West Bengal Board Class 11 Anthropology Syllabus 2024-25: Download The Syllabus PDF For Free!

UNIT NO.

TOPICS

MARKS

Unit -1

1. Introduction to Anthropology

i. Definition, concept of Anthropology, history, development of Anthropology in India [Major stages].

ii. Branches of Anthropology, a relationship of Anthropology with other disciplines [Biology, Geography, Geology, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Political Science and History].

3

Unit -2

2. Biological Anthropology

i. Concept, aim, scope and branches.

ii. How can we identify ourselves in the animal kingdom, for primates following the classification of Simpson?

iii. How some of our living ancestors Indian monkeys and apes (like Macaque, Langur, and Gibbon) and African apes (like Chimpanzee) are similar and different in morphological, skeletal and behavioural features and distribution.

9

Unit -3

3. Social-Cultural Anthropology

i. History, branches and scope of Social-Cultural Anthropology

ii. Why do we study society and culture?

iii. Concept of society, community, institution, association and social groups.

iv. Concept of culture (material and non-material culture), acculturation, social change, enculturation, diffusion and assimilation. Cultural relativism and ethnocentrism.

9

Unit -4

4. Archaeological anthropology

i. Introduction to Archaeological anthropology – aim and scope and its relation to palaeoanthropology and prehistoric archaeology.

ii. Geological time scale, palaeo-environment [Glacial, inter-glacial, pluvial and inter-pluvial phases]

iii. Evidence of palaeoenvironment – biotic and abiotic components. Paleoenvironment and human interface.

9

Unit -5

5. Theories of organic evolution and basic genetics

i. Lamarckism, Darwinism and Neo-Darwinism and the criticisms

ii. Laws of Mendel. Concept of chromosome and allele. Significance of crossing over and recombination. Application of Mendel’s laws in humans [PTC tasting ability, ABO blood groups

system, albinism and colour blindness].

5

UNIT NO.

TOPICS

MARKS

Unit -1

1. Evolutionary trends

i. Evolutionary trends of Primates, locomotory changes, encephalization.

ii. External morphological features of humans, skeletal morphology [only name, number and position of bones].

7

Unit -2

2. Human biological evolution

i. Who are humans? How and why have we evolved? Role of genetics and environment in human evolution. [Distribution and salient features only of the following specimens]

ii. Australopithecus [afarensis and africanus variety]

iii. Homo erectus [Java man and Peking man]

iv. Homo sapiens neanderthalensis [ La-Chapelle-aux-saints]

v. Homo sapiens sapiens [Cro Magnon man].

7

Unit -3

3. Cultural evolution

i. Geological time scale, salient features and distribution of the following]

ii. Why do we study prehistoric culture? How can we reconstruct the life and livelihood of our ancestors by studying prehistoric culture?

iii. Three age paradigms: Distribution, general characteristic features and typical tool types and technology

iv. Palaeolithic [ Lower, Middle and Upper]

v. Mesolithic

vi. Neolithic.

7

Unit -4

4. Indian Tribal populations

i. Concept of tribe. Colonial construct and postcolonial construct of tribal population.

ii. Tribal population and Particular Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India. Distribution, traditional economic pursuits and changes in subsistence economy

iii. Constitutional provisions and safeguards for Indian Tribal populations. Why are these safeguards required?

7

Unit -5

5. Social stratification

i. Concept of social stratification.

ii. Emergence of stratified society

iii. Caste, Class and Clan [definition, features]

iv. Origin of the Indian Caste system, debates and changes in the Indian caste system.

7