GEO 6350—Invertebrate Paleontology and

Evolution

Fall Semester 2013

________________________________________________
Instructor: Dr. Benjamin J. Burger
Classrooms: (in Vernal Classroom B133 in the BEERC building)
Office Phone: 435-722-1778
E-mail Address: benjamin.burger@usu.edu*
Office: 221F BEERC building in Vernal, Utah on the Uintah Basin Campus
Website: We will be using the Canvas System: http://online.usu.edu
* please allow two business days for me to return your electronic messages.

Required Textbooks
Invertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution 4th ed. http://amzn.com/0632052384
Paleobotany and the Evolution of Plants 2nd ed. http://amzn.com/0521126088
Additional Readings will be posted on Canvas.
________________________________________________

GEO 6350 is a graduate level course in paleontology, which covers the major groups of marine
invertebrates, fossil plants, and the important techniques and tools used in the field of paleontology. It
will cover ichnology, fossil preservation, taphonomy, ontogeny, cladistics, biostratigraphy, paleoecology,
extinction and evolutionary rates, and many other tools used by professional paleontologists in the study
of fossils and their importance in the field of geology. The class is an interactive (IVC) broadcast course
with online quizzes and reading resources. The course concludes with a research paper on a specific
paleontological fauna or flora.

GEO 6350 Invertebrate Paleontology 1

Classroom Environment
Everyone has the right to feel comfortable in our classroom. We are all adults in a college
classroom, and we are open to critical and academic discussion on topics that we may or may not
agree with. Everyone deserves to have individual freedom and be respected in our classroom. I
have a full value policy. Everyone deserves to be treated according to her or his full value. I will
treat you with respect, and I expect you to extend respect to me as well as to your classmates.
Absolutely no sexist, hateful, homophobic, racist, or discriminatory remarks of any kind will be
tolerated in our classroom. With the fact that this course is being broadcast to a number of
different campuses across the state, I will work hard to accommodate everyone’s opinions,
discussions and enforce respect among all students independent of their location on other
campuses.

Online Component
This class has a large online component. We will be using Canvas, which is accessible on the
university website through the My USU portal. When utilizing any online component (e-mail,
bulletin boards, chat, discussions, assignments, etc.) students should be aware that their
communications and exchanges are not private and can easily be monitored. Messages and
commentary should maintain a professional tone, as if you are still in the classroom.

Attendance
The major factor for student failure is missed classes. Because this class is broadcasted to various
campuses, there is no sense in taking attendance. If you miss a class, there will be no make ups.
Lecture presentations will not be available outside of class time, however lecture slides can be
found on the Canvas website.
If you miss a class you will be at a disadvantage, since you will not be able to participate in the
classroom discussions, and will miss information that will inhibit your ability to succeed on the
quizzes. Lectures I give in class are meant to focus on the things that I think are important in each
class chapter.

Quizzes (400 points)

Each lecture has an accompanying short quiz. These quizzes are taken outside of the class period
in Canvas. You may use your notes and textbook, but you are limited to 30 minutes from the time
you open to the quiz to answer. The quizzes are meant to test your knowledge of the subject each
lecture given during the semester. You will have one week, from the end of each class period
until the beginning of class, one full week. For example the first quiz will cover only the material
covered on the first day of class (Aug. 26 opens at 10:30am) you will have 1 week until (Sept. 2
at 9:30am) to compete the quiz in Canvas. You can complete each quiz anytime during that week
period, but each quiz will lock after the week is over, and if you do not complete the quiz in time
you will receive a zero for that quiz. There are 40 quizzes, each worth 10 points. Questions will
range from multiple choice, fill in the blank or short essay.

Taking Quizzes Late

If you do not take the quiz within the week allowed for each quiz, you will receive an automatic
0. Because you have a whole week to take the quiz, no makeup quizzes will be given after the
allowed time.

Information Technology
If you have trouble accessing quizzes or using Canvas from your computer or from any of the
GEO 6350 Invertebrate Paleontology 2
campus computer labs you should contact the Information Technology Service Desk at 797-
HELP or Toll-Free at 1-877-878-8325, before you contact me. They will be able to resolve any
issues you may be having better than I could.

Final Project (100 points)

A final project, which will consist of you going out and finding fossils, photographing the fossils,
and writing a scientific research paper will be due on Dec. 7th. More information on how to go
about working on the final project will be given later.

GEO 6350 Invertebrate Paleontology 3

UNIVERSITY POLICIES:

Honor Pledge
Students will be held accountable to the Honor Pledge, which they have agreed to: “I pledge, on
my honor, to conduct myself with the foremost level of academic integrity.”

Academic Dishonesty
The Instructor of this course will take appropriate actions in response to Academic Dishonesty, as
defined the University’s Student Code:
Acts of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to:
1. Cheating: (1) using or attempting to use or providing others with any unauthorized assistance
in taking quizzes, tests, examinations, or in any other academic exercise or activity, including
working in a group when the instructor has designated that the quiz, test, examination, or any
other academic exercise or activity be done “individually”; (2) depending on the aid of sources
beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems,
or carrying out other assignments; (3) substituting for another student, or permitting another
student to substitute for oneself, in taking an examination or preparing academic work; (4)
acquiring tests or other academic material belonging to a faculty member, staff member, or
another student without express permission; (5) continuing to write after time has been called on
a quiz, test, examination, or any other academic exercise or activity; (6) submitting substantially
the same work for credit in more than one class, except with prior approval of the instructor; or
(7) engaging in any form of research fraud.
2. Falsification: altering or fabricating any information or citation in an academic exercise or
activity.
3. Plagiarism: representing, by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work
of another person as one's own in any academic exercise or activity without full and clear
acknowledgment. It also includes using materials prepared by another person or by an agency
engaged in the sale of term papers or other academic materials.
Full text of the Student Code available at available at available at
http://www.usu.edu/studentservices/pdf/StudentCode.pdf:

Students with Disabilities

Students with ADA-documented physical, sensory, emotional or medical impairments may be
eligible for reasonable accommodations. Veterans may also be eligible for services. All
accommodations are coordinated through the Disability Resource Center (DRC) in Room 101 of
the University Inn, (435)797-2444 voice, (435)797-0740 TTY, (435)797-2444 VP, or toll free at
1-800-259-2966. Please contact the DRC as early in the semester as possible. Alternate format
materials (Braille, large print or digital) are available with advance notice. More information can
be found at: http://www.usu.edu/drc/

GEO 6350 Invertebrate Paleontology 4

Grades

Quizzes (400 points)

Quizzes account for the largest portion of your grade and test your knowledge of the topics
covered in the class and in the textbook. There are 40 quizzes, each worth 10 points, for total of
400 points.

Final Project (100 points)

The final project will be a professional scientific paper on a collection of fossils you will collect,
prepare, identify, photograph, and describe in detail, with cited references. More details on the
th
final project will be provided later. Due Dec. 6 .

Grade Percentage Range Points

A 93 - 100% 465 – 500
A- 90 - 92% 450 – 464
B+ 87 - 89% 435 – 449
B 83 - 86% 415 – 434
B- 80 - 82% 400 – 414
C+ 77 - 79% 395 – 399
C 73 - 76% 365 – 394
C- 70 - 72% 350 – 364
D+ 67 - 69% 335 – 349
D 60 - 66% 300 –334
F 59% and below 0 – 299

GEO 6350 Invertebrate Paleontology 5

1) 8/26/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
2) 8/28/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
3) 8/30/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
9/2/2013 M [NO CLASS Labor Day]
4) 9/4/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
5) 9/6/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
6) 9/9/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
7) 9/11/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
8) 9/13/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
9) 9/16/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
10) 9/18/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
11) 9/20/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
12) 9/23/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
13) 9/25/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
14) 9/27/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
15) 9/30/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
16) 10/2/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
17) 10/4/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
18) 10/7/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
19) 10/9/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
20) 10/11/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
21) 10/14/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
22) 10/16/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
23) 10/17/2013 Th* 9:30-10:15am
10/9/2013 [NO CLASS Fall Break, Thursday schedule see above]
24) 10/21/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
25) 10/23/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
26) 10/25/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
27) 10/28/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
28) 10/30/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
29) 11/1/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
30) 11/4/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
31) 11/6/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
32) 11/8/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
33) 11/11/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
34) 11/13/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
35) 11/15/2013 F 9:30-10:15am
36) 11/18/2013 M 9:30-10:15am
37) 11/20/2013 W 9:30-10:15am
38) 11/22/2012 F 9:30-10:15am
39) 11/25/2012 M 9:30-10:15am
11/27/2013 [NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK]
11/29/2013 [NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK]
40) 12/2/2012 M 9:30-10:15am
41) 12/4/2012 W 9:30-10:15am
42) 12/6/2012 F 9:30-10:15am
Principles of Paleontology
Evolution and the fossil record
Major events in the history of life
Sponges
Cnidarians
Bryozoans
Brachipods
Molluscs
Echinoderms
Graptolites
Anthropods
Exceptional faunas; ichnology
Preservation/Fossil Record
Describing a Single Specimen
Ontogenetic Variation
Population as a Unit
Species as a Unit
Grouping Species, Cladistics
Identification, preparing final project Online reading Quiz Due 10/16
Biostratigraphy
Paleoecology part 1
Paleoecology part 2
Rates of Evolution and Extinction
Introduction to Fossil Plants
Prob./Systematics of Fossil Plants
Life in the Precambrian
Fossil Fungi (GSA)
Fossil Algae (GSA)
How the land turned green part 1
How the land turned green part 2
Paleoecology of the Penn. Coal Swamp S&R Ch. 12 Quiz Due 11/13
Evolution of Horsetails
Gymosperm reproduction/evolution
Cycads: origin and relationships
Diversification of Gymnosperms
Ginkgo and its fossil record
Origin and Evolution of Angiosperms S&R Ch. 30 Quiz Due 12/2
Origin and Evolution of Angiosperms S&R Ch. 31 Quiz Due 12/4
Leaf Margin Analysis
Green River Fossil Plants
Overview and Answer Question
FINAL PROJECT DUE at 9:30am
Clarkson Chapter 1 Quiz Due 9/2
Clarkson Chapter 2 Quiz Due 9/4
Clarkson Chapter 3 Quiz Due 9/6
Clarkson Chapter 4 Quiz Due 9/11
Clarkson Chapter 5 Quiz Due 9/13
Clarkson Chapter 6 Quiz Due 9/16
Clarkson Chapter 7 Quiz Due 9/18
Clarkson Chapter 8 Quiz Due 9/20
Clarkson Chapter 9 Quiz Due 9/23
Clarkson Chapter 10 Quiz Due 9/25
Clarkson Chapter 11 Quiz Due 9/27
Clarkson Chapter 12 Quiz Due 9/30
Online reading Quiz Due 10/2
Online reading Quiz Due 10/4
Online reading Quiz Due 10/7
Online reading Quiz Due 10/9
Online reading Quiz Due 10/11
Online reading Quiz Due 10/14
Online reading Quiz Due 10/17
Online reading Quiz Due 10/21
Online reading Quiz Due 10/23
Online reading Quiz Due 10/25
S&R Ch. 1&2 Quiz Due 10/28
S&R Ch. 3 Quiz Due 10/30
S&R Ch. 4 Quiz Due 11/1
S&R Ch. 5 Quiz Due 11/4
S&R Ch. 6 Quiz Due 11/6
S&R Ch.7,8,9 Quiz Due 11/8
S&R Ch. 7,8,9 Quiz Due 11/11
S&R Ch. 16 Quiz Due 11/15
S&R Ch. 22 Quiz Due 11/18
S&R Ch. 24 Quiz Due 11/20
S&R Ch. 26 Quiz Due 11/22
S&R Ch. 27 Quiz Due 11/25
Online reading Quiz Due 12/6
S&R Ch. 32 Quiz Due 12/9
No Quiz
No Quiz

Class Schedule: All Dates Are Subject to Change

GEO 6350 Invertebrate Paleontology 6