Neandertal Essay
Read and Watch
▪ Textbook Chp 12
▪ Watch: Chapter 12 PowerPoint Lecture
▪ Watch the Required Film posted on Canvas – located with Module: Chapter 12
Use these materials to answer the essay prompt below.
Essay Topic:
Essay Topic:
Given what you’ve read about in Chapter 12 and watched in the film, compare (describe
similarities) and contrast (describe differences) between Neandertals (late Archaic Homo
sapiens) and modern Homo sapiens.
How are Neandertals related to us?
Discuss why Neandertals were different from modern Homo sapiens.
Were Neandertals inferior to modern Homo sapiens?
Both your textbook and the film must be cited in this paper. Be careful not to take
sections of the film out of context.
Note:
Neanderthal or Neandertal are both acceptable spellings. Species names should be written in
appropriate binomial nomenclature, with the genus name capitalized, the species name not
capitalized, and both words in italics. Correct: Homo sapiens Incorrect: homo sapiens. After
the first usage in a paper, the genus name can be abbreviated, such as H. sapiens.
Other Instructions
Write your answers to these questions in a cohesive 400-500 word short essay. For full credit,
include citations to any sources (including your textbook) you used in answering these questions.
Please do not search for additional sources; your textbook and my lecture are sufficient. If more
sources are used, only use scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. Use complete sentences and your
best collegiate writing skills (thesis statement, paragraph topic sentences, introduction, and
concluding paragraphs, formal voice, credible statements only – omit opinions).
When grading, I will be specifically looking for the following:
1) Does the essay answer all the questions/topics assigned?
2) Is there evidence (correct statements, facts, citations, specific reference to materials)
that the student has read and reviewed the assigned materials? These essays are not
intended as opinion pieces. Rather, the point is to prove that you have read and thought
critically about the topic.
3) Is material cited using a proper citation style (APA, MLA, and CSE are all acceptable)
a. Your essay must have in-text citations to the required materials (textbook,
Module materials – Lecture, listed films, articles, etc.). There must also be a
reference list at the end of the paper that lists all your cited sources. Any item in
the reference list must be cited in the body of the paper with an in-text citation.
4) Does the essay use recognized rules of college English composition (thesis statement,
topic sentences, good paragraph organization, formal voice, correct grammar, and
spelling)? A paper that has too many quotes will have a deduction. This is a short essay;
use your own words.
5) Only scholarly sources, or the ones provided in the instructions, are utilized in the paper.
You should expect a major point deduction for Wikipedia or any website that has not
been approved. News sources other than what is supplied are not acceptable.
Encyclopedias and dictionaries are NOT considered scholarly academic sources.
Anthropology, especially human origins, is a complicated and rapidly changing field. The
Internet is full of inaccuracies or out-of-date information on this topic. Using non-
sanctioned sources is usually a clear sign to the reader (me) that the student didn’t read
the textbook and just decided to “Google it.”
6) Length (400-500 words required). There is no deduction for exceeding this length.
Papers with paragraph word count (excluding the reference section) below 400 words
will be reduced in score by the percent of work completed (for example, a paper
submitted at 200 words will be docked 50%).
7) Plagiarism – It is the student’s responsibility to learn what constitutes plagiarism. A
paper with plagiarism (either purposeful or accidental) is marked as zero and reported for
Academic Misconduct. YOU can check that your paper does not have plagiarism. Take
responsibility by viewing the Similarity Report in Turnitin after uploading your paper and
before the due date.
A section marked by Turnitin as identical to another source needs to be
evaluated by the writer. Are quotes missing? Was the section poorly paraphrased? If
only a few words commonly used by the general population are marked the same by
chance – this may be fine. The point here is that you must look at what is marked and
decide if your work is honestly your own or if rephrasing is needed to avoid plagiarism.
The Reference list often is marked by Turnitin. This is not a problem. See the additional
resources on plagiarism posted to Canvas.
Submit this essay via the assignment link in Canvas.
