Spring 2002 G491 Syllabus

The general goal of this class is that each student will understand the foundation principles of paleontological study. The implementation of this goal will be placed in the context of the entire span of life on Earth. Thus a student should come away from this course with a good general knowledge of the evolution of life on Earth, specifically in regard to important fossil phyla in the geologic record and life in the Precambrian; feel comfortable reading and discuss insightfully various topics in paleontology in their geological or related careers; and be well informed citizens capable of making more sophisticated decisions on complex issues by better understanding the history of life on Earth.

Students are expected to attend class. Although the textbook is good, and provides excellent coverage and background for lectures, doing well on the tests and meeting the goals of the class is only possible by regular class attendance. Of course, advanced reading of assigned material will improve a student's comprehension of covered material on any particular day. Students are encouraged to discuss lecture and text topics. Feel free to bring up laboratory questions in lecture. Note, a Wednesday evening discussion time is specifically available for review of lecture and lab topics. As indicated on the course syllabus, students will begin to contemplate their term project paper early in the semester. The purpose of the term project is to provide a learning activity that brings to bear the principles of paleontology and how they apply to specific groups of organisms. Term project topics should be reviewed by me before significant student time is undertaken.

Students should check their e-mail box once a day. This is University policy and a good idea anyway. UND wishes you to use its system (that you have a UND e-mail address), but if you provide me with the e-mail address you prefer, I will add it to the class e-mail directory. Please e-mail me your address by the next class. You will be informed of any schedule changes as they occur and also receive reminders through e-mail.

CLASS STRUCTURE

Lecture (80% of Course Grade)

Testing (80% of Lecture Grade)

All lecture tests, including the final, are 20% of the final lecture grade. The project presentation and paper represent the remaining 20% of the lecture grade. Material covered in lecture is emphasized in determining test questions. Assigned reading provides necessary context and perspective to fully comprehend lecture topics. All tests are required to be taken or turned in on assigned date and time unless prior notice is given. Points will be deducted for tardy tests.

Term Paper (20% of Lecture Grade)

Each student will submit a short paper (15%) and 15-minute presentation (5%) on a topic of their choice.

The Process
The term writing assignment will be submitted as if to a journal for publication. This means you hope to get your manuscript published. I am your publisher, editor, and reviewer. If you submit a manuscript that does not meet the guidelines, it can be rejected for rewrite for resubmission. If accepted, the manuscript will be edited for style, grammar, and content. It can be accepted provisionally, with revision, or as is, with no revision necessary. You may accept the grade you receive on the first review or resubmit with editor's suggestions for an improved grade "for publication" and a possible better grade. The purpose of the following up on revisions is to learn how to improve your writing skills, accept a critique, and understand the professional review process.

General
The term paper will focus on a particular group of fossil organisms through a selected duration of geologic time. The overall purpose of the project is for the student to learn how to integrate, through literature study, the various facets of the fossil record of a specific group of organisms.

Depending on the subject and/or interest of the student, the paper should include a review of a taxon's:

1) Morphology (distinguishing characteristics),

2) Paleoecology (utility in paleoenvironmental reconstruction),

3) Evolutionary trends (change in morphology of selected taxa through time, pattern of evolution),

4) Biostratigraphy (utility for interpreting geologic time), and/or

5) Paleobiogeography (geographic distribution through slices of geologic time and its historical significance; e.g., migration, local extinction, etc.).

Requirements
The text will be doubled spaced, with one inch margins on all sides. The paper will have an brief abstract (200 words), with an I. Introduction, II. Basic knowledge, III. Discussion, and IV. Conclusion sections (you may retitle these headers as appropriate). The suggested length of the paper is 5 pages, excluding references and illustrations. All references must be author cited (no anonymous Web citations). Additional style information will be provided. The references will be in a GSA format.

Presentations
Each student will give a PowerPoint presentation on their talk to be critiqued by the class. This informal opportunity to speak provides the student the opportunity to practice communication skills, both in presenting research and answering questions based on knowledge derived from course work and research. The presentation will be a maximum of 15 minutes in duration.

Laboratory Studies (20% of Course Grade)

Laboratory exercises/projects and some partial lectures will be conducted during lab time. Laboratory exercises/projects may require additional time outside of lab to complete. Lab grades are based on quizzes, exercises, and projects.

FIELD TRIP TO WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA (required)

A field trip will be conducted specifically for this class on the weekend of September 7-9 (Friday at 7:15 a.m., Saturday, Sunday return early evening) to southwestern North Dakota. A few other geology students will also participate. The trip will be by van and be at no cost to the students, except for their food and refreshments. This will be a camping adventure. More later.

Geology 415 - Course Information