GEOL 204 Dinosaurs Early Humans Ancestors Evolution The Fossil Record of Vanished Worlds of the Prehistoric Past Spring Semester 2012 Lectures CHE 2110 TuTh 9 30 10 45 am Discussion Sections 0101 PLS 1158 M 3 3 50 pm 0102 PLS 1158 M 4 4 50 pm 0103 PLS 1158 M 5 5 50 pm 0104 PLS 1168 W 3 3 50 pm 0105 PLS 1168 W 4 4 50 pm 0106 PLS 1168 W 5 5 50 pm Instructor Dr Thomas R Holtz Jr Room Centreville 1216 Office Hours M 2 4 pm or by appointment Phone x54084 Email tholtz umd edu Graduate Teaching Assistants Palma Botterell Brian Harms Room BCHM 1505 Office Hours F 1 2 pm or by Room CHEM 1223A Office Hours M 2 3 pm or by appointment appointment Email pbotterell gmail com Phone 918 853 3224 Email bharms umd edu NOTE It is your responsibility as a student to completely read through and understand this syllabus If you have questions about it please contact Dr Holtz You will be held responsible for following all requirements of this syllabus Course Description The questions of the origins of humanity and of the other inhabitants of our world have intrigued cultures throughout history During the last several centuries scientists have developed many techniques in the natural historical sciences geology paleontology biology archaeology which allow us to answer those questions The Fossil Record will consider the many different types of evidence from used to reconstruct critical events in the history of life by looking at particular case studies of significant evolutionary origins and transitions In discussion sections students will be introduced to reading the scientific literature and interpreting examples of data sets plots and charts used to interpret the fossil world Additionally we will discuss some of the various reasons that otherwise knowledgeable people reject the scientifically incontrovertible evidence for an ancient Earth and the evolution of life and humanity We will also examine the recent and potential future impact of human technology and activity on the Earth systems and planetary biosphere Learning Outcomes By the end of the semester every student should be able to Identify the major techniques used by scientists to date events in the ancient past the evolutionary relationships of organisms and the behavior and function of ancient life Recognize how scientists test alternative models of evolutionary events and transitions Properly identify the various components of a peer reviewed research paper its conclusions and the evidence used to support those conclusions Effectively present and document scientific information by means of PowerPoint platform presentations and wiki pages Themes This course examines how scientists reconstruct events and life forms of the prehistoric past Over this time we will explore several big themes The scale of geologic and evolutionary time Biological evolution and the origin evolution and diversification and occasional extinction of branches of the Tree of Life The nature of scientific knowledge and how diverse lines of evidence are used to reconstruct events of the ancient past The role of information from the prehistoric past in understanding climate change and modern biodiversity 1 I Series Courses The I Series courses are designed to address important issues that spark the imagination demand intellect inspiration and innovation and conclude where possible with real world implementation They are intended to fulfill university general education requirements in a creative and contemporary way and to challenge students to apply diverse intellectual traditions to today s big issues Texts No single textbook is planned for this course Selections of short peer reviewed technical and review papers will be made available on ELMS these must be read by the lecture day they are listed Course Organization 2 lectures per week Tuesday Thursday 1 section per week Monday or Wednesday Grade Online Exam 1 Online Exam 3 Team Project wiki Homeworks Discussion Participation 10 10 10 15 10 Online Exam 2 Final Exam Team Project presentation Field Trip Report 10 20 10 05 Grade Scale 90 A 80 89 B 70 79 C 60 69 D 60 F and grades are given to the top and bottom two point range respectively within each grade Online Exams Rather than sit down exams during course time there will be three online exams throughout the semester independent of the final exam For each of these there will be a section comprised of true false multiple choice matching and similar type questions totaling between 60 80 of the points depending on the exam and a series of short essay questions totaling the remaining 20 40 These exams will be open note but they ARE subject to the Honor Pledge you may not seek help from other people in doing these The questions their orders and answers are randomized so no two student s exams will be identical You will have a period of 5 days Monday through Friday in which to complete the exam You may only take it once Since these are accessible on the web there NO EXCUSES for missing them including illness travel due to sports band etc and so forth Failure to correctly submit the exam on ELMS during the time period results in a 0 for that exam Each exam covers the material from the previous exam or the start of the course for the first exam until the week immediately before the exam The exam schedule is Exam 1 Feb 20 Feb 24 Exam 2 Mar 26 Mar 30 Exam 3 Apr 30 May 4 Final Exam There will be a traditional sit down final exam during the regularly scheduled exam season It is cumulative for the entire course Team Project As a term project for the course you will have a small group 3 5 students team which will research a particular project related to prehistoric life which will be presented as a PowerPoint presentation in discussion and supported by research documented in the form of a wiki Each of these two aspects presentation and wiki are worth 10 of the total grade More details about the logistics of the project the types of subjects grading rubric etc will be made available later this semester Homeworks Throughout the course there will be short homework projects handed out in the discussion section to be turned in the following week These packets are intended to allow you to use and interpret the type of data some of it directly from the peer reviewed literature that paleontologists and other scientists employ in understanding the fossil record Your TA will discuss aspects of the homework in class and you may discuss the packets with your classmates but the answers you turn in