Human Origins & Prehistory Research Assignment DESCRIPTION: Anthropological re

Human Origins & Prehistory
Research Assignment
DESCRIPTION: Anthropological research
routinely captivates the public consciousness with news stories and
television programs on various topics ranging from the “Missing Link” of
human evolution and Sasquatch (i.e., Bigfoot) to buried cities and lost
tribes of the Amazon and elsewhere. This interest extends into the
realm of fiction with video games, science-fiction programs, and
movies. As we have seen during the first third of the semester, there
is often a discrepancy between how scientific research is portrayed in
the media or on television (e.g., Bones
[Fox Network]) and the actual research process, which involves a
research design, experimentation, analysis, peer review, and the
publication of findings. These inaccurate portrayals can range from
slight misunderstandings to gross misrepresentations. Unfortunately,
entertaining programs and movies can have implicit messages, subliminal
meanings, and unintended consequences for past and present cultures.
For example, consider the portrayal of the Persian Empire in Frank
Miller’s 300 (2006) and 300: Rise of an Empire
(2014) and current socio-political and economic tensions between Iran
and the West. Similarly, how many people “understand” Mayan culture
based solely on Mel Gibson’s depiction in Apocalypto (2006)?
For the purposes of this assignment, which is worth 10% of your
final grade, I would like you to 1) review a media representation of
research, 2) identify and assess any omissions or misunderstandings
after reading the original research article, 3) summarize the content of
both sources, and 4) compare and contrast your findings to the original
research that was published on the topic. The media can be print,
online, newscasts, television programs, or other common forms. I will
post approximately a dozen examples of media coverage and the original
research article under the Files tab on our Canvas page. Feel free to
use one of these for the assignment. In addition, a short list of media
sources can be found on the following page of this document. You will
often find references to the original research that was published in a
scientific journal (e.g., Science, Nature, Genetics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [PNAS), American Antiquity)
at the end of the media source. In some instances, such as movies or television programs,
you may want to utilize two or more research articles to compare to your
media source..The assignment should be
approximately 1,500 words in length- two to three single-spaced pages.
The assignment needs to be proofread, typed, and follow a standard
citation format (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago).
Useful starting points in your search for media sources include the following:
IFL Science:
http://www.iflscience.com/
Links to an external site.
The Guardian (Science Section):
https://www.theguardian.com/science
Links to an external site.
Google News (Science Section):
http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn
Links to an external site.
New York Times Science Page:
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/
Links to an external site.
MSNBC Science News:
http://www.nbcnews.com/science
Links to an external site.