First Essay: Environmental Change and Human Evolution
Anthropology 3700
Fall 2021
Essay Topic
How has the environment been a factor in human evolution? How has the environment
transformed humans and their ancestors, both biologically and culturally?
You will be graded on your understanding of the readings and your ability to integrate the
information. Good anthropological writing is based on details. Make your answer as complete
as possible. This essay is worth 14% of your total grade- more than two quizzes and more
than several blogs. Do not underestimate the significance of this assignment for your grade.
deMenocal, Peter B., 2019, ‘Climate Shocks’, Scientific American, special edition- Fall 2019:
10–15.
Marean, Curtis W., 2019, ‘When the Sea Saved Humanity’, Scientific American, special
edition- Fall 2019: 25-31.
Write the essay. The essay should be written professionally and cleanly. You can use any
editing style that you feel comfortable with or have used in the past. No bibliography is needed
for this essay. You should focus your writing on the assigned readings. Be sure also to
