Fall 2014
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!). Most days will have some type of class activity (ies) as part of lecture.
Class meets in 303 Slone Research Building.
Be sure to come to class on time. Some evenings the doors to the Slone Building may close after 5:30.
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. Bring pencil and eraser to all classes.
You can visit the class support website, “Earth History,” for links to supplemental information on the internet if you have questions after class (or want to prepare before class) lecture topics 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 text material.
Optional class lecture notes are available at 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. There will also be in-class activities, which are not in 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
Sept. 1--No class-Labor Day holiday
Sept. 29
3. Extinctions ctd.
b. The end-Permian mass extinction, What, where, and how?
4. The Triassic Period-Rebound from mass extinction
a. Mammal-like reptiles and mammals
b. Different types of reptiles
1.Dinosaur ancestors
Possible Movie: Walking with Dinosaurs-New Blood (Triassic, Petrified Forest)
Oct. 6 - 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.
5. Triassic dinosaurs
a. Historic dinosaur hunters and the oldest dinosaurs.
b. What’s a dinosaur?
c. Examples of Triassic dinosaurs
d. How scientists interpret aspects of dinosaurs from their bones
6. end-Triassic mass extinction; opening the door for more dinosaurs
In-class activity: whats a dinosaur/identifying bones?
In-class activity Ghost Ranch dinosaurs
Oct. 13
Return and go over exam1
7. Jurassic Period Dinosaurs
a. Sauropods
b. Armored dinosaurs, the 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)
Movie dinos
In class activity to be announced
Oct. 20 (midterm of semester, not test, just half way through class and midterm grades will be sent out this week)
10. 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
Oct. 27
8.Determining dinosaur details
a. What can we learn from trackways?
b. Calculating weights, life spans, etc. of extinct animals
9. Cretaceous Period
a. Global changes in climate and plants and continental positions
b. Amber, angiosperms and insects
c. What’s a bird?
1. Dinosaur-bird relationships
In-class dino details activities
Nov. 3
8. Cretaceous Period ctd.
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
f. Dino carnivores: We’ll start with the small ones and get larger.
1. The raptors
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
In class activity to be announced
Nov. 10
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.
8. Cretaceous Period, ctd.
g. Dino carnivores, ctd., T-rex
h. Other large Cretaceous carnivorous dinos
in class activity: Draw Trex
Possibly a little Jurassic Park III
Nov. 17
Return and review 2nd exam
9. 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
In class activity to be announced
Nov. 24
10. 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)
11. Cenozoic Era mammals
a. Marine mammals
b. Giant middle Cenozoic mammals
c. Mammalian evolution examples
In class activity: To be announced
Dec. 1
12. Pleistocene Ice ages
a. Ice Ages and global climate change
b. Mammoths, mastodons, and sabertooth cats
c. The rise of hominids
Parts of Discovery’s Walking with Prehistoric Beasts episodes
In class activity: To be announced
Dec. 8-Last Class
13. From the Ice Age to Now-Sea level and climate change
a. Big Bone Lick, Kentucky and modern ideas of extinctions
14. The 6th extinction (?), human-caused disasters
Wrap up: Why earth science and history matters?
Review in last third 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.
Dec. 15, 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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