The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race Essay

In the reading for this module, Jared Diamond suggests that agriculture was "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race." Write a short essay in which you evaluate his argument. Begin with a thesis statement that summarizes your answer to the question: was agriculture really a big mistake? Support your thesis with evidence from the lectures, readings, and videos.
Provide parenthetical in-text citations for your evidence, for example (Diamond, 97) or (Module 2, lecture 1). If you use non-class sources, be sure to provide a bibliography with the author, title, and publication information, or, in the case of websites, the author, title, and url. You may find it easier to write out your answer to this question on a word processor and then cut and paste into the submission box rather than trying to type it in directly.
There is no ideal word count for journal entries. These essays are intended to give you practice in writing the sorts of questions we will ask you on the exams. The most important thing to do is to read the question carefully and answer it fully. Begin with a sentence (your thesis statement) that clearly answers the question. Follow that with supporting evidence from lectures, readings, and videos that explain your reasoning. Generally about three, well-developed points of supporting evidence should be sufficient. This means, at the very least, a solid paragraph. This is intended as a low stakes practice round, and each journal essay is only 1 percent of your final grade. Nevertheless, we encourage you to try hard as the best way to prepare for the exams, which are worth nearly half the grade for the class.
You need to read an article, you can watch the video in class, but if you use extracurricular materials, you need to mark it.