course materials

1. anth project – My Nursing Experts
This ten (10) page assignment is worth 100 points.BackgroundPrimate fossil finds relate to
human evolutionary process. There are thousands of fossils, mostly fragmentary. These
consist of single bones and isolated teeth and more rarely, complete skulls and skeletons.
Fossils yield loads of information but interpreting and understanding the data is complex.
Fossils are usually arranged in temporal sequences and approximate ages are determined
by radiometric and/or incremental dating techniques. Species designations represents
current consensus and are sometimes reclassified when evidence indicates they should.
Most hominin fossils are not considered direct ancestors of Homo sapiens but are closely
related to direct ancestors and are therefore important to the study of the human
lineage.Instructions1. Conduct any necessary research and gather all materials and
information to complete the assignment.2. Lay out and design each page of your documet to
make sure you include all the required items.3. Remember to concentrate on conveying
visual information as well as text.4. Follow the format – piece together the pages of your
project as detailed below:page 1: cover page – introduce your hominin fossil by taxonomic
name– include a picture of a sample fossil– include your name and the class information at
the bottom of the pagepage 2: location– identify where this type of hominin has been
discovered– include a map showing the locationspage 3: age & range– identify the
approximate age of this fossil– determine how large the global sample is of this hominin
species– how many fossils have been recovered?page 4: origins– who discovered this
hominin? – identify the researcher(s) and their background– explain if they were scientists,
locals, tourists, etcpage 5: dating methods– describe the dating techniques used to establish
the age of the fossil– describe how the dating technique workspage 6: identifying features–
list the diagnostic features that define your hominin fossil as a distinct species– identify the
estimated body weight, height and ambulatory method for this species– detail the estimated
cranial capacity of this species and compare to modern humanspage 7: images– include
images of the fossil species you are researching– these may be a large number of a small
handfulpage 8: controversy– detail any controversy that stems from the taxonomic
classification of this species– there may be none for your specimens but check to be sure–
some fossil hominins have been renamed, include other names yours are known by– not
every fossil species has multiple names but most dopage 9: chronology– find an image of a
chronological chart of human evolution and mark your species– you can surf the net or copy
one from the textpage 10: sources– list all the sources you used to acquire information for
this project.– include the complete URLs, not search engines– remember to include sources

2. for images, complete URL’sSuggestions & Reminders:Follow the instructions carefully –
strive for best practices. Sloppy, substandard, and incomplete work will not be awarded full
value. You must cite a minimum of three sources where you acquired information
(wikipedia is not a college-level source and does NOT count as one of the three).– design
each page for best effect, using high contrast– use clear crisp fonts, images, and maps
(don’t be sloppy)– organize your data with titles and captions* Don’t forget to look at the
sample project!RUBRIC:When grading your projects, I will be looking at the details and the
overall finished results of your work. Pay attention to the instructions. Omitted items and
incomplete data will cause points to be deducted. The following breakdown illustrates how
I will assess your Fossil Profile project.+10 / -10 Fossil is introduced by taxonomic name
and a photo is included.+10 / -10 Map of where this type of fossil hominin specimen is
found.+10 / -10 Age (and or range) of fossil hominin specimen is provided.+10 / -10 Dating
technique identified and explanation of the methodology is included.+10 / -10 Diagnostic
features of this hominin species are annotated.+10 / -10 Global sample size of this hominin
species has been identified.+10 / -10 Hominin species has been marked on chronological
chart of human evolution.+5 / -5 Finished project has professional finish and polished
appearance +25 / -25 List of sources are annotated and appear correctSelecting a Topic:To
simplify matters, I usually pre-assign artists but this session I thought I’d let you choose the
fossil you find most intriguing. The idea is to complete a profile about the fossil hominin you
select. More than one student may choose the same topic but your work should be
completed and submitted as an individual. This is NOT a group assignment. You MUST
complete the Fossil Profile Project for one of the approved fossils or no points will be
awarded. If there is a difficulty, e-mail the instructor.