The Scope and Diversity of Anthropology Anthropology is the discipline that studies humans and their ways of living from a biocultural perspective. Some anthropologists argue that a fifth subdiscipline, applied anthropology , is now emerging. Applied anthropology is the practical application of anthropological principles, theories, and methodologies to solve contemporary problems.
Archaeology is the study of the lifeways of people who existed in the past.
Using cultural remains, archaeologists study the behavior patterns of extinct peoples. Archaeologists are interested in knowing about cultural patterns such as diet, social organization, status differences, adaptation to the environment, migrations, and evolution of populations. These empirical data sets and descriptions are used to make comparisons between cultures in order to learn about similarities and differences in human behavior. The goal of these comparative studies is to understand and document why people differ in their behavior patterns and why they share certain cultural features. Because the description of an entire culture is so formidable, contemporary anthropologists specialize in specific areas of interest.