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GLY 130 Dinosaurs and Disasters:Tentative Class Schedule and Outline
Spring 2012

Each lecture is 5:30-8:00 pm, with at least a 10-minute break half-way through, or two breaks on some days (Class begins at 5:30, and lasts until 8:00 pm, not 7:45!).
Class meets in 107 Biological Sciences Building
 
Bring a photo ID and pencil to every class! There may be in-class assignments that will require an ID and pencil. IDs are required to pick up exam results and may be required to turn in some assignments.

You can visit the class support website, “Earth History,” for links to supplemental information concerning topics discussed in lecture http://www.uky.edu/KGS/education/earthhistory.html
I also keep material on reserve at the Science Library (MI King building) as supplemental material for those that do not have web access or would like supplemental written material.
Optional class lecture notes are available at Kinkos downtown and Johnny Print on Limestone Street. Call ahead to make sure they have copies.  Copies will also be available in the Science Library at the start of the semester. The notes are helpful, but do not rely on the notes. You are responsible for material presented in class, which sometimes will be different than the notes. Some topics in notes are not covered in each semester. Additional material may also be added
See UK’s academic calendar for dates related to adding/dropping classes, http://www.uky.edu/Registrar/cal-FA07.htm
Jan. 16- MLK holiday, no class

Jan. 23 - First class
Introduction
Class description etc.

1. The science of earth history
a. What is a fossil?  How do fossils form?
b.  Life today and the past. How do we determine what ancient time was like?
c.  Geologic  mapping and ranges of fossils
d.  How old is it? Age dating.
Optional supplemental reading: Nat Geographic v. 200, 2001, How old is it?

Jan. 30
1e. Plate tectonics and continental drift
f.   Extinction and Mass extinction
g.  Evolution (from Darwin to modern genetics)

2. Earth History-Before the Dinosaurs-Early Life
a. A quick look at geologic time and the ancient earth
b. Cambrian explosion, the Burgess Shale, and arthropods

Parts of Discovery Channel’s Before the Dinosaurs movie. Optional supplemental reading: Nat Geographic v. 193, 1998; The Rise of Life on Earth; Nat Geographic v. 195, 1999, The rise of life on Earth-From fins to feet; Nat Geographic v. 206, 2004, Was Darwin Wrong?

Feb. 6
2. Earth History-Before the Dinosaurs-Early Life ctd.
c. Functional morphology
d. Backbones and rise of fish
e. Onto the land: plants change the environment
f. From fins to feet: the oldest tetrapods
g. Reptiles and mammal-like reptiles
Parts of Discovery Channel’s Before the Dinosaurs movie

Feb. 13
3. Before the Dinosaurs-Paleozoic mass extinctions, ctd
a. End-Ordovician and end-Devonian mass extinctions; What, where, and how?

b. The end-Permian mass extinction— What, where, and how?

4. The Triassic Period-Rebound from mass extinction
Possible Movie: Walking with Dinosaurs-New Blood (Triassic, Petrified Forest)
a. Mammal-like reptiles and mammals
b.  Dinosaur ancestors

Feb. 20 – First exam
Exam will be in first half of the lecture (1 hr.). Bring a picture ID and a No. 2 pencil. Regular lecture will follow in second half of the class.
4. The Triassic Period-Rebound from mass extinction, ctd.
c. The oldest dinosaurs; what’s a dinosaur?
d. end-Triassic mass extinction; opening the door for the dinosaurs

Feb. 27
Return and go over exam
6. Jurassic Period Dinosaurs  (begin)
a.   Sauropods
b.   Armored dinos—Stegosaurs
c.    Theropods
Walking with Dinosaurs-Time of the Titans (Jurassic, western U.S.). Parts of Jurassic Park, Possibly parts of Discovery’s Big Al (Allosaurus)

March 1
7.  Mesozoic other creatures
a. Marine reptiles
b. Flying reptiles
Parts of Discovery’s Walking with Dinosaurs-A Cruel Sea (Jurassic, England) parts of Discovery’s Walking with Dinosaurs-Giant of the Skies (Cretaceous, Europe)
parts of Jurassic Park 3
Supplemental Reading: Nat Geographic v. 194, 1998, Dinosaurs take wing
Supplemental Reading: Nat Geographic v. 196, 1999, Feathered dinosaurs
7.Mesozoic other creatures, ctd.
c. What’s a bird?
 8.Determining dinosaur details
a. What can we learn from trackways?
b. Calculating weights, life spans, etc. of extinct animals

March 5 (midterm of semester, not test, just half way through class and midterm grades will be sent out this week)

9. Cretaceous Period
a. global changes in climate and plants and continental positions
b. amber, angiosperms and insects
c.  Cretaceous plant eating dinos: Ornithopods, special teeth and nests
d.  Dino herbivores: Ceratopsians, the horned dinosaurs
e.  Dino herbivores: Ankylosaurs, the armored tanks, and more

March 12 (Spring Break, no class)

March 19
9. Cretaceous Period ctd.
f.  Dino carnivores: We’ll start with the small ones and get larger.
g.  T-rex
h.   Other large Cretaceous carnivorous dinos

Possibly Discovery Channel’s Walking with Dinosaurs-Death of a Dynasty (Cretaceous, western U.S.) parts of Discovery’s Dinosaur Planet, parts of Jurassic Park 1, 2 and 3

March 26 – Exam 2
Exam will be in first half of the lecture (1 hr.). Bring a picture ID and a No. 2 pencil. Regular lecture will follow in second half of the class.

11. The end-Cretaceous mass extinction (bye-bye dinosaurs)
Possibly parts of movies on meteor impacts and K-T extinction
Supplemental Reading: Nat Geographic v. 175, 1989, The march toward extinction
12. Cenozoic Era-Rebound from extinction and the age of mammals
a.   Adaptive radiation
Parts of Discovery’s Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, New Dawn, (Tertiary, Germany) 

April 2
Return and review 2nd exam
13. Cenozoic Era mammals
a.      Marine mammals
b.     Giant middle Cenozoic mammals
c.      Mammalian evolution examples

April 9
14. Pleistocene Ice ages
a.  Ice Ages and global climate change
b.  Mammoths, mastodons, and sabertooth cats

Parts of Discovery’s Walking with Prehistoric Beasts episodes

April 16
14c.  The rise of hominids
15. From the Ice Age to Now-Sea level and climate change
a.  Big Bone Lick, Kentucky and modern ideas of extinctions

April 23
16. The 6th extinction (?), human-caused disasters
Wrap up: Why earth science and history matters?
Review in second half of class
**If you have a conflict with the scheduled final (next week), you must attend class this week to sign up for an alternative final time.

April 30, Final Exam, 5:30-7:30 pm
Final is in the same classroom as class. Bring a picture ID and a No. 2 pencil

 

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