Dinosaur Planet

Curriculum guideline

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Course
EAES 1130
Discontinued
No
Course code
EAES 1130
Descriptive
Dinosaur Planet
Department
Earth & Environmental Sciences
Faculty
Science & Technology
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Contact hours

Lecture: 2 hours/week

and

Lab: 2 hours/week

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Learning activities

This course is presented using lectures and laboratories that illustrate the practical aspects of the lecture material. Coordination between the lecture and laboratories will be maintained, where possible.

Course description
This course uses fossils to explore the origin, evolution, behaviour and extinction of dinosaurs. This course examines changes in the public perception and scientific interpretation of dinosaurs since their initial discovery, with particular emphasis on dinosaurs' relationships to each other, adaptations and the history of the Mesozoic time period.
Course content
  • Fossils: Definition, interpretation and influence of taphonomic processes
  • Geologic time: uniformitarianism, evolution, previous mass extinctions, plate tectonics and global environmental change
  • Classification: systematics, cladistics and characteristics that separate the major groups of dinosaurs
  • Origin and evolution of the dinosaurs
  • Mesozoic paleobiology: what other plants and animals existed with the dinosaurs and affected their evolution
  • Dinosaur evolution: adaptive radiation of groups of Saurischia and Ornithischia throughout the Mesozoic era
  • The rise of birds: evolution, timing and function of feathers, and why some dinosaurs still exist around us
  • Non-avian dinosaur extinction: different extinction hypotheses and evidence supporting the impact hypothesis
  • Dinosaur metabolisms: endothermy, ectothermy and other hypotheses for dinosaurs' metabolic rates
  • Dinosaurs and the media: how public perception of dinosaur science has changed over time
Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • distinguish between major groups of dinosaurs on the basis of general morphology;
  • use shared derived characteristics for the major groups of dinosaurs to interpret evolutionary relationships;
  • read, construct and annotate a simple phylogenetic tree to interpret and test relationships between major groups of dinosaurs;
  • relate changes in plate tectonics and paleogeography to dinosaur evolution;
  • infer the age of dinosaur fossils using relative and absolute age dating;
  • describe and differentiate between fossil vertebrates;
  • explain how the study of dinosaurs is representative of the iterative nature of the scientific method, including the role of new observations, discoveries and advances in study techniques;
  • analyze differences between the fossil evidence and how the media and public view dinosaurs;
  • use fossil remains such as bones and trackways to infer dinosaur behaviour.
Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Lecture assignments and quizzes: 0-20%

Laboratory assignments: 9-20%

Laboratory tests: 20-30%

Term Projects: 0-20%

Term tests: 20-30%

Final Exam: 25-30%

Total: 100%

Textbook materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials include:

Fastovsky, D. E., and Weishampel, D. B. (Current edition). Dinosaurs: a concise natural history. Cambridge University Press.

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None