This is one of several study guides on contemporary problems produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science with support of the National Science Foundation. This guide focuses on the ethnology of traditional and complex societies. Part I, Simple and Complex Societies, includes three sections: (1) Introduction: Anthropologists in Complex Societies; (2) Simple and Complex Societies: Traditional Models; and (3) Universalism and Personalism: Moral Fields. Part II, Dynamic Models of Society and Culture: Social Life as a Process, includes six sections: (1) Introduction; (2) The Dyadic Contract in Tzintzuntzan; (3) Society as Transaction: A Generative Model; (4) Impression Management; (5) Cultural Entropy: Symbol and Social Mobility; and (6) Areas of Interaction: The Semi-Autonomous Social Field. Included in the document are reference lists for readings and visual aids. (RH)