American Education, particularly that concerning the Native peoples of New York. She currently is the Special Assistant to the President for Diversity at SUNY Potsdam, where she continues to teach Native American Studies."}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":46,"name":"Cultural \u0026 Ethnic Studies","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"HM621","visible_textbooks_count":26,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/cultural-ethnic-studies"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":128,"url":"https://milneopentextbooks.org/","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:37.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-04-15T10:35:54.000-05:00","name":"Open SUNY"}],"formats":[{"id":185,"type":"PDF","url":"https://mountainscholar.org/handle/20.500.11785/153","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":186,"type":"eBook","url":"https://mountainscholar.org/handle/20.500.11785/153","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":9,"reviews":[{"id":281,"first_name":"K.L","last_name":"Cespedes Cortes","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Colorado State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Native peoples of North America presents an assessment of Indigenous peoples in the U.S and Canada from an anthropological perspective.  As such, the text speaks to the discipline of Anthropology but also addresses the historical influence of Native enslavement and the mission system, imposed conversion, Native American health disparities, colonialism’s altering of food acquisition and the impact of post contact agricultural colonization. The text also provides an analysis of adaptations to spiritual and ceremonial practices, conflict between and among Indigenous populations with the onset of the reservation system, issues of Environmental Justice, and the arts.  Pre-Columbian and contemporary information is presented and each chapter incorporates narratives by Indigenous populations that coincide with the theme of the chapters. ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Content of this text is accurate, well researched, impressively comparative.  ","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The content of this text is up-to-date and reflects well the scholarly positions within the fields of Native American Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Native American History.  The content is relevant and the text is arranged in a way that if necessary additional information can be implemented easily. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is written in lucid, accessible prose and provides definitions of terminology.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This text is internally consistent in framework and in the use of terminology. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This text can be easily realigned with subunits within a course and is divisible into smaller readings for students. ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics in the book are well organized.  ","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The book is free of interface issues.  ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The book is well written, and contains no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The book speaks to the historical and cultural experiences of Indigenous populations in North America and approaches the history of colonization with integrity.  The text does not however fully interweave the interconnections between Native American populations and other marginalized racial/ethnic groups. ","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":378,"first_name":"Naomi","last_name":"Brandenfels","position":"Adjunct Faculty- Anthropology","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"As a brief text, It covers most areas and ideas of the subject with a few exceptions. I have iterated comments appropriately in each section, particularly in 'Relevancy'.  ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Overall this text seems very accurate. The Introduction and Chapter 1 seem to lack some precision in discussing the practicalities of NAGPRA and other concepts more properly focused on by archaeologists including some of the more recent burgeoning information on the peopling of the Americas. On this topic it was very thin. Using David Hurst Thomas 1999 version of Skull Wars is perfectly valid, but there have been much more recent impacts of DNA studies that should be layered onto this information.  The Chapters 2-6 had a higher accuracy integrity although it seems as though Bonvillan 2001 was cited as the primary source for much of the cultural information. Many contemporary tribal entities have accessible and well written and cited tribal histories online. As a researcher and a writer that comes from an academic background, I feel as though these are valid sources to find histories as contemporary Native groups tell them in their own voices. ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Because of the subject matter, much of this content is up to date, however, with a few exceptions there is a heavy dependence on sources from 2000 and earlier. Much needed is a comprehensive overview of the theories surrounding the peopling of the Americas that incorporates recent discoveries and the resulting implications. Information that addresses the new DNA technologies cannot be ignored by cultural anthropologists and historians alike as they are playing new roles in the stories we tell of the past. \n\nThe chapter on art and music as a form of advanced technology is an important comment on what we are taught to valorize and why. I can't see this chapter losing relevancy any time soon. It is a very important chapter and understanding that art is all around us as technology is wise. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This text is written clearly and is accessible. Terminology is highlighted and explained in clear language. Concepts- particularly difficult ones related to gender and race- are explicit and comprehensible for an undergraduate audience.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This text is internally consistent with a clear progression of conceptual ideas. ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"This book is not overly self referential and Chapters 2-6 would be excellent as a base reading supplemented with more contemporary publications both from the academy as well as contemporary tribal source publications.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"This text is divided into six chapters with an introduction and a conclusion. The chapters are based on some of the expected divisions that we have historically seen in texts of this type- topics that the colonial powers that be consider to be of importance and relevance: resources, status, rank, religious beliefs, and technology. Having said this, I think that internally these topics are approached with a counter colonial subtext and the author uses these topics to create a text that addresses the points of view of  peoples who see the world in other ways. The use of oral historical narrative at the beginning of each chapter gives validity to the histories of the groups discussed in the text.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"This text is free of significant interface issues and distortion. There are a couple of half blank pages where the image has pushed the text to the next page. It is easily searched with the 'look-up' (looks like a magnifying glass) function on my tablet. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Grammatical errors were very few and overall it is written in an accessible voice. There are a few typos, particularly in the introduction and first chapter. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act should be 'NAGPRA', not 'NAGPA'. It is 'Beringia', not 'Beringa'. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"'Cultural Relevance' is one area that would be expected to be high from this particular text but therefore a reviewer needs to pay extra close attention. A key component of this curriculum is to emphasize the variances and nuances in Native American cultures in pre-contact, contact, and contemporary  contexts. Although because of the length of this text is brief some generalizations are made between regions, however, there is also caution in making those generalizations. Those that are made seem to be in line with the contemporary presentation of tribal identities. \n\nThe impact of settler colonialism on the social structure of Native American groups is represented in a way that seems very accessible. Also cogent is the relaying of certain aspects of tribal recognition, land allotments, assimilation, etc. that have a continuing impact. The increasing instances of peoples who self identify as Native American but are not included in communities and membership roles has been contributed to, and complicated by, issues surrounding blood quantum, the recent historic un-recognition of tribes, assimilation practices of the mid 20th century, etc. The marked increase in people self-identifying as Native American on the U.S. census could be considered more fully here in this text, especially with the 2010 census results, but it is mentioned and a critical thinking student will start to make these connections on their own. \n\nA couple of things that might be included in an updated version might be the impact of the new genetic identity that people are forming and recent instances that DNA has played in Native America identification. The published 2015 results of Kennewick Man could be an important example. The mitochondrial DNA of Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi was identifiable to a specific clan. As anthropologists we may want to consider this new embodied identity and recognize that this may have an impact on identity as contemporary tribes figure out how to relate, or not to relate, this information to their own self governance. \n\nAlso relevant is the use of oral tradition and storytelling as a basis for understanding and intersecting with the modular concepts by which this text is presenting. Much appreciated is the recognition that these stories are as relevant as the Western originated stories about these peoples as viewed from the outside. \n\nThe images chosen to illustrate the text were interesting and well connected to the written narrative. They always offered more information to connect these concepts together. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":395,"first_name":"Mary Ann","last_name":"Medlin","position":"Adjunct faculty","institution_name":"Portland Community College \u0026 Clackamas Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"One difficulty with a review for this book is that it is suggested for use in an Introductory Anthropology course (by Schwarz, the book reviewer, not the author herself), as I will do next quarter, for use in an Introduction to Native Nations course. It could be used for either. I think it might be better accepted for a Native Nations course because it clearly acknowledges the limitations of comprehensive example of Native nations' cultures in a single book. It does give some attention to archaeological work which could easily be supplemented by a course teacher. The topics it does cover are comprehensive for such a class and do cover areas critical for Native Nations in a way that should intrigue students of all backgrounds. I usually have Native American students in my courses and I look forward to their reaction to this book.\n\nAs a text for an Introductory Anthropology course this would need significant supplements which to me makes it an appealing choice. I would think several ethnographies could be used with this text and a good deal of in class material as well. It could be a good choice for someone wanting to avoid a \"canned\" publishers package and interested in creative course development. Major cultural anthropology course topics are covered in an introductory level, however less in depth than I would like, again an issue that can be supplemented.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"The book is general error free. I do not think the discussion of cross-cousins is accurate for a society with moieties or any unilineal society where a parent's sibling of the opposite sex would have children which did not belong to their lineage, clan, or moiety.. A mother's brother's children and a father's sister's children would be marriageable in that case. This is important in anthropology for understanding just how significant culture is in defining who we see as kin, and how culture determines so much about our life that is not \"just human nature\" (as I hear from students). There are a few typos.\nOther topics are presented in an accurate manner.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book is both up-to-date and should remain relevant for a significant period of time. Updating should be relatively easy and straightforward.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I think the clarity of the book is outstanding but I am exciting about seeing my students' reactions this Winter quarter.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is clearly consistent in both its terminology and framework. I am an anthropologist who using a historian's book for another course that I teach and think this work should also be clear to historians who have some knowledge of anthropological principles.\nI almost did not find this book for review because it was not listed under the social sciences and think it could be listed both there and with the humanities.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I think in general the book is modular. There are some references to material presented earlier but those are explained or could be modified for use in a class using only modules.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"There is a clear logic to the presentation of the material from an anthropological point of view. For use outside of anthropology the author does include a summary of the organizational principles in the introduction might be helpful as well as specific ideas for other disciplines.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No navigation problem using my Surface. That is the only platform I tried. Images were great. I do require that my students submit doi references for articles in references so that I can access them more easily. They don't often submit a .pdf so I don't know if that is possible for references.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no problems with the grammar although there were a few typos.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I think the material was presented with respect and cultural awareness. The book is about Native American Nation in North American and did include some references to other populations as appropriate.\nI have found that college students, for the most part, know far too little about the original inhabitants of North American and this volume addresses that issue well. I agree with Stebbins that knowledge of the diversity of Native nations that existed and continue to exist is a critical component of education for college students today.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I almost did not find this book for review because it was not listed under the social sciences and think it could be listed both there and with the humanities.\nThat would have been sad and I am glad this has been made available.","created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":448,"first_name":"Dr. Katie","last_name":"Nelson","position":"Instructor/Professor","institution_name":"Inver Hills Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This textbook is a concise introduction to the study of Native peoples of North America (including the United States and Canada) from an anthropological perspective written for an intended audience of undergraduate students. Using examples from a variety of native cultural groups, the text addresses topics ranging from pre-colonial times to colonial devastation and from religion and art to political and economic systems. The textbook provides a comprehensive foundation of theses topics that can easily be supplemented with additional instructor-selected materials.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The text is accurate and in general is free from errors or inappropriate/biased perspectives.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book provides a contemporary treatment of native peoples of North America as dynamic and vibrant cultural groups. Each chapter provides a short example of an oral story that introduces the reader to the chapter’s theme. This adds an emic perspective to the prose.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is written in clear and engaging prose. It is accessible to a undergraduate student audience.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is internally consistent in terms of its organization, structure and content.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is organized into six topical chapters including an introduction and a conclusion. The chapter topics align with typical themes that are frequently taught in an undergraduate cultural anthropology course. This text could easily be divisible into smaller readings and supplemented with ethnographies and other reading materials.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics in the text are well organized and follow an internal logic/structure that flows well from one chapter to another.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The text is free from interface issues and appears to be professionally formatted. The images supplement and support the text and are appropriate.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text contains no obvious grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"A strength of this text is in how it presents the material from both emic (native) and etic (non-native) perspectives. It also approaches the topic by respectfully, presenting the varied cultural and historic experiences of native people without essentializing them.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"The textbook should be listed under Social Sciences and not humanities.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":457,"first_name":"Margaret","last_name":"Vaughan","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Metropolitan State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"It is a challenge to write a comprehensive text on First Nations in the U.S. and Canada. This is very comprehensive for an introductory text and covers many important terms and experiences. There is room for an instructor to expand on areas the book did not have room to cover and provide alternative points of view. For example, there are different viewpoints on the outcomes of John Collier’s work that the book did not have room to cover. In the different sections of the book focusing on the topic, the Bering Strait Theory is not consistently presented as an explanation less accepted in the field of First Nation Studies, First Nation cosmologies, and by Indigenous intellectuals.There is a note in the Suggested Resources section of Chapter One that includes recent archaeological scholarship about origins of First Nations in the Americas. In the introduction, it is pointed out that “Much truth can be found in the oral traditions of any society…The stories of a society can tell…us as much as any other source of information if we approach them with an open mind.” (p. 17). On a different topic, the simple lack of immunity argument explaining Native Peoples’ community member losses due to epidemic disease is also something that has been made more complex in the academic literature and that is not something included in the text. Additionally, the concept of appropriation of First Nation artistic motifs could be covered in more depth in the chapter on art, as well as in the chapter on religion.  The  book does not include an effective index or glossary, but it does include a section listing videos pertinent to the book content.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The text would benefit from many more in-text citation. There are places in the text I would have wanted an in-text reference, although there are a few in-text citations. Besides these issues, the book rates highly in accuracy.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"In terms of longevity, there are some statistics that have changed such as the number of U.S. federally recognized tribes. The text is interesting in two ways in regards to relevance. One aspect of the text is to get readers to compare pre-colonization period European societies and histories and Canadian and U.S. First Nation societies and histories. A second aspect is that the text does integrate both Canadian and U.S. First Nation experiences and examples in the entirety of the text. Each chapter has a set of questions that help the mainstream identified student or reader make the chapter content relevant to their life.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Many terms from anthropology are in bold text and explained using tribally-specific First Nation examples and context from both historical and in contemporary periods in a way that shows the non-static experiences of Native Peoples. Culture is described as “a web” (p. 4) and other terms included are “biological determinism,” \"Social Darwinism,\" \"race,\" and \"racism,\" and \"phenotypically\" (p. 6). Manifest Destiny is discussed on page five and the painting, Spirit of the Frontier by John Gast 1872 is included as an illustration on page 34.  Anthropological kinship terms and terms from the anthropology of religion are included in the book. The chapter titled, “Status, Rank, and Power” include useful terms related to tribal governments including the way two kinds of governments, the community system and the government adopted through Western influence/coercion, in a community may co-exist. Terms are made clear in the book, but there is not a glossary compiling all the terms together. The book is written in an accessible style.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text covers examples and contexts from the United States and Canada and keeps an anthropological focus with some historical background included. The voice is consistent—using a friendly first person voice that directly addresses the reader at many points in the text.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"There are a few guideposts included in the narrative to see information in other chapters of the text, but the chapters are lengthy and would also be divisible, in that one chapter could be assigned as a reading. There are no subheadings within the chapters. The chapters are divided into content that work well conceptually as divisible from the book: Chapter 1 In 1491…, Chapter 2: All our Relations, Chapter 3 Resources and their Distribution, Chapter 4 Status, Rank, and Power, Chapter 5 Religion and Spiritual Beliefs, Chapter 6 Is There a Word for Art?.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The Introduction is not as organized in terms of the flow of the content as the rest of the chapters. However, the actual chapter sections themselves have strong organization, structure and flow. The First Nation-specific origin and “how things came to be” stories at the beginning of some of the chapters work well for the text. The concluding chapter addresses the mainstream identified student to think critically about the course material and particular concepts such as sovereignty.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The photographs are crisp and clear and help illustrate aspects of a chapter. The maps and diagrams in the text are difficult to read and out of focus (in the pdf format) even when trying to enlarge the image. This is unfortunate because they would be useful as content.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The grammar is well-polished. The text has some (rare) repetitive word and spelling errors. For example, Greg Sarris’s name is misspelled on page 168. The Native American Graves and Repatriation Act is referred to as NAGPA instead of as NAGPRA.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The book does not address Native students (in comparison to how chapter questions may be written directly to students who are members of First Nations). There is one example in the book that refers to living in dorms as students, which is relevant to some students but not to commuting students. At one point in the conclusion, the book uses the pronouns “we” and “us” in a series of questions that the reader may guess to be directed to mainstream identified readers. The book has plenty of strengths for mainstream identified readers to think critically about ethnocentrism, misunderstandings, and assumptions.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The strengths of this book are in the depiction of contemporary and historical examples and experiences of specific First Nations in the U.S. and Canada and the introduction of terminology used in anthropology. The book is very useful as an anthropological text. Certain chapters may be useful for ethnic studies, religious studies, and Native American government courses.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2516,"first_name":"Todd","last_name":"VanPool","position":"Associate Professor of Anthropology","institution_name":"MOBIUS","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is a well-written and interesting book. However, it is not organized according to specific tribal groups. Instead, the six chapters are thematically organized with examples from various tribes being used to illustrate variation or specific themes. For example, Chapter 4 deals with status and political hierarchies, whereas Chapter 5 reals with religion and spiritual beliefs. Many different examples are used to talk about these themes, but the tribal groups selected vary from chapter to chapter and context to context. As a result, it is not particularly comprehensive, in that the reader will not gain a detailed understanding of any particular tribal entity. For example, the Hopi are used as an example of masked dancers (a perfect example), but are mentioned only once elsewhere in the text. A student reading this book would thus understand a lot about the variation and patterns in native North American religions, but would not be able to speak knowledgably about any specific group.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"While it is always possible to quibble, I did not see any glaring issues of scholarship.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Aside from Chapter 1, which deals with archaeology, prehistory, and initial European contact, the text relies on original, primary sources, and applies well accepted approaches to understand them. Chapter 1 is perhaps a bit out of date, but the general text will remain useful for many years to come. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Well-written and easily understood.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"There are no problems with consistency, EXCEPT that different tribal units are chosen chapter to chapter. ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"I think it would be very easy to assign specific chapters in a class as opposed to the whole book. However, it would be more difficult to divide up chapters into smaller readings.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The text is logically organized, but is organized very differently than the typical text used to teach courses on North American Natives. Most books take a culture area approach, in which a culture area (say, the Plains) is discussed with examples from the culture area. The discussion of each group would be somewhat similar from example to example, and include a variety of topics (e.g., subsistence, kinship, economy, internal social organization, religion/ritual, etc.). This allows students to know comparable information about a number of specific groups, and be able to discuss differences and similarities in various culture areas.\r\n\r\n_Native Peoples of North America_ takes a very different approach, and is instead organized by thematic topic. This allows the student to know more about, say, religion across Native North American groups, but they will have a more limited knowledge of general culture areas and almost no general knowledge about specific groups. This isn't a bad thing, but it is different.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Its all fine. The images are very nice.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text is well-written and grammatically sound.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I didn't detect any problems or issues in terms of the text's cultural appropriateness. The images are appropriate. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2019-01-12T15:30:40.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-01-12T15:30:40.000-06:00"},{"id":3468,"first_name":"Rory","last_name":"Becker","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Eastern Oregon University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The range of ideas and areas for Native North America are covered well.  I reviewed a downloaded PDF of this open text and, my versions at least, did not have an index or glossary.  The lack of glossary was noticeable due to the terms in bold throughout the chapters.  Students may find the addition of a glossary that includes all of the bold terms throughout the  text quite helpful.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The information is of high quality and appropriately covered for each topic given the author's stated approach to the text.  Moreover, the addition of an Errata following the text is excellent for this type of open source document.  Much appreciated.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The concepts covered are basline anthropological concepts that so the book will retain it's relevance for quite a long time.  In terms of preference, a fuller incorporation of archaeological data which support the cultural concepts being discussed may enrich the text.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The author's word choice, voice, and ability to explain complex topics in an approachable manner are well suited to an introductory anthropology text.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This is handled very well in the text.  The use of a native story to start each chapters frames the context for each section nicely.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"This category assumes that Modularity is valued in this type of text.  I am not sure I agree that it is and to achieve a higher score in this area the text would need to be organized according to regions, perhaps language groups, or some other topic.  The sum loss to this approach is greater than the benefits of Modularity and I tend to prefer the approach the author takes which builds on anthropological concepts from one chapter to the next.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"As mentioned in the Modularity category, I do prefer the author's choices in organizing this text.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"Several of the images (particularly the maps) would benefit form a higher DPI or the use of a native digital image.  These can be enlarged by the end user which is necessary to clearly see \u0026 interpret several of the maps.  Image and map choice, however, are quite good.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Spelling \u0026 grammar are handled well and transparently given the Errata at the end.","cultural_rating":1,"cultural_review":"The phrasing of this category, I believe, is intentionally done to assess the respondant's engagement.  For clarity and to be sure I am reading this correctly, this text is the example of cultural inclusivity and receives the highest marks in this category simply by it's topic and approach.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"The text well covers both an introductory course in Native North American and also anthropological concepts.  There is good versatility here and the text may work well for a wide range of courses in Anthropology and Native American Studies.","created_at":"2020-01-05T13:37:38.000-06:00","updated_at":"2020-01-05T13:37:38.000-06:00"},{"id":33972,"first_name":"Andrea","last_name":"Perez","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Lane Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Well written","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Very Accurate","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Relevance and up to date.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Very clear without being overly simplistic","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The new term are in bold making it easy to look up if unknow to students","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"OK","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The subject of Native People of North American is hard to organize but this book did a good job and don't leave out Canada.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I don't see any interface problems or distortion of images or charts. I hope in newer versions that the images and charts can be enlarged.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors that I could see.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive at all in fact I believe it spell out the bloody truth of genocide to the Native American people.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"Review the PDF version of this book. I don't think that students will have a problem with the fact that there is no glossary of term. Students can look up unknown terms. I like that each chapter starts with synopsis of a Native American story. These book does not over look the fact that this country was built on stolen for many different Native American people and has a dark pass that involves genocide. The book is very clear that it was not just English immigrants but Spanish, French, Dutch and Russians that all took part of the genocide of all Native American people on this continent. \r\nThe Topics in the Textbook cover the general anthropological concepts that will make it easy to understand and enjoy for a freshman class. \r\n It an interesting book well written which will make it relevance for many years.","created_at":"2022-08-02T19:19:04.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-08-02T19:19:04.000-05:00"},{"id":35419,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Part Time Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Text uses the traditional sections format found in an Intro Cultural Anthropology text and applies that approach to this Native Peoples text. Thus,the traditional sections are well covered.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The material is well referenced. I would like to see more use of intext hyperlinks to current resources. While a few resource comments are found at the end of each section, they are limited and at times vague and lacking any actual links.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The materials were updated in 2019 (yea!) with consideration with new and expanded points. I would like to see more future updates that incorporate a greater use of graphs/images and websites to which the student can be referred.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Sections are consistent in tone and format. I love how each section begins with relevant cultural mythologies and stories. The discussion questions at the end of each section are well written, precise and usable. There is a flow to the text that runs across the separate chapters.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Each section is consistent in format throughout the text, beginning with a relevant indigenous story, bolded concepts interspersed in each section, discussion questions and additional resources at the end of each section. The chapter lengths differ with a very short and vague concluding chapter, preceded by a lengthy and detailed chapter on art. Current status of Native Peoples is lacking and would normally be a heavy hitting concluding section for each chapter or a final thorough chapter.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is a stand alone module and so they can be used as a sequence or incorporated by sections by sections in other courses.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Traditional organization. Intro is strong, but the conclusions need to development on the current situation and there is a noticeable absence of linguistics and limited section on shamanism and health, ritual and nutrition.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The images and other display features are not consistent in size and clarity. They don't really add much to augment the material.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text has been proofed for grammar and typos and is consistent.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Makes a clear discussion of cultural repatriation and of historic bias and discrimination. This is a strong point of the text.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I like the text and the wonderful introductory stories from indigenous cultures were a delight to read. A more indepth concluding chapter which address some current demographics, achievements and concerns would be helpful.","created_at":"2025-03-24T08:09:16.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-03-24T08:09:16.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/native-peoples-of-north-america","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:01:41.000-06:00"},{"id":922,"title":"Languages and Worldview","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2020,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"Asking and answering questions about what culture entails and examines the fundamental properties and intertwining nature of language and culture. This text explores linguistic relativity, lexical differences among languages and intercultural communication, including high and low contexts. Changes to a variety of OER works were made by Manon Allard-Kropp in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies to tailor the text to fit the needs of the Languages and World View course at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Materials from the original sources have been combined, reorganized, and added to by the current author, and any conceptual or typographical errors are the responsibility of the current author.","contributors":[{"id":5295,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Manon","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Allard-Kropp","location":"University of Missouri–St. Louis","background_text":"Manon Allard-Kropp, University of Missouri–St. Louis"}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":32,"name":"Linguistics","parent_subject_id":6,"call_number":"P123","visible_textbooks_count":12,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/linguistics"},{"id":6,"name":"Humanities","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":null,"visible_textbooks_count":418,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/humanities"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":901,"url":"http://www.umsl.edu/library/","year":null,"created_at":"2020-10-18T20:10:38.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-10-18T20:10:38.000-05:00","name":"University of Missouri - St. Louis"}],"formats":[{"id":1822,"type":"PDF","url":"https://irl.umsl.edu/oer/17/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":3,"reviews":[{"id":33677,"first_name":"Olubukola","last_name":"Salako","position":"Professorial Lecturer","institution_name":"American University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book is a gem for those who are not well versed in the field of linguistic. It uses terminology that is understandable and easy to follow. It is organized in a manner that allows the reader to relate to the examples mentioned in the book. Definitions are clear and concise. It makes use of videos, which is an asset for the reader.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Examples are given from previous studies, which substantiates the points made in the book. Additionally, examples are supported with videos. This gives the reader a better sense of comprehension that is not always clear by wordy definitions.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The contents in the book are currently relevant to this time frame. It makes use of common trends popular with language use in this era. The book also connects videos by a simple click. However, a problem may arise five years from now when new technologies are developed and the links to the videos are no longer available. Overall, using videos in a textbook is very creative and makes learning about languages enjoyable.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"One major advantage about this book is the concise, simple, and organized definitions. One is able to read without any major difficulties. The language is simple and relatable for a novice learning about language, linguistics, and communication. The book is not complex and thus makes reading it easy to finish.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Throughout the book, there is considerable amount of consistency in how the book is arranged. The questions are posed at the end of each unit to help the reader retain knowledge about the points discussed in each section. The videos are also placed properly after definitions are discussed. The format is consistent with the design of the book.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"A strong suit for this book is its organization. The reader can skip around and focus on one unit and return to another unit for clarification. The units allow the reader to focus his or her attention on particular parts for an in-depth study. This is especially useful for the reader if he or she wants to focus his or her attention on different units without reading the whole book.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is organized creatively. The organization of the book with videos makes the reading of the text interesting. The reader will not be bored reading this book. This book will work well for readers who are technology savvy and love the world of eBooks.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface for this book is fascinating. It has videos, graphs, bolded definitions, and pictures. Although the topic can be quite difficult to understand in traditional books, in this case, this book is well organized in a way that makes reading it easy.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text contains no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"In essence, the book explains and makes use of examples of cultural themes, motifs, and languages that influence the field of linguistics, communication, and language study. There are examples for the reader to use as a point of reference. This book will be a great asset for anyone who is interested in language learning.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I enjoyed reading this book. I especially enjoyed watching the videos in each unit of the book. This format is creative and innovative.","created_at":"2022-01-31T16:20:05.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-01-31T16:20:05.000-06:00"},{"id":33946,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Text includes cross-cultural examples and verbal as well as nonverbal communication.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Sources are well documented and content is backed by credible anthropological sources.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This is the gem of the text. most Linguistic Anthropology texts are dry and not very useful for undergraduates. It is difficult to find a Linguistic Anthropology text that is meaningful, understandable, and interesting to undergraduate students, but this text has nailed it! .","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Keeps the readers interest with day to day examples that students can relate to. Also, incorporates support from videos for our students now living in a visually stimulating environment.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"One issue with some OER resources is the lack of consistency due to multiple authors. This text is consistent in style and content.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Easily broken into bite size modules and perfect for a quarter term.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I love the cross-cultural approach that ties each module into our discipline.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Videos play easily. I would like to have seen more references to online websites and a greater use of graphs and images.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not see any errors that popped out for me.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This is a gem on incorporating a cross-cultural approach in a respectful manner.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"It is difficult to find a Linguistic Anthropology text that is meaningful, understandable, and interesting to undergraduate students, but this text has nailed it! It is readable and practical, incorporating relevant cross-cultural examples and a discussion on non-human communication. A stellar discussion on nonverbal and digital forms of communication, along with video snippets to enhance student learning in today’s visually stimulated environment, rounds out an adoptable OER resource for undergraduate students.","created_at":"2022-07-07T10:12:24.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-07-07T10:12:24.000-05:00"},{"id":34596,"first_name":"Victor","last_name":"Valdivia","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"The George Washington University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book introduces several topics of the subject in a clear and concise manner. Although it would be useful to have an index, users can look for specific terms with the \"find\" option of Adobe Reader. A glossary would be useful since it would give students a central place to review the terms presented thorough the book.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"In general, the content is accurate and unbiased. Nevertheless, not making any reference to Ferdinand de Saussure when discussing the arbitrariness of symbols (section 2.2.2 Defining Verbal Communication) is not understandable. \nAnother issue that could affect students' reception of the textbook is the use of masculine nouns for generic referents. For instance, in section 2.1.2 (pages 16-17) when defining polychronic cultures, the author changes from the plural to singular from one sentence to the next one, and uses masculine pronouns. There is no apparent reason why this change which result on moving from an inclusive noun to one that may be perceived as exclusive: \"Although polychrons can meet deadlines, they need to do so in their own way. A polychron does not want detailed plans imposed upon him, nor does he want to make his own detailed plans. Polychrons prefer “...‘\" (page 17).\nIn section 2.1.5. (gesture) the author discusses a gesture used in \"Spain and Latin America\" to express a particular emotion. Stating \"Latin America\" rather than \"in some countries of Latin America\" conveys that the region is a monolith; thus perpetuating stereotypes.\nAnother mistake occurs in section 2.1.8 (Sign languages) when the author seem to suggest that the American Sign Language is used in Mexico when, in reality, the predominant language of the deaf community in Mexico is the Mexican Sign Language (Lengua Mexicana de Señas), which, according to Wikipedia,  \"is closely related to French Sign Language (LSF) and American Sign Language (ASL), although it is mutually unintelligible.\" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Sign_Language)\nFinally, in section 2.2.5, the author states that descriptive linguistics is the study of the structures of language, when in reality descriptive and prescriptive approaches to language study such structures. Descriptive linguistics refers to an approach of linguistics analysis.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Being an introductory text which doesn't need to focus on specific theories addressing areas such as language acquisition, the content can present relevant content that will not be obsolete in the near future. If anything, the book could be updated in the future by adding sections related to new phenomena.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The content is presented in a clear and concise way with enough context and examples to understand complex terminology (e.g. diglossia).","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The text is consistent in terms of terminology, but there is not an explicit indication, explanation or discussion of which framework is being used. Even though it can be inferred by terms as \"descriptive linguistics\" or \"linguistic relativity\" it may not be clear to students what are the premises of this framework nor what distinguishes from other ones.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"In general, the organization of the chapters allows for a natural progression of the content, and for its presentation in smaller, yet comprehensible chunks.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Some topics (e.g pragmatics) are presented in different parts of a chapter or even in different parts of the books without a clear reason of why they were not presented as a whole in just one section or chapter. That is to say, there second time the concept is discussed does not really build upon the first time it was introduced, but it seems to present a different definition.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"All links included in the text worked well. There were no problems either using different tools to find specific pages or even words.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors were found in the text.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The text uses examples from different languages and cultures.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The book would benefit from more activities (comprehension, discussion, research) for students.","created_at":"2023-06-06T15:27:04.000-05:00","updated_at":"2023-06-06T15:27:04.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/languages-and-worldview","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:30:12.000-06:00"},{"id":1150,"title":"Introduction to Anthropology","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2022,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":"","accessibility_features":[],"description":"Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, OpenStax Introduction to Anthropology is a four-field text integrating diverse voices, engaging field activities, and meaningful themes like Indigenous experiences and social inequality to engage students and enrich learning. The text showcases the historical context of the discipline, with a strong focus on anthropology as a living and evolving field. There is significant discussion of recent efforts to make the field more diverse—in its practitioners, in the questions it asks, and in the applications of anthropological research to address contemporary challenges. In addressing social inequality, the text drives readers to consider the rise and impact of social inequalities based on forms of identity and difference (such as gender, ethnicity, race, and class) as well as oppression and discrimination. The contributors to and dangers of socioeconomic inequality are fully addressed, and the role of inequality in social dysfunction, disruption, and change is noted.","contributors":[{"id":5681,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Jennifer","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Hasty","location":"University of Pennsylvania","background_text":"Jennifer Hasty, University of Pennsylvania"},{"id":5682,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"David","middle_name":"G.","last_name":"Lewis","location":"Oregon State University","background_text":"David G. Lewis, Oregon State University"},{"id":5683,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Marjorie","middle_name":"M.","last_name":"Snipes","location":"University of West Georgia","background_text":"Marjorie M. Snipes, University of West Georgia"}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":1129,"url":"https://openstax.org/","year":2022,"created_at":"2022-03-11T01:35:38.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-03-11T01:35:38.000-06:00","name":"OpenStax"}],"formats":[{"id":2859,"type":"PDF","url":"https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-anthropology?Book%20details","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":2860,"type":"Online","url":"https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-anthropology?Book%20details","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":3369,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TP8P527","price":{"cents":3499,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":4,"reviews":[{"id":34100,"first_name":"Katherine","last_name":"Fox","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Southern Oregon University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is a comprehensive four-field introduction to anthropology that is clearly organized, with a complete index.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I saw no issues in the content.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"It is definitely a more up-to-date textbook than many offered by traditional publishers, but many of the \"modern\" examples are still drawing from the early 2010s.  The section on digital and new media feels underdeveloped for 2022.  I do think that the format will allow updates with relative ease.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Clear language with ample definitions and explanations.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Generally speaking, it is consistent.  However, many sections are treated as independent topics and do not always clearly link to and reference other material covered earlier in the book, so in some ways this is not applicable.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"Blocks of text are often larger than is comfortable to read online.  Sections of the book can be printed without major issues, though there is some disruption of graphics.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Clear structure.  While each chapter covers a different topic that is often very separate from others, the sections within the chapters follows a clear and logical sequence.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No problems with the online interface.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors; sentences are clear and well-written.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The book uses diverse examples to illustrate anthropological concepts.  Though it feels as though its target audience is American, different regions of the world feel evenly represented (i.e., the book doesn't overwhelmingly focus on one area, such as Southeast Asia or Latin America).","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This is a really great textbook option for four-field anthropology classes.  I don't think that it replaces textbooks that are specifically for introductory cultural anthropology courses, at least without supplementation with other materials.","created_at":"2022-11-02T13:15:25.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-11-02T13:15:25.000-05:00"},{"id":35142,"first_name":"Ian","last_name":"Bolling","position":"Faculty Lead: Social Sciences (Full-Professor fo Sociology)","institution_name":"Tidewater Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Numerous chapters to choose from. A true strength. It is more comprehensive than what I need, but that is a good thing, as I can pick and choose the chapters I decide to use for the course.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Professionally written and I appreciate the steps taken to consider antiracist perspectives in the discipline and writings.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Cultural Anthropology is not just about the past or the present it is all encompassing. The authors do a good job of exploring historical foundations in anthropology while also pulling in modern concepts and elements on chapters on gender, food, media, the arts, etc.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"A down to Earth approach. Much needed for community college students.\nThe chapters and their layouts are clearly laid out. Reflective of today's generation and their respective attention span. Each concept or segment is laid out in 1-2 pages with visual images, key terms, and explanations.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The chapters and their layouts are clearly laid out. Reflective of today's generation and their respective attention span. Each concept or segment is laid out in 1-2 pages with visual images, key terms, and explanations.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The chapters and their layouts are clearly laid out. Reflective of today's generation and their respective attention span. Each concept or segment is laid out in 1-2 pages with visual images, key terms, and explanations.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"While the chapters are logical, I will not cover much of the content in the beginning of the book as it will bog down the student with details they likely will not find interesting and are not integral to the understanding of Anthropology. Still many professors will consider those \"skipped\" chapters to be integral","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No navigational issues. It is nice that the text can be downloaded, viewed online, or purchased as a hard copy.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not see any errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Cultural Anthropology is inherently culturally focuses, but it is nice that the authors are outwardly trying to make the discipline antiracist and focus on being more inclusive.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I plan on adopting this book in the next academic year based on my review!","created_at":"2024-06-27T10:27:32.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-06-27T10:27:32.000-05:00"},{"id":35348,"first_name":"Molly","last_name":"Carney","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Oregon State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Great introduction to cultural anthropology, with chapters on recent approaches that many introductory texts do not include. It is MASSIVE at over 600 pages! Almost too detailed. I felt that the book leans heavily towards cultural anthropology, despite claiming to take a four-field approach.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not encounter any inaccuracies within the book's content.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"I am impressed with the later chapters on pretty recent topics within Anthropology. It seems that the web-version of the text was built to accommodate updates. However, I'd love to see more archaeology and biocultural connections in these later chapters, as it does feel like they are written from a very cultural anthropology point of view.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Chapters clearly introduce complex topics in easy-to-access language. I particularly appreciate the sections with vocabulary, discussion questions, vignettes, and even videos! I think these are fantastic options for helping students grasp new concepts.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Most chapters are very clearly written and there's an effort throughout to ensure consistency in voice, which you don't often find in other open-access texts with numerous authors. All follow a similar outline.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"It's a little inconsistent - sometimes there are big blocks of text while other sections are short.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Chapters are generally arranged in what strikes me as a logical order. There is organizational consistency within each chapter as well.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The ads and pop ups in the web-based version of the text are very distracting. I'll definitely recommend students use the PDF as it's easier to navigate and read.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not see any grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The authors explicitly are writing from an antiracist perspective and do draw on examples from across the globe. I can see how individual chapters draw from the author's own research. There are a couple instances where human remains are shown that I wondered if it's appropriate to include a content warning of some sort? Or perhaps I missed that.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"A very thorough introduction to cultural anthropology. I would definitely draw from these chapters, particularly 9-19, when I need a reading for introducing a new topic to my upper division courses.","created_at":"2024-12-15T11:34:44.000-06:00","updated_at":"2024-12-15T11:34:44.000-06:00"},{"id":35422,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Text contains multiple modules, some traditional and some innovative, from which the instructor can choose. Text covers an array of cultures in the examples included and an array of intriguing and professional images.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Well referenced and supported from a variety of resources.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Up to date examples and images. The stand alone modules allow for updates that will be easier to navigate and implement.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Not just a jumble of paragraphs leading to reader fatigue. Instead this text uses indexing, provocative images, relevant and diverse examples, and color to help the reader navigate the material while, at the same time, keeping interest peaked.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Yes, each chapter has a consistent layout and the tone of the various chapters is consistent...no easy task with multiple writers.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is a stand alone module.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Yes, for the most part. The only area which is uneven across the chapters is the \"resource\" section at the end. I would love to see it more fully developed. Otherwise, all the sections in each chapter are laid out in a consistent and easy to follow style.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Clear and Professional","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not see any errors","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Wide array of examples and key material on indigenous issues and the role of anthropology is presented","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"Love it! Provocative, Professional and thorough! Relevant for today's student of anthropology!","created_at":"2025-03-24T16:04:42.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-03-24T16:04:42.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/introduction-to-anthropology","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:36:45.000-06:00"},{"id":1282,"title":"A People’s History of Structural Racism in Academia: From A(dministration of Justice) to Z(oology)","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2022,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":"","accessibility_features":[],"description":"The contents of this book were developed under an Open Textbooks Pilot grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.","contributors":[{"id":5973,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Susan","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Rahman","location":"Kentfield, CA","background_text":"My name is Susan Rahman. I teach Sociology, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. I have a BA and MA in Sociology and a PhD in Human Sciences. I have been faculty at the College of Marin since 2011."},{"id":5974,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Prateek","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Sunder","location":"Kentfield, CA","background_text":"Prateek Sunder, College of Marin"},{"id":5975,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Dahmitra","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Jackson","location":null,"background_text":"Dahmitra Jackson"}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":30,"name":"History","parent_subject_id":6,"call_number":"D20","visible_textbooks_count":52,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/history"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":1260,"url":"https://profiles.marin.edu/profile/susan-rahman","year":null,"created_at":"2022-11-14T09:13:10.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-11-14T09:13:10.000-06:00","name":"Susan Rahman"}],"formats":[{"id":3195,"type":"PDF","url":"https://www.hancockcollege.edu/ccecho/documents/A%20Peoples%20History%20of%20Structural%20Racism%20in%20Academia%20From%20A%20to%20Z.pdf","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":1,"reviews":[{"id":35643,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"All major disciplines in academia are covered.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Most points are supported, but some personal perspectives need more outside support.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"PDF has clear sections that can be easily updated.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Consistent prose and context. Relevant examples that include both historic and current content.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Clearly one author and consistent format, length and flow for each discipline reviewed.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Segmented into alphabetized academic categories. That said, there are not subcategories within  each segment. It would be of benefit to have sub headings, such as: overview, historic, and current to name a few. This would help to keep the readers interest and better organize the material for quick reference.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"Segmented into alphabetized academic categories. That said, there are not subcategories within  each segment. It would be of benefit to have sub headings, such as: overview, historic, and current to name a few. This would help to keep the readers interest and better organize the material for quick reference. ","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Lacks images/charts, and any other display features and is really more of an academic paper.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not see any.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Presents an intriguing overview of racism within the Ivory Tower and the ever changing role of higher education and who it is designed to serve. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Would be useful in a graduate seminar as more of an academic article for review and discussion and not as a text.","created_at":"2025-09-30T09:19:12.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-09-30T09:19:24.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/a-people-s-history-of-structural-racism-in-academia-from-a-dministration-of-justice-to-z-oology","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:35:33.000-06:00"},{"id":1619,"title":"Shared Voices: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology [Revised Edition]","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2024,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"Shared Voices is a student-centered cultural anthropology mini textbook built with an equity lens. We are excited to share this with you all. This book attempts to address the lack of current, reliable, and relevant resources for introductory anthropology courses that center equity and anti-racism. We set out to create a culturally responsive and inclusive textbook with an anti-racist and global citizenry perspective. We center marginalized voices, stories, and community. This text is a starting point for any introductory anthropology course recognizing that cultural change is constant and the familiar is cousin to the weird and unusual. A work in progress, this text aims to provide students an opportunity to build content as they explore the topics within.","contributors":[{"id":6969,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Demetrios","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Brellas","location":"Framingham State University","background_text":"Demetrios James Brellas, Ph.D., is an anthropologist, archaeologist, researcher and educator. He received his doctorate in Archaeology from Boston University in 2016. His graduate work focused on the socioeconomic role of wetland environments and their resources in ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. He has conducted archaeological fieldwork throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East including: Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Italy. Most recently, his research takes place in Greece, where he is a part of several ongoing projects, which involve the analysis of animal as well as human remains. He is currently the team zooarchaeologist at the Molyvoti Thrace Archaeological Project (MTAP) in Greece, where he continues to research animal economies and particularly the role of sustainable wetland and marine ecosystem use in ancient complex societies. Before pursuing a graduate level career in archaeology he worked as a K-12 teacher. He also teaches several anthropology courses to high school students in the Boston MetroWest area through the College Planning Collaborative. Everyone learns differently and educators therefore must not take anything for granted when we speak. Therefore, his teaching philosophy focuses on finding the strategy that works for each student by using various teaching tools."},{"id":6970,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Vanessa","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Martinez","location":"Holyoke Community College","background_text":"Vanessa E. Martinez-Renuncio, Ph.D., is an experienced health anthropologist, professor, trainer, non-profit professional and leader in the areas of justice, cultural humility and culturally responsive pedagogy. With over twenty years of experience working in higher education colleges, my focus has been on building campus and community wide equity and inclusion initiatives and programs to support student retention, graduation, and transfer. She works full time at Holyoke Community College as Professor of Anthropology and Honors Program Coordinator. She is also a co-founder of The Women of Color Healthy Equity Collective (The Collective), a movement building non-profit in Western Massachusetts whose mission is to ensure girls and women of color are able to achieve optimal health. She received her Master’s in applied medical anthropology from Georgia State University in 2002 and her PhD in anthropology with a focus in health and medicine from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2014. She currently resides in Holyoke, Massachusetts, with her partner Jamie and her daughter Alejandra. Her favorite activities involve dancing, going on adventures with her family and enjoying time on a beach."}],"subjects":[{"id":40,"name":"Anthropology","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"GN25","visible_textbooks_count":9,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":1595,"url":"https://rotel.pressbooks.pub/","year":2024,"created_at":"2024-03-16T19:05:31.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-03-16T19:05:31.000-05:00","name":"ROTEL"}],"formats":[{"id":4119,"type":"Online","url":"https://rotel.pressbooks.pub/culturalanthropology/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":4120,"type":"PDF","url":"https://rotel.pressbooks.pub/culturalanthropology/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":4121,"type":"eBook","url":"https://rotel.pressbooks.pub/culturalanthropology/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":2,"reviews":[{"id":35133,"first_name":"Sharon","last_name":"Methvin","position":"Part Time Instructor","institution_name":"Mount Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"I so love what it offers, but stops at political and thus stops short of all social institutions.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"I think it is well supported with points but the bulk does not give credit for where it is sourced.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"So great on connecting with our students. And making our field interesting and alive with up to date examples and relevant. easy to understand concepts.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Clear and easy to follow.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Each chapter follows a template and is clear.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Self supporting.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Follows traditional format, but did they run out of time to complete all the social institutions and projections?","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Not sure as little web and other social media were included.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Not noted","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Examples were natural and easy","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Great readability! Kinda stopped midpath in our journey. Great examples and photos. Would love to see more integration of social media and photos.","created_at":"2024-06-21T19:38:39.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-06-21T19:38:39.000-05:00"},{"id":35291,"first_name":"Sanaa","last_name":"Riaz","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Metropolitan State University of Denver","comprehensiveness_rating":2,"comprehensiveness_review":"Instead of carrying a stand-alone chapter on gender, how gender factors into subsistence, language and other aspects of culture has been incorporated into each chapter. That said, educators looking to provide an introductory overview of gender and religion, family, kinship and marriage, race and ethnicity, health, performance, media anthropology or public anthropology to their students will be disappointed in the limited scope of the textbook.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The textbook is accurate, error-free and unbiased.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"The textbook uses classic examples in anthropology, such as those of the Trobriand Island Kula Ring, Native American potlatch and a few examples from Indigenous North American, Canadian and African groups. While there is immense value in these, the textbook does not address ethnographic studies conducted in the last 40 years to bring out the breathe of approaches and new sub-fields they have informed.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The textbook fits its description of bringing a short introduction to cultural anthropology to students without discipline-specific jargon and technical language. The textbook is written in accessible prose with introductory readers in mind.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Each chapter contains a glossary of terms. The idea is for readers to not be interrupted by bold terms followed by running or short definitions and instead find the complete definition in the glossary. In that regard, the text is internally consistent in terminology and framework.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is not self-referential which, in the spirit of Open Educational Resources allows for chapters and sections to be parsed and assigned in course syllabi with ease. Chapter introductions have not been written with the assumption that the reader will have arrived at the chapter content after reviewing a previous chapter or related content on an aspect of culture. Each chapter page contains a combination of terms in bold, section headings and/or text boxes to avoid long blocks of text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book follows a logical and clear organization accessible to experts and non-experts. Topics also move logically from an introduction to anthropology to the cultural anthropology sub-field to ethnographic fieldwork methods to various aspects of culture.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"There are no problems saving the book as a PDF document or accessing it online to customize it. Saving the book as a PDF file does not change image size or rotations or table column width and text alignment. All text boxes, images, figures and tables included in the textbook are accessible. The textbook contains no grammatical errors.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The textbook contains no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The textbook provides inclusive and culturally-sensitive information to students in an accessible, jargon-free manner. The cultural examples included show respect for all lifeways and social identities.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"For those looking for a comprehensive study of ethnographic fieldwork methods and ethics and modes of subsistence, this would be a good OER to parse and assign. However, those looking for a modern introduction to culture with robust and comprehensive discussions on gender, race, ethnicity, political ideologies and power, contributions in political economy of cultural lifeways in a global environment, in applied anthropology, public anthropology and in the ethnographic approach in the last 40 years, innovations in qualitative research methods and in various professional avenues where anthropological insight is positively contributing will be underwhelmed.","created_at":"2024-10-27T23:56:14.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-10-27T23:56:14.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/shared-voices-an-introduction-to-cultural-anthropology","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:38:49.000-06:00"}],"links":{"self":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/anthropology.json?page=1","total_pages":1,"total_count":9}}