Course Syllabus
34061 Fall, 2011
Invertebrate Paleontology Section
001 and 002
A KSU Writing Intensive Course
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Instructor: Dr. A.J. Smith alisonjs@kent.edu |
Class Hours: Mondays,Wednesdays,Fridays 12:05 to 12:55 pm in McGilvrey 234 |
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Office: 219 McGilvrey Hall |
Lab Hours: TWO SECTIONS: Section 001 Fridays, 9 am to 10:40 am in McGilvrey 331 Section 002 Wednesdays, 2:15 pm to 3:55 pm in McGilvrey 331 |
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Phone: (330) 672-3709 |
Final Exam Wednesday, December 14th, 10:15 am to 12:30 pm |
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Office Hrs Monday, Wednes., 9:30-11am or by appointment |
Course Web Page: |
Two Required Texts:
Benton, M.J. and Harper, D.A.T., 2009. Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record, Wiley-Blackwell, Singapore. ISBN # 978-1-4051-4157-4 Available on Amazon for $69.09 in paperback. This textbook has a companion website.
ALSO,
Lane, Nick, 2009. Life Ascending-The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution, Norton Publishing Company, ISBN # 978-0-393-33866-9, available new on Amazon for $9.01 or for less through used book dealers.
Course Syllabus
****Abbreviations Used in Chapter Readings Column of This Syllabus****
BH = Benton & Harper NL
= Nick Lane
Week Date Lecture
Topic
Essay Due Dates
Chapter Readings and Links
1 08/29
M Introduction Labs
Start This Week
BH-Chapter 1
W Assumptions &
Principles
NL-get started
reading
F "
"
2 09/05 M Labor Day-No
Lecture Class Today
W Concept of Deep
Time BH-Chapter 2
F Stratigraphic Biozones
& Index Fossils Submit Topic & 4 Refs
and BH Appendix
1
3 09/12
M
Fossils, Preservation, and Environment BH-Chapter
3
W
Species & Evolution: Mechanisms and Models for Change BH-Chapter
5
F Natural Selection: The role of the Individual
4
09/19 M Selection: The role of the gene Submit
Outline & 8 Refs
BH-Chapter 6
W
Selection: The role of species & communities
F Early Earth-The Precambrian Rock Record
NL-keep reading
5 09/26 M Origins of Life: Major Working Hypotheses BH-Chapter 8 AND Read
The ET source hypothesis Those Jack Hill zircons
W Early Metabolic Diversity Read Archean Metabolisms F Precambrian Ore Deposits, Oxygen, and Early Metabolic Plans Submit First Working Draft
AND Read These Links
Oklo Reactors
Deep
Thermophiles
Soup and a Sandwich
6 10/ 03 M The Late Precambrian Fossil Record: On the Eve of the Vendian Fauna BH-Chapter 10
W In-Class group discussion of Lane's "Life Ascending" through Chapter 3
F Vendian Life-Ediacaran Fauna BH-Chapter 10
7
10/10 M Mid-Term Exam
covering class material & readings thru Friday,
October 7th
W Cambrian Life:
Commotion in the Tommotian Read Co-Evolution
of Ediacaran oceans and animals
F
Burgess Shale & Chengjiang Fauna The Gang's All
Here
Hooper Virtual Museum
8 10/17 M Fun in the Ordovician-Rise of Swimming Predators NL-keep reading
W
Early Paleozoic Tectonic Changes and Consequences
BH-Chapter 4
F Invasion of the Land: Paleozoic Transitions
Submit Final Essay # 1 Read
Trees and Ocean
Anoxia
| Saturday October 22nd All Day Field Trip Planned to Caesar’s Creek State Park ~ |
9 10/24
M Late Paleozoic Paleoecology & Assemblages Read Carboniferous
Oxygen Levels Rise
W
Permian-Triassic Extinctions
Read
Permian
Oxygen Levels Fall and BH-Chapter 7
F Extinction and Recovery: Theory and Data
10 10/31
M In class group discussion of Lane's "Life Ascending"
through Chapter 6
W
Early Mesozoic Paleoecology & Assemblages
BH-Chapter 4
F Mesozoic Paleoecology & Assemblages
| Note: November 6th is the last day to withdraw from courses in the Fall semester |
11 11/07 M Late Mesozoic Paleoecology & Assemblages BH-Chapter 4
W Cretaceous Extinctions-the K/T boundary
F Veterans' Day Observed-No Class Today
12
11/14 M K/T
Recovery Submit
Essay 2 Outline & 8 References
NL-Finish Lane
W
Early
Cenozoic Paleoecology & Assemblages
BH-Chapter 20
F
Early Cenozoic Paleoecology & Assemblages
Eocene
Climate & Diversity
13
11/21 M In
Class group discussion of Lane's "Life
Ascending"
through Chapter 8
W Thanksgiving Holiday No Class
F Thanksgiving Holiday No Class
14 11/28
M Cenozoic Paleoecology & Assemblages
assigned reading:
Methane and
Global Warming
W Cenozoic Paleoecology
& Assemblages
rapid climate change
F Late Cenozoic Global Change
15 12/05
M Late Cenozoic Global Change Submit
Final Essay # 2 solar forcing and
El Niño
W Holocene Global Change
assigned reading:
Warming and Sea level
Rise
F Review
for Final Exam
12/14
Wednesday Final Exam:
10:15 am to 12:30 pm in our classroom