OAS Anthropology Optional Syllabus

Paper –I

Physical/Biological Anthropology & Human Genetics:

Unit –I:

1.1 Meaning and Scope of Anthropology

1.2 Relationship with other disciplines: History, Sociology, Geology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Life Science, and Medical Science.

1.3 Main Branches of Anthropology, their scope and relevance:

a) Social/Cultural Anthropology

b) Physical/Biological Anthropology

c) Archaeological Anthropology

1.4 Living Primates:

Order Primate and Classification of Primates, Comparative morphology, anatomy and phylogeny of man and apes.

Primate Locomotion: Terrestrial and Arboreal adaptation. Skeletal changes due to assumption of erect posture.

1.5 Fossil Evidences of Human Evolution (Phylogenetic status, characteristics and distribution):

a) Pre-pleistocene fossil primates (Oreopithecus)

b) South and East African Hominids: Plesianthropus/Australopithecus Africanus, Paranthropus, Australopithecus

c) Paranthropus – Homo erectus, Homo Erectus Javanicus, Homo Erectus Pekinensis

d) Homo Heidelbergensis

e) Neanderthal M a n – L a -Chapelle Aux Saints (classical type), Mt. Carmelites types (Progressive type)

f) Rhodesian Man

g) Home Sapiens – Cro-Magnon, Grimaldi, Chanceleade.

1.6 Organic Evolution:

Theories of evolution in historical perspective, Pre-Darwinian, Darwinian and Post Darwinian Period (Neo Darwinism). Modern Synthetic theory of evolution. Brief outline of terms and concepts of evolutionary biology: parallelism, convergence, adaptive radiation, mosaic evolution.

1.7 Human Race:

Concept of Race and racism. Biological perspective of race. Different factors responsible for race formation and racial criteria. Role of heredity and environment in determining racial traits. Major races of the world, their distribution and characteristics. Race crossing in man.

Unit –II:

2.1 Concept, scope and major branches of human genetics. Methods for study of genetic principles in human heredity. Pedigree study, Family study, Twin Study, Cytogenetic Method and Biometry.

2.2 Mendelian population. Concept of gene pool and gene frequencies. Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. The factors, which influence gene and genotype frequencies – mutation, isolation, migration, admixture, selection, genetic drift, inbreeding and social selection.

2.3 Consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriage. Effect of consanguineous marriages.

2.4 Mendelian Genetics in Man: Autosomal inheritance, Sex linked and Sex limited inheritance. Inheritance of abnormal traits like hemophilia, thalassemia and colour blindness, Sickle Cell anemia, Albinism, Achodroplasia, Hairy pinna, Baldness and Cleft Palate.

2.5 Lethal and Sub Lethal Sub Lethal Genes: Multifactorial and Polygenic inheritance in Man. Sex Chromosomal aberrations: Klinefelter, Turner, Super female and Inter sex.

2.6 Autosomal aberration: Down Syndrome, Edward and Cri-du-chat Syndromes. Chromosome structure and normal human keryotype.

2.7 Population variation in genetic markers: ABO, Rh Blood Groups.

2.8 Genetic Counseling: Diagnosis of genetic diseases in Man. Mode of inheritance and Risk recurrence. Prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease, indication for pre-natal diagnosis. Techniques for prenatal diagnosis. Genetic disease and Gene Therapy. Gene mapping and Genome Study.

Unit –III:

Concept of Human Growth and development. Stages of Growth – prenatal, natal, infant, childhood, adolescent and maturity.

Factors affecting growth and development – Genetic, Environmental, Hormonal, Nutritional, Cultural and Socio-economic.

Ageing and senescence. Theories and observations – biological and chronological longevity. Human physique and somatotypes. Methods for growth studies.

Unit – IV:

Concept of Reproductive Biology, demography and population study. Reproductive physiology of male and female. Biological aspects of human fertility. Relevance of menarche, menopause and other bioevents to fertility. Fertility patterns and differentials.

Demographic Theories – biological, social and cultural. Demographic methods – census, registration system, sample survey methods.

Population structures and population dynamics. Demographic rates and ratios, life table – structure and utility.

Biological and socio-ecological factors influencing fecundity, fertility, natality and mortality. Methods of studying population growth. Biological consequences of population control and family welfare.

Unit – V:

Application of Physical/Biological Anthropology: Applied human genetics – Paternity diagnosis, genetic counseling and eugenics. Methods and principles of personal identification and reconstruction. Application of Statistical principles in human genetics and Physical Anthropology. Serogenetics and cytogenetics in reproductive biology. DNA technology – prevention and cure of diseases.

Anthropometry in designing of defense and other equipments. Nutritional Anthropometry, Forensic Anthropology, Anthropogenetics in medicine. Anthropology of sports.

Unit – VI:

Cultural Evolution – broad outlines of pre-historic cultures in Europe and India:

a) Paleolithic

b) Mesolithic

c) Neolithic

d) Chalcolithic

e) Copper-Bronze Age

f) Iron Age.

Unit – VII:

Family: Definition and types of family, household. Impact of urbanization, industrialization, education and feminist movements. Universality of family – a critique.

Kinship: Definition of kinship, incest and exogamy. Principles of descent, types and functions. Unilineal, bilateral and double descent. Descent, filiations and complementary filiations. Kinship terminology and Alliance theory.

Marriage: Definition and types, mode of acquiring mates. Regulation of marriage – preferential and prescriptive. Marriage, prestation, dowry and bride price.

Religion: Definitions and functions of religion. Anthropological approaches to the study of religion – evolutionary, psychological and functional. Magic, witchcraft and sorcery; definitions. Functions of key functionaries: priest, shaman, medicine man and sorcerers.

Primitive Economy: Economic Anthropology: Modes of subsistence; hunting gathering, fishing, pastoralism, horticulture. Exchange: gifts, barter, trade, ceremonial exchange and market economy.

Types of political organizations – band, tribe, chiefdom, state, concept of power, authority and legitimacy, social control, law and justice in tribal societies.

Social structure and social organization, Role Analysis and social network. Institutions and groups. Social stratification, principles and forms: status and class, social mobility.

Unit – VIII:

Culture: definition and nature, paradoxes of culture.

Approaches to the study of culture and society – classical evolutionism, neoevolutionism, cultural ecology, historical particularism and diffusionism, structural-functionalism, culture and personality, transactionalism, symbolism, cognitive approach and new ethnography, post structuralism and post-modernism.

Unit – IX:

Concepts of development. Concepts of planning and planned development. Concept of participatory development. Anthropology and Resettlement. Culture ecology and sustainable development. Explanation in anthropological perspectives. Types of comparative methods in social and cultural anthropology. Positivistic approaches.

Unit – X:

Basic techniques of data collection. Interview & observation, participant and non participant, schedules, questionnaire, case study methods, extended case study methods, life histories, genealogical method, Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisal(PRA), focused Group Discussion (FGD). Analysis, Interpretation and Presentation of data.

Unit – XI:

Relevance in understanding of contemporary society. Dynamics of ethnicity at rural, tribal, urban and international levels. Ethnic conflicts and political developments. Concept of ethnic boundaries. Ethnicity and concept of nation state.

Unit – XII:

Concepts and Methods of Ecological Anthropology. Adaptation – social and cultural. Deterministic theories – a critique. Resources – biological, nonbiological and sustainable development. Biological application – climatic, environmental, nutritional and genetic.

Paper –II

Indian Society and Culture:

Unit-I:

Tribal situation in India – biogenetic variability, linguistic and socio-economic characteristics of the tribal populations and their distribution. Problems of the tribal communities – land alienation, poverty, indebtedness, low literacy, unemployment, malnutrition. Development Impact of Projects – problems and issues of Tribal Rehabilitation and Resettlement.

Forest Policy and tribals. Impact of urbanization and Industrialisation on tribal and rural populations.

Unit –II:

Demographic Profile of India – ethnic and linguistic elements in the Indian Population and their distribution.

Unit –III:

The basic structure and nature of traditional Indian Social System – a critique. Varnashram, Purushartha, Karma, Rebirth. Theories on the origin of Caste System, Jajmani System, Structural basis of inequality in traditional Indian Society. Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity on Indian Society.

Unit – IV:

Emergence, Growth and Development of Anthropology in India – contributions of the 19th century and early 20th Century scholars and administrators. Contributions of Indian Anthropologists to tribal and caste studies.

Unit –V:

Salient characteristic features of Indian Society. Approaches to the study of Indian Society and Culture. Village studies in India, Changing village India. Linguistics and religious minorities – social, political and economic status.

Unit –VI:

Problems of exploitation and deprivation of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Protective legislations for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. Social change and contemporary tribal societies: Impact of modern democratic institutions, PESA Act, Impact of development programmes and welfare measures on tribals and weaker sections. Emergence of ethnicity, tribal movements and quest for identity.

Unit –VII:

Social change and Development among the tribes during colonial and post-Independent India.

Unit –VIII:

History of administration of tribal areas, tribal policies, plans, programmes of tribal development and their implementation. Role of NGOs. Role of Anthropology in tribal and rural development. Contributions of Anthropology to the Understanding of regionalism, communalism, ethnic and political movements.

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