Just Bloggin on Chaper 1 and 2: Miller

Anthropology is the study of humanity, including prehistoric origins and contemporary human diversity.  Unlike a lot of studies that cover similar areas (history, phsycology, economics, etc) anthropology covers a broader area and greater time span and it encompasses a broader range of topics...

• Biological Anthropology- the study of humans as bilogical organisms, including evolution and contemporary variation
• Archaeology- the study of past human cultures through their material remains
• Linguistic anthropology- the study of human communication
• Cultural anthropology- the study of living peoples and their cultures, including variation and change
• Culture- people's learned and shared behaviors and beliefs
• Applied anthropology- the use of anthropological knowledge to prevent or solve problems or to shape and achieve policy goals

Cultural Anthropology is devoted to studying human cultures worldwide, both their similarities and differences.  Miller states, "cultural anthropology makes the strange familiar and the familiar strange".  This means it teaches us to look at ourselves from the others point of view and not just what we see ourselves as the norm. 
When people can get out of their own way and look at different cultures as well as their own with an outsider mentality, they can really study cultural anthropology and find similarities and differences.  When we are able to step back and analyze other cultures as well as our own, we can find out that what we think is strange and abnormal to be interesting and noteworthy.