Cultural anthropology and human experience : the feast of life / Katherine A. Dettwyler

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A Fraction of the Feast: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology -- Basic Needs: Food, Shelter, and Stuff -- Love Is All We Need: Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation -- Good Health, Good Food, Good Sex: Medical, Nutritional, and Reproductive Anthropology -- Organizing People into Groups: Kinship, Descent, and Common Interest -- Getting People to Behave: Enculturation, Rules, and Politics -- Achieving Economic Goals: Markets, Trade, and Exchange -- Making Sense of the World: Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy, and Worldview -- The Things We Do for Fun: Music, Sports, and Games -- Human Creativity: Environments, Bodies, and the Arts -- Human Communication: Touch Me, See Me, Hear Me, Read Me -- Living in the World -- References -- Index.

Dettwyler's upbeat tone inspires students to: develop the ability to think logically, objectively, and critically about different cultural beliefs, practices, and social structures; understand that humans are ""primates with culture,"" with a complex overlay of environmental and cultural influences; appreciate how powerful cultural beliefs and practices can be in shaping human perceptions of the world; realize that ""culture"" is not the same thing as social constructions of ""race,"" ""ethnic identity,"" or ""place of geographic origin""; understand why/how cultural practices make sense within the cultures that practice them; articulate how an anthropological perspective helps discern everyday situations and interactions at the local, national, and international levels; understand that anthropology is not just an academic discipline it is a way of looking at and understanding the world; appreciate the ways cultural beliefs and practices, social structures, and human lifestyles contribute to a meaningful life"