Invertebrate Paleontology – GEOL 137 Fall 2008
LECTURE: M,F 11:15-12:10, Gittleson 162
LAB: F 1:55-5:00, Gittleson 162
Instructor: J Bret Bennington
Office: Gittleson 147 : Email
[email protected] http://people.hofstra.edu/faculty/J_B_Bennington/
Office Hours: M-F 10:00-11:00
Text: Principles of Paleontology 3rd Ed., Foote and Miller
Week Weekly Topics and Labs Chapter
Sept 5 Introduction
Lab Modes of Fossilization 1.1, 1.2
8,12 The History of Paleontology
Lab Friday Lecture and Lab Canceled
15,19 Geologic Timescale and Biostratigraphy 6.1-6.3
Lab Graphic Correlation Box 6.1
22,26 Micropaleontology and Palynology
Lab Friday lecture and lab - AMNH Field Trip
29, Oct. 2 Paleoclimatology 9.5
Lab Micropaleontology
6,10 Ichnology / Reading discussion
Lab Colonial Organisms – Sponges / Corals / Bryozoa
13,17 Taphonomy / Midterm Exam 1.3-1.5
Lab Bivalved Organisms – Brachiopods and Pelecypods
20,24 Paleoecology 9.1-9.4
Lab Sampling and Analysis of Fossil Assemblages (field trip to the beach)
27,31 Systematics 4.1-4.4
Lab Mollusca – Gastropods and Cephalopods
Nov 3,7 Evolutionary Paleobiology – Diversity and Extinction History 8.1-8.6
Lab Trilobites and other arthropods
10,14 Evolutionary Rates and Trends 7.1-7.3
Lab Calculating Origination and Extinction Rates
17,21 The Archean and Proterozoic record of life
Lab Echinoderms and Graptolites
24,28 The Cambrian Explosion 10.2
Lab Friday classes not in session (Thanksgiving Recess)
Dec 1,5,8 Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinctions / Student Presentations 10.5
Lab Student Presentations – Research Papers Due by Dec. 8 in class
Final Exam – Wednesday, Dec. 17, 10:30 AM
Paleontology – GEOL 137
Materials: Lab sketchbook, drawing and colored pencils, hand lens
Course Objectives: Invertebrate paleontology was once called the 'handmaiden of
stratigraphy’ because of the usefulness of fossils for correlating sedimentary strata.
Fossils also provide information needed to solve a variety of other geological
problems. However, paleontology is also fascinating in itself as the study of the
history and evolution of life. My objective in this course is to give you both sides of
the story. Thus, we will learn to identify and use fossils as geological tools, and we
will learn how paleontologists analyze fossils to interpret the history of life on Earth.
Lab work and notebook. We will use the laboratory to get some hands-on experience
with fossils and paleontological techniques for data acquisition and analysis. Some
labs will be written up as reports. Other labs will require that you observe fossil
specimens, sketching and comparing them, to develop the ability to identify the
common types of fossils found in the field.
Readings and Discussion Questions: I will assign readings and discussion questions on
a semi-weekly basis, which must be answered and handed it. These questions will
come from scientific papers and textbook readings relevant to the lecture topics.
Research Paper / Presentation Project: One of the main goals of this course will be to
develop your understanding of how scientific inquiry works and how people do
science. So, in addition to reading and analyzing scientific research papers related to
paleontology throughout the course, we will also have a final project where you will
be responsible for investigating a research project / topic of your choosing and
presenting the research project to the class, as if it were your own, in an oral
presentation / poster session. A short research paper summarizing your topic will also
be handed in.
Course Grade: Final grades will be based on two lecture exams (one midterm and one
final - 40%), lab reports (20%), discussion questions (20%) and the research paper
project (20%).
• Field Trips: I will try to organize at least one fossil collecting trip for a weekend
during the semester. In addition to this, there is one planned Friday trip to the
American Museum of Natural History and one field trip to local beaches scheduled
during lab. Details will be discussed in class.
Academic Honesty: Plagiarism is a serious ethical and professional infraction.
Hofstra’s policy on academic honesty reads: “The academic community assumes that
work of any kind [...] is done, entirely, and without assistance, by and only for the
individual(s) whose name(s) it bears.” Please refer to the “Procedure for Handling
Violations of Academic Honesty by Undergraduate Students at Hofstra University” to be
found at http://www.hofstra.edu/PDF/Senate_FPS_11.pdf , for details about what
constitutes plagiarism, and Hofstra’s procedures for handling violations.
Student Learning Objectives: Geol. 137 – Invertebrate Paleontology (Bennington)
1. Students will demonstrate the ability to accurately report on and draw conclusions
from close readings of works of scientific journalism and research literature. (5a) [1a, 1b,
1c, 1d, 1e, 2a, 3a, 3c, 3e, 3f]
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify common types of invertebrate
macrofossils and microfossils. (1e, 2a) [2c, 2e]
3. Students will apply their knowledge of invertebrate fossils to make estimates of the age
of fossil assemblages using the principles of relative dating and biostratigraphy. (3c) [2c,
2e]
4. Students will use fossil data to make biostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic
correlations. (3c) [2c, 2e]
5. Students will collect and quantitatively analyze data from fossils or subfossils to make
environmental inferences. (3b, 4b) [2c, 2e]
6. Students will produce and present to the class a poster explaining a published research
paper of their choosing. (5a, 5b, 5d, 5e) [1a, 2a, 4a, 4b, 4c, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7a]
These learning objectives relate to the learning goals and objectives of both the Hofstra
Geology Department and the General Education Distribution of the Hofstra College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences:
(Departmental Outcomes): 1e, 2a, 3b, 3c, 4b, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e
For the complete list, go to:
http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/Colleges/HCLAS/GEOL/geol_goals.html
[General Education Distribution Outcomes]: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 2a, 2c, 2e, 3a, 3c, 3e, 3f,
4a, 4b, 4c, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7a
For the complete list, go to:
http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/Colleges/HCLAS/hclas_goals.html
