The subject is “Human Variation (Race is not a real concept)”
Directions and Requirements:
Write at least one carefully crafted paragraph (there are instances where you may need to write more than one). 450 word minimum (including citations).
Papers that earn credit will meet or exceed the 450 word minimum.
Papers that earn credit will be completed and submitted by the deadline.
Papers that earn credit will follow ALL (meaning every single one) of the specific requirements for the assignment detailed below.
Students that earn credit for their papers will also follow ALL directions involved in properly completing a thoughtful review of another student’s paper by the peer review deadline.
* Once again, you will earn a zero if you do not follow ALL of the requirements. There will be NO exceptions to any of these requirements. Please do not ask *
DIRECTIONS FOR SOURCES AND CITATIONS:
You are required to 1) use reliable information sources, and; 2) cite at least one source (you will probably need to cite more than one in order to avoid plagiarizing). Here’s a very useful video on evaluating sources and information for reliability: Who Can You Trust? Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #4
Your source must have a human name. Wikipedia, National Geographic, Live Science, etc., are not acceptable citation names. You have to locate the actual human author of the information that you are citing. If you can’t locate the human author, you can’t use the source, and you should probably question the validity of the source to begin with.
Credit your sources / do not plagiarize. That means: 1) In most cases it is best to paraphrase/use your own thoughtful wording to describe and explain. This is followed by a proper in-text citation (right after the sourced information) and then a reference at the end of the paragraph (see example below); 2) When paraphrasing doesn’t make sense, such as a list of facts, or a particularly well stated sentence, use the exact wording with quotation marks and proper citation. If you don’t include both of these (quotation marks and citation), you are plagiarizing; 3) do not use very similar wording without citations. That too, is plagiarizing. The bottom line is that you will be safe and effective if you paraphrase and cite, or quote exactly and cite.
Do not write a paper that is mostly direct quotes. A great deal of learning happens when we effectively paraphrase. The process of translating another person’s ideas into a form that we can express in our own words, requires that we understand and internalize the original concept.
Include in-line/in-text citation and references cited at end.
In-line/in-text citations: An in-line citation is included in your writing immediately after any information that you gathered from a source. It indicates to the reader that the preceding ideas were taken from the source named in the citation (Levin 2022, 1-2). <- this is the in-text citation. It shows the information was taken from someone named “Levin.” The year for the source is 2022, and the relevant pages are 1-2. If you are quoting directly, rather than paraphrasing, “use the same format, but include quotation marks to show that the exact words were written by the source” (Levin 2022, 1-2).
A reader can then look at the “References Cited” section at the end of the paper/paragraph, to get the full information on the source so they can locate the original, review it themselves, and evaluate its value directly.
References Cited: Use the Chicago or AAA manual of style to properly format your references. You will find Directions and examples for books, book chapters, journal articles, online resources, multimedia, single authors, and multiple authors at this link: https://www.americananthro.org/StayInformed/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=2044
A proper reference for the preceding references cited example would look like this:
Levin, Joshua. 2022. “Assignment- Takeaway Paragraphs.” Accessed Jan 27, 2022. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VKRr5-wGmCbl-M6dTwPwpKwMrqQ5bm7MmRF9Yiz-428/edit
You can see more examples of In-Text citations and References Cited here:
https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html#cg-website
Do not include sources unless they are cited in your paragraph. If you just read a source, but did not use the information, do not include that source in your “references cited.” This is the difference between “references cited” and a “bibliography.” A bibliography lists all the materials that the author reviewed, and that are relevant to the topic.
WRITING AND FORMATTING YOUR PARAGRAPH:
Example (Your paper should look like this):
1) TOPIC SENTENCE(s): Understanding type II diabetes is both interesting and important to me because I have had friends and many students with the disease. Knowing about the causes and operation of diabetes will help me to keep myself and my family healthy. I am also interested in better understanding the human body and the way that food is transformed into fuel and nutrients for living. Diabetes disrupts this metabolic system.
2) DESCRIPTION: Type II diabetes is a disease in which cells and the organs that they comprise are no longer able to get the glucose, (sugar), that they need in order to properly function. Left untreated, the lack of nutrients in the cells, as well as the high glucose levels in the bloodstream, can cause serious damage throughout the body, from neurons and eyes, to kidneys, heart, and blood vessels. It is also implicated in the slow healing of cuts, skin damage, and even sleep apnea and Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms of Type II diabetes include, "Increased thirst, Frequent urination, Increased hunger, unintended weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, frequent infections, areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck" (Mayo Clinic Staff)<--This is a proper in-text/in-line citation.
3) EXPLANATION: In order to explain the causes of diabetes, it is first important to understand that blood sugar levels are normally regulated by the production of insulin in the pancreas and the production of glucose in the liver. People also get regular portions of glucose from eating throughout the day. It is insulin that makes it possible for cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream in order to nourish cells and prevent tissue damage. Type II diabetes occurs when the pancreas can either no longer produce enough insulin, or when the cells can no longer properly use insulin to absorb glucose. The overabundance of glucose in the bloodstream changes the viscosity of the blood and results in damage to blood vessels and organs. The body tries to prevent this by reducing the glucose levels. When a person regularly eats a lot of sugar, the pancreas works extra hard producing insulin in order to counter the increase. Over time, this work exhausts the pancreas and reduces its ability to produce insulin. Body cells can also become damaged so that they no longer are able to use insulin to properly absorb glucose (Larson 2019, 158)<--This is a proper in-text/in-line citation. When either of these things happen, the natural mechanisms for preventing damage due to high-blood sugar are broken.
4) PERSONAL INTEREST / VALUE / INSIGHT: The incidence of Type II diabetes has rapidly grown as our diets have become increasingly high in calories and sugar. This has particularly affected younger and younger people who, in the past, ate less sugar and got more exercise. Understanding the causes of diabetes, as well as the way to avoid it, is important for helping to keep myself, my family, and my friends healthy. It also helps me to understand the biology of nutrition, and the connections between individual health and society.
5) CITATION: in-line citations are properly included within the paragraphs following any information that is quoted or paraphrased (<-- this section is a reminder. You can just write this statement when you have properly included your in-line/in-text citations).
6) REFERENCES CITED (note that the name in the references cited matches the name in the in-line citation).
Larson, Clark Spencer. 2020. Our Origins: Discovering Biological Anthropology. New York and London: W.W. Norton and Company.
Mayo Clinic Staff, year? "Type 2 Diabetes," https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193, accessed July 11, 2020.
7) Double-Checked paragraph for grammar, sentence structure, clarity, and tone.