Introduction to Anthropology

Reviewed by Ian Bolling, Faculty Lead: Social Sciences (Full-Professor fo Sociology), Tidewater Community College on 6/27/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

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.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Professionally written and I appreciate the steps taken to consider antiracist perspectives in the discipline and writings.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

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

A down to Earth approach. Much needed for community college students.
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.

Consistency rating: 5

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

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/Structure/Flow rating: 4

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

No navigational issues. It is nice that the text can be downloaded, viewed online, or purchased as a hard copy.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not see any errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

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.

I plan on adopting this book in the next academic year based on my review!

Reviewed by Katherine Fox, Assistant Professor, Southern Oregon University on 11/2/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is a comprehensive four-field introduction to anthropology that is clearly organized, with a complete index.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I saw no issues in the content.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

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

Clear language with ample definitions and explanations.

Consistency rating: 4

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

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/Structure/Flow rating: 5

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

No problems with the online interface.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors; sentences are clear and well-written.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

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).

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.