There's a fossil that's trapped in a high cliff wall
That's my soul up there….
--Sting, King of Pain, 1994

GEOL 350: Paleontology

Fall 2002

Room & Time: BI-105, MW 1600-1750; M 1800-2050
Instructor: W. Britt Leatham
Office hours: MW 1300-1500
Office: BI-108
Tel. 909.880.5322 (prefer email)
email: bleatham@csusb.edu
Last updated October 28, 2002

*Grading:*
Paleontological Portfolio	35%
Content Assessments (Quizzes, etc.)	25%
Research Projects	25%
Active Participation	20%
TOTAL	100%

Each activity in this class will be assessed for:

--Paleontological Content
--Paleontological Accuracy
--Creativity and Innovation
--Breadth and Completion

Texts:

Clarkson, ENK. Invertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. 4th Edition. Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.
Feldmann, RM, RE Chapman, and JT Hannibal. 1989. Paleotechniques, Paleontological Society Special Publication No. 4, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 358 pp.
MJS Rudwick, 1976, The Meaning of Fossils: Episodes in the History of Palaeontology, 2nd Edition, University of Chicago Press, 287 pp.

Ranking for each criterion will be as follows:

4 = excellent, unusual effort, and memorable
3 = noteworthy, above average
2 = acceptable, but not noteworthy
1 = definitely needs work
0 = nothing to evaluate

Download: all are *.pdf files and require Adobe Acrobat Reader (free),

Unicells notes October 16, 2002

Foraminifera notes October 23, 2002

Diatom notes October 23, 2002

Radiolaria notes October 23, 2002

Dinoflagellate notes October 23, 2002

Ebridian notes October 23, 2002

Cnidaria notes October 28,2002

We work the black seams in the ground...(Text only)

Walking in your footsteps (Text only)

Important Events
October 4th & 5th (Friday and Saturday)	Field Trip to Carboniferous GSSP, Arrow Canyon, NV
October 26th (Saturday)	Expedition aboard SCMI Research Vessel, San Pedro, CA
November 1st & 2nd (Friday and Saturday)	Field Trip to Tertiary Fossil Locality in Great Valley
Oct 16, 2002 (Wednesday)	Content Assessment 1 Due

Guidelines for Portfolio:

· Obtain suitable three-ring binder for portfolio. A portfolio is essentially a portable case for carrying loose papers. This portfolio should be a cumulative summation and record of your experiences this quarter in paleontology. Use dividers to organize your portfolio--make a section for each of the major topics, a section for your labs, etc.

· Portfolio should have a table of contents and an overall summary analysis--minimum of two pages. Write the analysis after you finish the portfolio, not before :-)

· Portfolio should address each of the topics outlined. Include notes you take from class and your readings. You should take notes on your readings. Analyses may be neatly handwritten or printed. Portfolio should include exercises and worksheets, lab work field notes, etc.

Portfolio Topics:

   Fossilization and Taphonomy

   Basics of Taxonomy and Systematics

   Baupläne

Major fossil groups to include:

Protoctista

Cnidaria

Porifera and Archeocyathida

Molluska

Brachiopoda

Arthropoda

Echinodermata

Bryozoa

Graptolites

Conodonta

Plantae

Vertebrata

For each of the major fossil groups listed, you should include:

1. Definitions and Diagnoses of major fossil groups

2. Labeled illustrations to include (required):

Major anatomical features of both soft tissues and skeletal materials
Dorsal, Ventral, Anterior and Posterior views (as applicable)

3. An assessment of the groups fossilization potential and representation

4. Analysis of fossil ranges, either a range chart or similar table

5. Paleoenvironmental associations, analysis, and mode of life

6. Paleobiogeographic information

7. List of important index or typical representative taxa and ages

8.Other significant info: e.g. major evolutionary and extinction, events; typical index fossils

Extra Credit: Write a minimum 10 page paper documenting how fossils have become some of the greatest tools for interpreting the history of life and of our planet. Use specific examples from the book, and prepare a bibliography for works you cite as interpreted in the Rudwick's book.

MJS Rudwick, 1976, The Meaning of Fossils: Episodes in the History of Palaeontology, 2nd Edition, University of Chicago Press, 287 pp.

#	Title Page	pg.
I	Fossil Objects	1
II	Natural Antiquities	49
III	Life's Revolutions	101
IV	Uniformity and Progress	164
V	Life's Ancestry	218
	Glossary	273
	Further Reading	281
	Index	283