GLY1101: Syllabus Fall ‘08 THE HISTORY OF LIFEGLY-1101, Fall 2008M, W, F, 1:00 - 1:50 Instructor: Professor Jose F. Longoria, Contact Information:www.fiu.edu/~longoriaDepartment of Earth SciencesOffice: PC 321Office Hours: M&W 2:30 - 4:30, or by appointment e-mail: [email protected] SyllabusCourse Objectives The objective of this course is to expose the students to biological and geological process and principles that have shape life on Earth, and to study life forms and their evolution through time from their first appearance to their diversification and extinction.The origin and evolution of humans is also included. Course Description Biological and geological principles including the theory of evolution, the theory of plate tectonics and fundamental principles of stratigraphy are used to interpret the history life (life of the past) through time and space. The evolutionary history of major groups of organisms is analyzed, including the origin of animals and plants as well as the evolution of invertebrates and vertebrates, and major events of life on earth such as the origin of life and the marine invasion of land, mass extinctions, and the Ice Age. The course is divided into three segments or sections to facilitate the understanding of all thetopics included. The course is organized following the evolutionary trends of major groups of biota from simple (primitive) to more complex forms following the geological time scale. The first part deals with the fundamental principles of biology, geology, and paleontology. The concept of fossil and fossilization, and the study of primitive life forms is included in the first part. The second part deals with more advanced forms of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Erathems. The third part covers the more advance life forms of the Cenozoic Erathem and of the Recent as well as the origin and evolution of humans. Required Textbook Ausich, William I., and Lane, N. Gary, 1999, Life of the Past: Prentice Hall, 4th ed. Course Policies The course is based mainly on the lectures. The topics of the lectures are also covered in the textbook, although lectures include material not covered in the textbook, and the textbook includes material not covered in the lectures. If you rely on the textbook without attending lectures, you will not receive all of the information that is covered on the exams. Also material cover in the videos will be considered for the exams. It is extremely rare that a student who does not regularly attend the lectures will learn enough to get a final grade of A or B. This includes students who make arrangements for others to take notes for them, because other people's notes are not usually as useful as your own. You are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty. Any student found in violation of these standards will earn an automatic F and be reported to the Dean’s Office, no exceptions made. In accordance with FIU's policy on academic honesty, as set forth in Section 2.44 of the Academic Affairs Policies and Procedures Manual (http://academic.fiu.edu/polman/sec2web.htm#two-forty-four), it is expected that students inGLY 1101 will neither submit the academic work of another as their own, nor provide work they have done for another student to be submitted as that other student's work.Students are required to attend all the lectures. Discipline during the lecture will be strictly enforced: No disruption of lecture will be tolerated.1GLY1101: Syllabus Fall ‘08Exams and Grading Exams will take place as scheduled (see weekly schedule below) unless university classes are cancelled. The format of the regular and final exams is multiple choice. The regular exams and the final exam count 100 points each. They are to be finishedin 40 minutes and cover all lectures and the corresponding material in the textbook and documentaries (DVDs and video tapes) covered since the previous exam. The final exam covers all lectures and corresponding textbook material not covered in the previous exams. The three exams have equal weight; that is, 33 per cent each.In most cases, if you miss an exam you earn a 0. Makeup exams will be given only in extreme circumstances and if you have valid, documentable proof justifying your absence, such as a doctor's note explaining a bad illness, police report verifying a car accident or a death certificate of an immediate family member. University sponsored events away from campus, family trips out of town and a car that wouldn't start do not qualify for makeup exams. In the case of a valid reason that can be documented for missing an exam, you will be given a makeup exam at the end of the semester but before the final exam. In such a case, you must contact the professor as soon as possible after missing the exam. The format of makeup exams is essay and short answer.During the semester there will be opportunities during class to earn extra credit by answering questions based on the last several lectures.Note about exam times: In keeping with university policy, accommodations for students who wish to observe their religious holidays will try to be made. Students should make these requests known at the beginning of the semester. If you are scheduled to be away for any reason during a scheduled exam, you should not take this course. If you have a time conflict with the final exam (see http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/register/final.htm for possible conflicts) do not take this course.Grading: Final grade in GLY1101 results from the average of the three exams. My grading policy is as follows: 96-100 A 90-95 A- 86-89 B+ 83-85 B 80-82 B- 76-79 C+ 73-75 C 70-72 C- 66-69 D+ 63-65 D 60-62 D- <60 FNOTE: grades will be posted not later than two weeks after the examWEEKLY CALENDARWeek 1: 8/25, 8/27, 8/29Introduction || Course Setup || Headcount || Syllabus 2GLY1101: Syllabus Fall ‘08Organization and expectationsWeek 2: 9/1 University Closed, Labor day, No Classes; 9/3 - 9/5, No Classes: Professor out of town Week 3: 9/8, 9/10, 9/12Biological Principles, ch2, ch 4, ch 5Week 4: 9/15, 9/17, 9/19Geological Principles, ch 6Week 5: 9/22, 9/24, 9/26Paleontology Principles: fossils and fossilization, ch 1, 7Week 6: 9/29, 10/1, 10/3Precambrian: Archean, ch 4, ch 8 10/1: Review for exam 1EXAM 1: Friday, October 3Week 7: 10/6, 10/8, 10/1 Proterozoic: Ediacara Fauna, ch 8Week 8: 10/13, 10/15, 1017 Lower Paleozoic: The Cambrian Revolution early Paleozoic life, ch 9, ch10 Week 9: 10/20, 10/22,