Write a brief essay (250-300 words) on the following questions. Do not do any research for this; the aim is for you to express your own thoughts and feelings in an honest and reflective way. Also, try to find/adopt a 'voice' (i.e. tone, style, etc.) that is comfortable and your own.
1. When you signed up for this course, what did the terms 'environmental history' and 'humanity' mean to you?
2. What do you hope to discover in this course, and why?
3. Part of your final grade will be based on a group assignment, which means that you will have to work with and rely on others. In your opinion, is this a good or a bad prospect? Why? In the event of one member of your group not contributing fully or fairly, how might you resolve this problem.
1-Read 'Exodus' (Assigned Reading #2) by Nicholas Wade (taken from his book Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors) and then run the 'Journey of Mankind' link in the folder for Week #2 in the Weekly Work Schedule. Both describe or portray the movement of humans out of Africa maybe 50,000-100,000 years ago and their subsequent spread around the world.
First, in your opinion, what are the respective strengths and weaknesses of each account of our ancestors' global migration, and which did you prefer (say why)?
Second, according to Wade (pp. 90-94), it is possible that our own ancestors (i.e. Homo sapiens) and Neanderthals may have co-existed (or at least been aware of each other) in northern Europe for as long as 15,000 years. Wade argues that, "it is hard to imagine that the two species enjoyed hanging out without each other, let alone that they would welcome an exchange of marriage partners." (p. 92). Since Wade wrote his book (2006), however, scientists have discovered (in 2010) that all humans of non-African ancestry (i.e. those who are descendants of the group that originally left Africa) have DNA that is between 1 and 4 per cent Neanderthal in origin.
What does this recent discovery suggest to you about the relationship between early humans and Neanderthals? Also, does it change how we should view Neanderthals themselves (consider Wade's own description on pp. 91-92)
2-Countless novels and movies have portrayed various environmental events/disasters, themes or issues in the course of human history. Nominate one that you have read or seen, briefly describe its premise/plot, etc., and say what you found convincing about it (and what you didn't, if you like?