Toothpicking and Periodontal Disease in a Neanderthal Specimen from Cova Foradà Site (Valencia, Spain)

Signature Assignment Instructions • Your signature assignment will discuss and reflect on a current issue/development in the field of biological anthropology. Your current issue/development will need to come from a peer reviewed scientific journal article on a topic that you find interesting. This will be a 2-3 page paper, double spaced with 10-11 point font. The paper will discuss the topic, but more importantly it will discuss your interest in, and opinions on the topic. You will be graded on the quality of your critical thinking about the subject matter. You will also need to give a 5 minute presentation to inform your professor and classmates about the topic and provide your perspective on it. This will be informal, no powerpoint necessary. The day you give your presentation will also be the day you will need to turn in your paper with a copy of the journal article you selected. You will also need to submit it to your E-Portfolio, this is for your academic and professional benefit. Submission to your E-Portfolio will earn you 5 extra credit points, the equivalent of a missed day of class. • The objective of this assignment are as follows: o You will come away with a better understanding of how results from scientific findings/research are presented in peer reviewed journals. o You will know how to conduct research for report writing. This is an invaluable skill for academic and professional anthropologists as well as for a variety of other careers. o It will engage you to critically think about how the scientific method was (or perhaps was not) used in the journal article. o It will encourage you to reflect on any biases you had prior to reading the article, and how your opinions/thoughts may or may not have changed as a result of the article. • The requirements of this assignment are as follows: o Pick a peer reviewed journal article that has been published between 2010-Present from http://www.plosone.org/, the article needs to on a topic within the field of physical/biological anthropology. On the website go to “subject area” then choose “social sciences” then choose an article from either “paleoanthropology” or “physical anthropology”. o Thoroughly read the article and BRIEFLY summarize it. o Discuss if the article you selected has been cited by another, if so briefly explain what the article is about and how it references your article. If your article has not been cited, briefly discuss an article that is cited by the article you selected. How was it used in the article you selected? Did reviewing the cited article help you better understand the article you selected? o Critically discuss the article, THIS SHOULD BE THE BULK OF YOUR PAPER. Critical discussion must address if:  The scientific method used, if so how was it used, was it used well, etc.? Your critical discussion may also include, but are not limited to:  Did you have to conduct additional research for clarification on topic?  Would you have approached the topic differently?  Did the article change your opinion on anything?  What if any additional research might be needed in respect to the topic. o Conclude with a discussion about your viewpoint on the article’s topic prior to reading, and if it changed after your assessment of the article. o Please use PLOS’ citation style, for instructions on how to use this go to: http://www.plosone.org/static/guidelines#references, you need to list the paper you are using for this assignment in your references, along with any other sources used.