No reference to “outside sources” may replace the requirement to engage with the textbook’s contents in this assignment. You should also engage with the films and other materials put at your disposal on Canvas. You must use your own words and may NOT quote. You should paraphrase instead.

Your essay should focus on answering fully one of the following questions. You should choose the question you feel the most comfortable answering.

1) Describe and briefly discuss the evidence that supports the claim that modern humans originated in Africa.

2) What evidence links the Sahara during the wet period to pharaonic Egypt?

OR

3) Why was there a strong demand for West African gold for many centuries, and what were the consequences of the trade in gold for societies of West Africa’s Sahel?