Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2022 - EASC 103 D100

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (3)

Class Number: 1178

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 10 – Aug 8, 2022: Mon, Wed, Fri, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Cindy Hansen
    cdhansen@sfu.ca
    1 778 782-8518
    Office: TASC 1 Room 7009

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Dinosaurs ruled our planet for nearly 150 million years until the abrupt extinction of all non-avian (non-bird) dinosaurs, approximately 66 million years ago. We examine geologic time, fossils and biological classification, and investigate the rise and fall of the theropods, sauropods, ornithopods, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, ceratopsians, and pachycephalosaurs. Breadth-Science.

COURSE DETAILS:

General: REQUIREMENT DESIGNATION: B-Sci

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is an introductory course with focus on the Mesozoic Earth. We will examine the ‘Age of Reptiles’ and gain insights into a world ruled by dinosaurs. We begin with a broad look at fossils, geologic time and biological classification, and spend most of our time looking at the different groups of dinosaurs. The course ends with the extinction of the (non-avian) dinosaurs.

Course Topics:
1. An introduction to dinosaurs, fossils, geologic time and biological classification

  1. Dinosaur ancestry and anatomy
    3. The rise of dinosaurs: the Triassic dinosaurs
  2. Theropod classification and diversity
  3. Sauropods: the long-necks
  4. Ornithopods: iguanondontids and the ‘duck bills’
  5. Thyreophora: plated dinos and the armoured tanks
  6. Marginocephalia: horned dinos and the dome-heads
  7. The fall of the dinosaurs: the K/Pg Extinction Event

Course Organization: Three 50-minute lectures per week.

Course Details:

  • The course is organized with 3 tests scheduled during the usual lecture block on Monday June 6th, Monday July 11th, and Monday August 6th. Each lecture includes a participation ‘quick write’ and post-lecture homework exercise.
In some weeks the Friday lecture will be replaced with a ‘Dinos in the Lab’ day – a museum-like visit to our Earth Sciences lab where you will visit dinosaur displays and complete a short exercise. A sign-up sheet will be posted in which students will select a one-hour block to visit the lab between 9:30 and 3:30 for each of the four Dinos in the Lab days (June 3, June 17, July 8, July 29).

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

  • Understand fossil preservation and types.
  • Know the geologic time scale and key events in biological evolution.
  • Know dinosaur classification.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the key evolutionary novelties for dinosaur clades.
  • Provide examples for each of the dinosaur clades.
Understand the Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction Event.

Grading

  • Quick Writes (lecture participation) 10%
  • Post-Lecture Homework (short exercises due each lecture day) 10%
  • Dinos in the Lab Exercises (participation) 5%
  • Test 1 25%
  • Test 2 25%
  • Test 3 25%

NOTES:

This course fulfills Breadth-Science (B-Sci) requirements with successful completion    (C- letter grade or better).

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Access to Canvas

RECOMMENDED READING:

Course E-Text: Dinosaurs: the Textbook, 6th edition by Spencer G. Lucas, 2016.

If available, an online version of the textbook will be linked through the SFU Library.
ISBN: 9780231541848

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN SUMMER 2022

Teaching at SFU in summer 2022 will involve primarily in-person instruction.  Some courses may be offered through alternative methods (remote, online, blended), and if so, this will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes. 

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote, online, or blended courses study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the summer 2022 term.