GEOL 497

Spring 2016 All Classes

All Classes

Special Topics in Geology

SHOW FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Credit: 1 TO 4 hours.

Seminar or lectures in subjects not covered by regular course offerings; for advanced undergraduates and graduate students.

Additional fees may apply. See Class Schedule. 1 to 4 undergraduate hours. 1 to 4 graduate hours. May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

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GEOL 497 class schedule data for spring 2016
	CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
	63452	Lecture-Discussion	C	11:00AM -12:50PM	WF	121 Davenport Hall	Malinowski, J Wasserman, N	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/19/16-05/04/16 Section Fee: GEOL Field Trip Topics $130.00 Flat Fee. Credit: 4 hours Section Title: Paleobiology Section Info: The fossil record is a direct window into the history of life on Earth and contains a wealth of information on evolution, biodiversity, and climate change. This course investigates the record of ancient life forms, specifically invertebrates, from bacteria to snails to plants. In addition to the intellectual discovery of fossils as organic relics and the ways in which fossils have been used to support conflicting views on nature, geologic time, and evolution, we will cover a range of topics central to modern paleobiology. These include: how the fossil record informs our understanding of evolutionary processes including speciation; the causes and consequences of mass extinctions; how fossils help us tell time and reconstruct the Earth's climactic and tectonic history; statistical analysis of the fossil record to reconstruct biodiversity through time; analysis of fossil morphology to recreate the biomechanics of extinct organisms; and using fossil communities to reconstruct past ecosystems. Laboratory exercises will focus on Illinois’ fossil collections as well as published datasets to provide a broad understanding of fossils and the methods we use to study the history of life on Earth. We will also view a diversity of fossils in their geologic and paleo-environmental context on our field trip to Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky.