The Evolution of Human Skin Pigmentation Assignment | Get Paper Help

Information from my Professor:

Part of being an anthropologist requires researching and understanding topics in an in-depth manner. In order to achieve this standard, you will be required to research and write about the following active research topic in anthropology:

How has natural selection affected the distribution of (native) skin pigmentation across the world?

This informative research assignment should involve the discussion of four major concepts:

Background information regarding what skin pigmentation is and/or why humans have skin pigmentation
An exploration of the environmental pressures responsible for native skin pigmentation distribution (i.e. what was killing/reducing reproductive rates) in both:
Equatorial areas
High latitudes
Why dark pigmentation is an adaptation to the selective pressure(s) found near the equator
Why light pigmentation is an adaptation to the selective pressure(s) found at higher latitudes

This paper should be presented as a synthesis of relevant information from all your sources. As a research paper, I’m expecting it to focus on presenting the information with as little editorial commentary as possible.

Please note that I do expect standard paragraph and essay formatting. For example, you should have a thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph, and each paragraph should be dedicated to a single topic (broad or narrow) with a topic sentence at its start.

I am also expecting you to provide original work interpreting the information you come across. You can quote or paraphrase sources only if you offer citations of these sources. However, keep in mind that I’m interested in your interpretation and understanding of the information, so do not overuse quotes. You should use quotations to support your understanding, rather than letting these quotes present the ideas for you.

Minimum Page Length/Format:

The minimum length is 4 full pages of text. I would like the text double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial font with 1” margins all around. This page length does not include the cover page or bibliographic page(s).

Minimum Number of Scholarly Sources:

The student will be required to read and cite at least 4 scholarly sources. Acceptable scholarly sources will be peer-reviewed journal articles and books, or other sources at the professor’s discretion (i.e. ask before you use them). Websites and blogs are not scholarly sources, although they may lead to scholarly sources (i.e. lead you to journal articles and/or books). In order to find scholarly sources, you will need to utilize Las Positas College’s Library website, as well as the websites of nearby public libraries as well as other resources like Google Scholar.

Submitting Your Work

The assignment will be submitted electronically on Canvas, under the Assignments tab. You may bring a physical copy to class if you would like, but I also need you to offer an electronic copy on Canvas.

Cover Page

The finished paper should have a cover page, with the title of the paper, student’s name and date (at minimum).

Citation Style:

This paper requires both a bibliography page as well as in-text citations.

In-Text Citation

Any sentence which quotes, paraphrases, or otherwise expresses an idea that is not your own requires an in-text citation. This in-text citation can be formatted in many ways, but the preferred format is to offer only the author’s name and year of publication. Full citations are neither needed nor desired within the text of your paragraphs – they should be reserved for the bibliographic page.

Example of an in-text citation:

Lightly pigmented skin appears to be a selective compromise between vitamin D production and prevention of folate photolysis (Jablonski and Chaplin, 2000).

Citation in Bibliography

For the sake of clarity, make sure that you are consistent in your formatting, and that I can easily find the source based on the information provided. Offering a website is not sufficient. For bibliographic citations, you should offer the following information (at minimum):

For a Journal:

Author’s Name (in alphabetical order by last name), Date of Publication, Article Name, Journal Name, Journal Number, Page number(s).

Example:

Parra, EJ. 2007. Human Pigmentation Variation: Evolution, Genetic Basis, and

Implications for Public Health. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 50:85-105.

For a Book:

Author’s Name (in alphabetical order by last name), Date of Publication, Book Name, City Published in, Publisher.

Example:

Gebo DL. 2014. Primate Comparative Anatomy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.