LETTER TO OUR STUDENTS

Dear Student,

Welcome to GEOL 303 and ANTH 309, Discovering Earth History, at the University of North Dakota. We are excited to have you in class and want you to know that our goals are for you to:

∙ Learn more about higher-order thinking skills (careful listening, critical thinking, etc.).

∙ Participate in lively weekly discussions.

∙ Learn and become part of the scientific process, a method you can use the for rest of your life.

∙ Gain knowledge of the incredibly exciting and broad field of geology (deep time).

∙ Understand how anyone can make simple observations and follow them through to significant generalizations.

In addition, the assignments for this class have been designed to meet University of North Dakota goals, such as:

∙ Improving your oral and/or written communication skills.

∙ Challenging you to think creatively and/or critically.

∙ Assisting you in understanding how to make informed choices.

∙ Helping you appreciate how conclusions are reached in the sciences.

∙ Helping you recognize/conceptualize connections between ideas, events, or knowledge areas.

∙ Improving your familiarity with cultures other than your own.

You probably have and may want to develop your own personal goals for this class, too. We believe that this course should be an active learning environment, not a passive “teaching” environment. That means that we will focus on you, the learner, rather than on us, the teachers. Although this class does focus on content, because there is a certain amount of information we want you to learn, we will also focus on process. Again, we promise that we will focus on your learning because, “You are what you know . . . Today we live according to the latest version of how the universe functions. This view affects our behavior and thought, just as previous versions affected those who lived with them . . . At any time in the past, people have held a view of the way the universe works which was for them similarly definitive, whether it was based on myths or research. And at any time, that view they held was sooner or later altered by changes in the body of knowledge” (James Burke, 1985, The Day the Universe Changed, Little Brown, p. 9). This may be a new academic experience for some of you.

What you can expect of/from us. We absolutely love teaching, and you can expect from us a genuine interest in and enthusiasm for the course material, organized and prepared presentations in which ideas will be communicated clearly, current information on the subject discussed, thoughtful evaluation of assignments, useful and timely feedback/return of graded assignments, grading consistent with the criteria put forth in this syllabus (i.e., use of the grading rubrics clearly described below), access during office hours and appointments, effective use of technology in the classroom when necessary, and guidance in completing course requirements. In addition, we will encourage you to connect class topics to real-world situations and share with you our own real-life anecdotes that are related to class material. Last, we will constantly work at finding ways to keep you awake in class and interested in the subject matter. Please come see us if you have any concerns during the semester. We are here for you.

Course description. What do you do when observation and simple reasoning are considered heresy? What do you do when the Earth’s age is based on biblical genealogy? Nicolaus Steno made insightful discoveries that began a revolution in thought as important as any in the natural sciences. However, we hear very little about him. In the mid-1700s, Steno noted that seashells on mountaintops were likely there as the result of a complex Earth history with long periods of time involved in the process. This charmer of Florence and member of the city’s intellectual elite was a skilled anatomist and established naturalist who would lay down the basic principles for geologic thought. A complex man, he retired to a monk’s life well apart from his earlier high life.

The main topic of the course concerns Steno, the times in which he lived, and how his simple observations become fundamental principles. The character-driven text by Cutler is relatively short and will be supplemented with readings related to the culture of naturalists and science of the times leading to the mind-set of the founding thinkers of 18th century science.

Course requirements and grades: What is expected of you? What will your grade be based on? At the end of the semester, it will be our responsibility to evaluate your accomplishments and learning in this course and to assign a grade to you. You will have completed various tasks to demonstrate your knowledge and learning. This course will be using SU grading. This means that students who attain the following points will receive the grades listed below.

Grading scale:

>65 points = S

<64 points = U

Final grades will be based on points accumulated across weekly two-page summary papers and class participation. Each of these is described in more detail below. Please note: There are no exams in this class. Final grades will be given to the Registrar’s office by May 17, 2005.

The activities and the point value of the activities are as follows:

Weekly papers 50 points

Class participation 50 points

Total 100 points

Weekly summary papers. Each week each student will choose/be assigned a topic to learn about. Each student is responsible for the subject material assigned and being able to discuss the topic in class. You will lead the class discussion on your topic and write and turn in a one-page (two-page double-spaced) summary of the topic.

Proper citation format in the body of the paper: You will need to cite the sources you use throughout the two-page summary papers. We would prefer that you use the following formats for citations. Within the text of the paper, please use the author’s last name followed by a comma and the year. For single-authored papers, the correct citation format is, “(Hawthorne, 2004).” For two-authored papers, the correct citation format is “(Hawthorne and Arnold, 2004),” and for papers written by more than two authors, “(Hawthorne et al., 2004)” would be appropriate. Web sites for which an author and date cannot be referenced along with the URL will not be accepted.

Each summary paper is worth ten (10) points. Each student will write a total of five (5) papers. Thus five summary papers x 10 points = 50 points total. The first four papers will be about specific weekly topics. The fifth paper will be a broad summary paper, pulling together all of the information from the previous four papers and class discussions.

Class participation and attendance. The University of North Dakota does not allow instructors to grade a student on attendance. Nonetheless, you are expected to attend scheduled classes. Some of the information that will be presented in this class, such as discussions of papers and topics, cannot be obtained other than in class. As such, most of your learning will be facilitated by your presence and participation in class. Thus attendance is crucial. New information, all assignments, changes in requirements (deadlines, etc.), and answers to questions may not be presented in any other format than in lecture, so please come to class. Such information is frequently given at the beginning of class; tardy students may miss critical information.

We reflect that: “The emphasis in this course will be not [so much] on reading or [too much] research, but on thought. Much of what we know, or think we know, is based on something we've heard or read. I think that's the trouble with modern scholarship and collegiate study all the way up to the doctorate. I'm going to ask you to think about the material we will be dealing with rather than memorizing what someone has said about it . . . Listen and think about what I say or what any one of your classmates says. And don't be afraid of disagreeing with me. I'll appreciate the compliment of your thinking about it and arriving at another conclusion." (The character Rabbi David Small, in Harry Kemelman, 1996 [1997], The Day the Rabbi Left Town: New York, Fawcett Crest, p. 78).

Class Participation. The class participation grades are subjective and “biased” towards students who demonstrate specific activities. Those students who come to class regularly, listen attentively, and work hard at learning typically receive class participation points. Also, those students who ask questions and make comments in class, help others, and who explain and/or clarify difficult points to/for others usually receive class participation points. Learning in this class truly will be a team effort. Each of us needs to help all of us learn. We will share information with one another. As such, we urge you to participate in class discussions. The more involved you are in class, the more fun it is for you, for us, and for your classmates. In this class, we will be a community of learners. Class participation grades will come from your comments and/or questions in the classroom. For each class that you attend and in which you participate, 5 points will be added to your overall score (5 points x 10 classes = 50 points).

I hear, and I forget

I see, and I remember

I do, and I understand

† Chinese proverb

Prerequisites and Decorum. The only prerequisite for this class is an open mind and a willingness to explore competing scientific and cultural theories. Because this class deals with earth history, some students may find the content of this course challenging to their belief systems and/or what they have learned in the past. Please know that you will not be compelled to believe anything at odds with your personal/religious/spiritual faith. However, everyone is expected to master the scientific concepts and evidence presented in the texts and lectures. Please consider the following:

“The university is not engaged in making ideas safe for students. It is engaged in making students safe for ideas” (Clark Kerr).

“You may not believe in evolution, and that is all right. How we humans came to be the way we are is far less important than how we should act now to get out of the mess we have made for ourselves. How should the mind that can contemplate God relate to our fellow beings, the other life-forms of the world? What is our human responsibility? And what, ultimately, is our human destiny?” (Jane Goodall with Phillip Berman, 1999, Reason For Hope: A Spiritual Journey: New York, Warner Books, p. 2.).

“Must one choose between evolution and belief in God? The answer to this question depends, of course, on the details of evolution and on one's conception of God. An ironic feature of the creation/evolution controversy is that creationists and strong atheists agree in answering this question in the affirmative, while most theologians answer it in the negative. Pope John Paul II recently reiterated the established position of the Catholic Church that there is no conflict between evolution and Christian faith" (Robert T. Pennock, editor, 2001, Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics: Philosophical, Theological, and Scientific Perspectives, MIT Press, p. 431).

“How sad that so many people seem to think that science and religion are mutually exclusive” (Jane Goodall, with Phillip Berman, 1999, Reason For Hope: A Spiritual Journey: New York, Warner Books, p. 174).

During class, we all appreciate a little common courtesy. Please remember to mute cell phones before class begins. It would also be great if you could refrain from having distracting conversations during class. In fact, talking in class is not appropriate except during open discussions. If you have to come to class late and/or leave early, please do so in a manner that does not disturb the class. Thank you.

Late assignments. Two of the many skills that are important to acquire in college are time management and responsibility. There are no “make-ups” in this class. In other words, assignments cannot be handed in late. From past experience teaching here and elsewhere, we have learned that allowing students to hand in assignments after the deadline does not help them. We have watched students miss a deadline, fall behind, and desperately try to catch up. Also, once a deadline was missed, there was confusion because the student often did not know when to turn in a missed assignment. The assignments’ and students’ grades suffered. Thus, to make things easier for you, if an assignment is not handed in on time, you do not have to worry about making it up. You can just hand the next assignment in by the deadline. (This excludes cases in which prior arrangements are made due to legitimate hardships.) In addition, all assignments can be handed in (and will be graded) early.

Monitoring grades. You can monitor your own grades by checking Blackboard.

Special circumstances. If you need accommodations in this course because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with us, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to see one of us during the first week of class so we know how to better serve you. Our contact information and office hours are at the top of the page. Also, Disability Support Services is available to accommodate you. You can contact them at 777-3425.

Required Text:

∙ Alan Cutler, 2004, The Seashell on the Mountaintop: A Story of Science, Sainthood, and the Humble Genius Who Discovered a New History of the Earth: New York, A Plume Book, Penguin Group.

Recommended Texts:

∙ An English language dictionary

∙ William A. Strunk, Jr., 2000, The Elements of Style (4th Edition)

∙ The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2003

Readings:

∙ Because this course covers a wide range of topics and there is no text that covers all of them, selected readings will be assigned. The readings will be listed on Blackboard under “Readings.”

Here are some helpful Web sites for some of the topics that we will be covering in this course:

Earth History

∙ http://www.scotese.com/earth.htm - Travel through time and check out what the Earth looked liked in the far distant past or what it might look like far into the future.

∙ http://www.scotese.com/ - Paleomap project.

∙ http://gallery.in-tch.com/~earthhistory/ - Illustrations.

∙ http://www.dinosauria.com/dml/history.htm - Geologic ages.

Geology

∙ http://www.minerals.nsw.gov.au/minfacts/60.htm - Thorough history of geology.

∙ http://www.wmnh.com/wmas0002.htm - History of geology and correlating Earth’s history.

Taphonomy

∙ http://www.knowledge.com/Top/Science/Earth_Sciences/Paleontology/Taphonomy – Many taphonomy related Web sites.

∙ http://www.geocities.com/abeisaw/Taphonomy/TaphonomyLinks.html – Links to taphonomy sites.

Paleontology:

∙ http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Paleontology – Definition.

∙ http://www.informationblast.com/Paleontology.html – Definitions, well-known paleontologists.

∙ http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/ – Vertebrate paleontology.

Evolutionary theory

∙ http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/evolution.html – This site teaches you about the history of evolutionary thought.

Scientific Method

∙ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method – History and information about the scientific method.

∙ http://webpages.charter.net/djhalnon/rbacon.html – Roger Bacon and the scientific method.

∙ http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/scimeth.html – Different scientific methods.

Macroevolution

∙ http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/VIADefinition.shtml – Definition, etc.

∙ http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/macroevolution.html – Basic definition and history.

∙ http://www.sparknotes.com/biology/evolution/macroevolution/section2.rhtml – Graph showing history.

Macroevolutionary models

∙ http://eonix.8m.com/2nd_ed/intro1_2.htm – History.

∙ http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~fsnelson/Outline4683.html – Review of terminology and more.

Please note: This syllabus is tentative. In other words, it is subject to change with notice.

*** We know that we will have an exciting and wonderful semester that will be packed with learning for all of us. Please get to know us and let us get to know you. Also, please do not hesitate to come see us about any concerns you have about this course. Our job is to facilitate your learning, and we love our job!

Sincerely,

Joseph H. Hartman and Lisa Paciulli