Earth History and Evolution SIO 12

Fall-2017
MWF 12:00-12:50
Center Hall 109

Cheryl L. Peach
Office: Galbraith Hall Room 364
Tel: (858) 822-5323
cpeach@ucsd.edu
Office Hours: Mon. 1:15-2:30PM or by
appointment.

T.A.s: Mohammad Sedarat (msedarat@ucsd.edu)

Brenna Groom (bgroom@ucsd.edu)
Office hours by appointment

Texts:
Required text: None. Exams will be based on lecture material and weekly assigned
readings, videos, websites and homework assignments. Required reading etc. will be
assigned throughout the quarter from publically available online resources.

Website: http://ted.ucsd.edu

Who should take this course? The course is designed as an introductory course for
non-majors. The course will describe how and why we have come to our current
understanding of the Earth and organisms that inhabit it. We’ll expect you to be able
to understand and communicate the logical underpinnings of the major paradigms in
Earth Sciences today including: plate tectonics, geologic time, evolution of life, and
global environmental change.

There are 2 basic components to this course:

1) Physical and evolutionary processes – the origin and composition of Earth and
the principle processes that have shaped the Earth, and life on Earth, from 4.6
billion years ago to the present day.
2) Earth History– the origin and evolutionary history of life on Earth, including
evolutionary processes and mass extinctions, within the context of major
geologic and climatic developments.

Course requirements, exams and grading: You are required to attend and
participate in all class meetings. Exams will cover material presented in lecture
and assigned readings/web resources. You will not be able to succeed in this class if
you don't attend class meetings regularly.
Your grade in the class will be determined by the following:
Midterm exam #1: 25%
Midterm exam #2: 25%
Final exam (not comprehensive): 25%
Homework Assignments: 15%
Pop quizzes 10%

Exams are multiple choice and true/false. Scantrons are provided. Assignments are
due in class on the due date. Late assignments will be accepted but reduced by 1
letter grade per class period overdue.

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COURSE OUTLINE

PHYSICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES

Sept 29 F Introduction: The Earth System

Earth: Life, Land, Ocean and Atmosphere

Oct 2-6 M Weather and Climate
W Deserts, rainforests and polar regions
F Earth’s “recent” climate history

Earth: Life, Land, Ocean and Atmosphere

Oct 9-13 M Life on Earth today
W Evolution on the Macro Scale
F Mass Extinctions

Earth: Life, Land, Ocean and Atmosphere

Oct 16-20 M The Core! Earth’s magnetic field
W Moving Continents
F Our dynamic planet
Homework #1 Due Wednesday

Telling Time: The Geologic record

Oct 23-27 M Midterm Exam #1
W Rocks, Fossils and Time: The Rock Record
F Telling Geologic Time
A CHRONOLOGY OF EARTH HISTORY

How did we get here? Our place in the Universe

Oct 30- M Beginnings: The Big Bang!
Nov 3 W Formation of the Elements and our Solar System
F Formation of Earth and the moon

The first ~4 Billion Years

Nov 6-10 M Invisible (microscopic) life
W The story of oxygen
F No Class Veteran’s Day Holiday

Nov 13-17 M Paleozoic: The Explosion of Life!

W Paleozoic: From backbones to four limbs
F Paleozoic: The giants before the dinosaurs
Homework #2 Due Wednesday

Nov 20-24 M Midterm Exam #2

W No Class – Thanksgiving Holiday
F No Class – Thanksgiving Holiday

Nov 27- M The Biggest Mass Extinction of them all

Dec 1 W Mesozoic: Age of Reptiles
F Mesozoic: Mini-mammals

Dec 4-8 M Fossil fuels

W Extinction of the Dinosaurs
F Mammals reign
Homework #3 Due Wednesday

M Almost to us: Primate Evolution

W Human Evolution: It’s complicated
F Humans and Global Change

Exam Review TBD

Dec 14 Thurs Final Exam 11:30am - 2:30pm

Not comprehensive. Based on last 1/3 of class