Write essay responses to the questions listed below making sure that you in-text cite course materials and include a “Works Cited” page at the end. Each response should be approximately one page double-spaced. Each numbered set of questions is worth twenty points.

The questions are:

1. Clarify the time period and key historical markers that make up the history of hominid evolution from our shared ancestor with chimpanzees up to current day Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Describe at least five major physical, behavioral, and/or mental changes that you see as the most crucial in explaining the transition from chimpanzees to anatomically modern humans. Why do you view these as the most important?

2. Explain the concept of culture, its major components, and clarify at least four prominent examples from our course that show how “cultural models” or “cultural norms” are a part of this concept and how they can differ between groups.

3. Give and define at least two examples of “human universals”; those items that exist across all human societies past and present. Elaborate on multiple case studies, with each example, of how these items can exist among all societies, yet be different between cultural groups.

4. Describe a practical human and/or societal problem that we covered during the course. Show how the problem you discuss relates to the concept of culture and cultural differences between societies.

5. Utilizing evidence from our class, clarify the conditions of poverty and how this impacts life conditions among peoples in lesser-developed countries. Elaborate on an example of how a development or foreign aid funded project was effective or not effective among a cultural group that we covered in the course.