Dr. Robert A. Gastaldo ragastal@colby.edu Whipple-Coddington Professor of Geology
Classroom: MUDD 219	Class Meeting Time: M, W, F 9:00-9:50	Laboratory: W 1:00-4:00
	SATURDAY FIELD TRIP 22 September

Textbook: (REQUIRED) Prothero, D.R., 2004. Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleobiology: 2nd Edition. WCB McGraw-Hill Publishers, Boston, 503 p.

What kind of learner are you? There is no single way to learn, and there are many a diverse way in which individuals learn. There are:

• Visual Learners

• Audio Learners

• Haptic Learners - Those that learn best by doing

Learn about your preferred style of learning at the North Carolina State University's Web site. Let me know what you learn.

Class Schedule

READINGS Week 1: Prothero Chapter 1; National Academy of Science - On Being a Scientist will be discussed during class on 7 September 2007

5 September - Fossils, Huh, What Are They Good For? Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

ASSIGNMENT OF LIBRARY EXERCISE #1

8 September - Dead White Europeans Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

DISCUSSION of On Being a Scientist

READINGS Week 2: Behrensmeyer, A.K., Kidwell, S.M, and Gastaldo, R.A., 2000, Taphonomy and Paleobiology: in Erwin, D.H., and Wing, S.L., eds., Deep Time: Paleobiology's Perspective: Supplement to Paleobiology, v. 26, p. 103-147. to be discussed on 21 September 2007 Download PDF

10 September - Taphonomy: Necrology & Biostratinomy Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

12 September - Taphonomy: It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

(LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE)

ASSIGNMENT OF LIBRARY EXERCISE #2

LABORATORY 1 - Modes of Fossilization & Preservation: Body Fossils

14 September - The Making of the Fossil Record: Fossil Lagerstätten Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides>

READINGS Week 3: Prothero, Chapter 18; Behrensmeyer, A.K., Kidwell, S.M, and Gastaldo, R.A., 2000, Taphonomy and Paleobiology: in Erwin, D.H., and Wing, S.L., eds., Deep Time: Paleobiology's Perspective: Supplement to Paleobiology, v. 26, p. 103-147. Download PDF

17 September - Time Averaging and the Fossil Record Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

19 September - Diagenesis: A Long Time Before Surfacing Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

(LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE)

LABORATORY 2 - Modes of Fossilization & Preservation: Ichnofossils (Field)

21 September - SEMINAR DISCUSSION OF: Behrensmeyer, Kidwell, & Gastaldo, 2000 with Dr. Sally Walker, Department of Geology, University of Georgia

22 SEPTEMBER - Field Trip to Devonian Tarrantine Formation, Maine

TERM PROJECT

READINGS Week 4: ASSIGNMENT OF TAKE HOME READINGS & EVALUATION; Prothero Chapters 2 & 3.

Download Bray & Gorham (1964) and Meldahl et al. (1994)

24 September - Fossil Diagenesis, Alteration, & Preservation Lecture Outline

26 September - Growth and Variation : Once You've Seen One, You've Seen Them All? Lecture Outline &

LABORATORY 3 - Initial Evaluation of the Tarrantine Formation Assemblages

28 September - Growth and Variation: Heterochrony

1 October - SEMINAR ON TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT READINGS: (TAKE HOME Essay DUE)

3 October - Variations in Populations: Does Sex and Environment Count? Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

LABORATORY 4 - Relationships between Morphometrics & Systematics : Data Collection

5 October - Species: Are Biological Entities Actually Related to Fossils? Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

8 October - Systematics: Man's Attempt at Pigeon-Holing Nature Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

10 October - Cladistics : A Numerical Revolution in Relationships Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

LABORATORY 5 - Relationships between Morphometrics W & Systematics: Data Analysis

Link to the Palaeontological Association PalaeoMath Tutorials

12 October Cladistics II : A Numerical Revolution in Relationships Lecture Outline

15 October - Molecular Systematics : New Insights from Old Chemistry (Discussion of Poinar) Lecture Outline

17 October - MID-TERM EXAMINATION during Laboratory

19 October - Evolution : The Concept, The Record, The Fact Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

20-23 October FALL BREAK

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READINGS Week 8: Prothero Chapters 5, 11

• Wise, D.U., 1998, Creationism's Geologic Time Scale: American Scientist, v. 86, p. 160-173.Download Article
• Ayala, F.J. and others, 1999, Science and Creationism : A View from the National Academy of Sciences, 2nd Ed.: National Academy Press, 35 p.
• Rennie, J., 2002, 15 answers to creationist nonsense: Scientific American, v. 287, p. 75-85 Download Article

24 October - Evolution : The Concept, The Record, The Fact Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

LABORATORY 6 - Microfossils Billions of the Unseen

26 October - Macroevolution, Microevolution, and Goldschmidt's Hopeful Monsters Lecture Outline

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READINGS Week 9: Prothero Chapter 6; and

• Morris, H.M., 1973, Geology and the Flood: Institute for Creation Research, Impact No. 6
• Morris, H.M., 1973, Evolution and the Bible: Institute for Creation Research, Impact No. 5
• Nevins, S.E., 1976, The Origin of Coal: Institute for Creation Research, Impact No. 41
• Morris, H.M., 1977, Circular Reasoning in Evolutionary Geology: Institute for Creation Research, Impact No. 48
• Harding, J.T., 1981, Establishing Scientific Guidelines for Origins -- Instruction in Public Education: Institute for Creation Research, Impact No. 93
• Oller, J.W., Jr., 1988, A Theory in Crisis: Institute for Creation Reaserch, Impact No. 180
• Gish, D.T., 1996, The Nature of Science and of Theories on Origins: Institute for Creation Research, Impact No. 262
• Morris, J.D., 1999, The Polystrate Trees and Coal Seams of Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Impact No. 316
• Austin, S.A., 2000, Archaeoraptor: Feathered Dinosaur from National Geographic Doesn't Fly, Impact No. 321
• Snelling, A.A., 2000, An Australian Fossil Insect Bed Resulting from Cataclysmic Destruction, Impact No. 329
• Morris, H.M., 2000, The Scientific Case Against Evolution: A Summary (part 1) Impact No. 330
• Morris, H.M., 2000, The Scientific Case Against Evolution: A Summary (part 2) Impact No. 331

29 October - NO CLASS : Geological Society of America Meetings, Denver

31 October - NO CLASS : Geological Society of America Meetings, Denver

2 November - Evolutionary Theory

• Scott, E.C., and Branch, G., 2003, Antievolution: Changes and Continuites: BioScience, v. 53, p. 282-285 Download .pdf
• Dawkins, R., 1997, The "Alabama Insert": A Study in Ignorance and Dishonesty: Journal of the Alabama Acadamy of Science, v. 68, No. 1 Article Link

5 November -The Evolutionary Record and Creationist/Intelligent Design Claims: Debate Questions 1-3 (teams will be chosen and questions distributed on 2 November)

7 November - The Evolutionary Record and Creationist/Intelligent Design Claims: Debate Questions 4-6

LABORATORY 7 - Concepts in Applied Biostratigraphy I

9 November - Extinctions : Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

12 November - Mass Extinctions: The BIG ONES Lecture Outline

14 November - Mass Extinctions: THE BIG ONES Continued

LABORATORY 8 - Concepts in Applied Biostratigraphy II

16 November - Functional Morphology: Why Can Organisms Do the Things They Do? Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

19 November - Environmental Limits: Why Do Organisms Live Where They Do? Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

21-25 November THANKSGIVING Holiday

READINGS Week 13: Prothero Chapters 9 & 10

26 November - Fossils as Environmental Indicators: Is It Possible to Retrodict? Lecture Outline & Lecture Slides

For a primer on biodiversity, visit The Biodiversity Web

28 November - Fossils as Environmental Indicators: Is It Possible to Retrodict? Lecture Outline

LABORATORY 9 - Assessing Similarities between Fossil Assemblages

30 November - Paleoecology : Differences in the Scale of Time & Space Lecture Outline

3 December - Paleoecology : Differences in the Scale of Time & Space

LABORATORY 10 - Final Synthesis of Tarrantine Formation Project

5 December - Biogeography: Why Are Organisms Constrained to Different Parts of the Globe? Lecture Outline

7 December - No Class: Term Project Reports Due

GE 391 : GEOSEMINAR PRESENTATION OF TERM PROJECT

ATTENDANCE POLICY

According to Colby Policy, you December not miss a class during the academic semester without some penalty. It is understood that during times of illness, it December be necessary to miss a class. If you are ill and intend to miss a class meeting, e-mail me and let me know that you will be absent. If you will be absent for more than two classes due to a college function (professional meeting, athletic event), please provide me with an official college excuse at the beginning of the next class period. Routine absence in this course will jeopardize your final grade; continued absence will result in your being dropped from the course roster.

GRADING

Final Grades will be determined based upon the following distribution of effort

LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT #1	DUE 12 September 2007	5%
LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT #2	DUE 19 September 2007	5%
TAKE HOME ESSAY	DUE 1 October 2007	10%
Midterm Exam	17 October 2007	15%
Laboratories	Due 1 week after Laboratory Assignment	10%
Laboratory Practical	Sunday 16 December 2007 @12:30-1:15	15%
TERM PROJECT	Class Presentation in GE 391 @ 1:00, 7 December 2007	10%
	Individual Project Summary Paper DUE on or before Final Exam	10%
Final Examination	EXAMINATION # 14 Sunday 16 December @ 1:15-2:30	20%

Grades will be assigned on the following scale:

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© Copyright 1999-2007 by Robert A. Gastaldo. All rights reserved. No part of these lecture notes can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.