Textbook: There is no textbook.  Readings will be assigned throughout the semester.

The history of life on Earth is an amazing story!  Throughout life's nearly four-billion-year past, countless forms have evolved and fallen to extinction.  From the tiniest of trilobites to the most spectacular of dinosaurs, the creatures of prehistory tell stories of not only an ancient planet, but also the story of our ancestry.  All life is related.  And all life has a history.  The History of Life on Earth is a course designed to help you understand how we know about our planet's primeval past, the ever-growing tree of life, and humanity's ancestry and place within nature.

Attendance expectations

Class attendance is expected and will be monitored through unannounced, in-class activities. .

• If you have other school responsibilities that keep you from attending a class, please send me an email.
  

• If you miss class, please get notes from a classmate and/or see my after when you return.
  

• We will have a variety of quizzes and in-class assignments. All quizzes will be announced at least 2 classes (that is, the previous week) ahead. It will be your responsibility to know about them, through class attendance or—if you are absent—through your classmates.

Learning outcomes

• Understand the nature of science and the scope of paleontology
• Understand the concepts of evolution and extinction
• Understand the scientific basis for paleontological research, and the studies of evolution and extinction using fossils
• Recognize the most important events and their relative timing in the history of the Earth     and its life
• Recognize the “major” groups of plants and animals, and have an understanding of their history
• Appreciate humanity’s place within geologic time and life’s evolutionary tree

Assessment

• We will have two tests based on in-class content. Midterm: 50pts; Final: 50pts
• We will have a few quizzes on essential knowledge, such as the geological time scale and major taxa. Quizzes: 20pts
• You will engage in occasional in-class assignments: 20pts
• You will have a written assignment based on an in-class video: 20pts
• You will visit the exhibit Journey through Time at the Museum of the Earth. The Museum is located on West Hill (Rt 96) south of the Cayuga Medical Center. You will do an activity that relates to the content of the class. Museum of the Earth activity: 30pts
• There will be online assignments within the Discussion Forum section of the course’s Sakai page: 10pts

Integrity & Academic Honesty: Principles of academic honesty are outlined in the student handbook:  “Academic honesty is a cornerstone of the mission of the College”.  Our classroom is full (you will sit very close to your colleagues), so I depend on your honesty during quizzes and tests. I also depend on your honesty in doing your out-of-class work.

Course Evaluation:  Student input is highly valued and is important to maintain high-quality instruction.  Completing the end-semester evaluation is required.

Accommodation: In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case by case basis.  Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services (607-274-1005, TDD 607-274-7319, acssd@ithaca.edu) and schedule an appointment with their instructors as soon as possible to discuss their needs.

Course schedule
 

Please note: this schedule will be tweaked as necessary over the course of the semester.