Bushman 1

Autumn Bushman
Deborah Graham
Anthropology
22 March 2016
Reflection on Signature Assignment
When I first read the instructions to our signature assignment, I was a bit
anxious due to the fact that they were so vague and nondescript; however, I now
see how I learned a lot more than I would have if the instructions were more black
and white. This assignment really forced me to examine what I thought I knew, what
was actually happening and now how I feel after I have researched and written on
the topic of dichotomies between biological and cultural perspectives on human
variation.
It is quite clear that these perspectives, at least on a cultural level, differ all
around the world. Each perspective is based off individual and societal paradigms.
What is fascinating is that these cultural perspectives have snowballed into many
different viewpoints around the world, but have all derived from the same biological
perspectives. To research what leads to these cultural perspectives would be a
fascinating research paper on its own.
To be honest, this assignment was one of the better ones I have completed in
recent years in the sense that it actually got me critically thinking and forced me to
be open to new ideas and concepts. It beautifully combined real, everyday life with
the subject matter at hand: anthropology. I think this is often lacking in formal
education and only hurts the student when they enter the real world and
marketplace. What I found most fascinating and illuminating between the two
articles was that sex and gender exist on a continuum. Just because we find things

Bushman 2
to be male or female in our society does not mean that it is normal or abnormal
if someone does not fit into those parameters. Depending on geographic location,
those gender identities vary widely.
As a societal whole, and on an individual level, we would be doing the world
and ourselves a great favor to delve into issues like these, as it would breed more
compassion, understanding, acceptance and kindness amongst people. The world
would be a much safer, friendly and pleasant place if better understood. Although
my paper focused on gender, sex, race and ethnicity, there are a vast amount of
issues that could be explored. I find myself having a genuine interest in these
topics, and anthropology as a whole, that I never knew I had.