This assignment has two objectives: First, you will look at a piece of current/up-to-date anthropological research and use critical thinking to discern how and why this research is relevant to our lives today. Second, you will learn the difference between a secondary source (like a news aggregate or a magazine) and a primary source (peer-reviewed, written by the people who actually conducted the research).
Paper details:
This assignment has two objectives: First, you will look at a piece of current/up-to-date anthropological research and use critical thinking to discern how and why this research is relevant to our lives today. Second, you will learn the difference between a secondary source (like a news aggregate or a magazine) and a primary source (peer-reviewed, written by the people who actually conducted the research).
The instructions for these seem complex, but are actually quite straight forward, be sure you follow them closely. This will be worth 10 points toward your final grade. You will need to upload your submission here by the due date/time (see late policy in syllabus). And you should upload only ONE file for this assignment.
We will work on these some in class, and they will be due November 5th and will be worth 10 points toward your final grade. You will need to upload these onto Canvas by their due date/time (see late policy in syllabus).
**Note: You will only be allowed to upload a file that is in either “.doc” or a “.docx” format.
How to complete the case study assignment:
1) Go to Sciencedaily.com (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
2) Either peruse the “Latest Headlines” or go to “Fossils & Ruins.” (Either way you are looking for an article that talks about research relevant to the topics we’ve covered in Physical Anthropology so far: genetics, primatology, early hominins, etc.)
3) Once you have an article selected, scroll down and click on the link under “Journal Reference.” Be sure this link takes you to the full PRIMARY SOURCE. (If it does not, you can choose a different article [easiest] or use the NVC’s library databases to find the primary source on your own [most impressive].) Once you have access to both the article on ScienceDaily AND the full primary research article…
4) Now all you have to do is write a 3-5 page paper summarizing IN YOUR OWN WORDS the research you’ve selected. This must include the context (who, what, when, etc.), methodology, data, and conclusions/results. Additionally, you must answer this question: What does this research tell us about us? Write down your ideas about why this research is relevant to us today. What does this research tell us about the story of where we came from? Or where we’re going? If you can relate it to your own life and/or the lives of your friends and family, then even better! Lastly, briefly explore the differences between the primary and secondary sources you used. (Ex.: Is one longer than the other? Is one easier to read? Why? Who wrote the secondary source? Etc.)
5) Your paper should be well organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. It should also include: citations within the text of your paper (remember, I need to be able to tell which ideas are yours and which came from somewhere else), one visual (this can come from the ScienceDaily article or the primary source, but it must be specific and give more information about the research, and it should have a caption that you wrote and a citation), and a Works Cited page (be sure you list your sources correctly–obviously your sources will include the ScienceDaily article AND the primary source and correct citations for these can usually be found at the bottom of the ScienceDaily article). Both the visual and the Works Cited page should be on separate pages from the rest of your writing and will NOT count toward the required 3-5 pages.
6) USE YOUR OWN WORDS! I cannot stress this enough. You will lose points (and worse you will not learn anything) if you do not use your own words to describe the research, explain its relevance, and explore the differences between primary and secondary sources. Be sure you use Times New Roman 12-point font double spaced with one-inch margins to write a full 3-5 pages.
