Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2020 - EASC 103 D100

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (3)

Class Number: 1583

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 11 – Aug 10, 2020: Mon, Wed, Fri, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Class Dinosauria and how our understanding of this extinct group continues to evolve in the light of new discoveries. Topics include the rise of the dinosaurs, criteria for the recognition of the different groups, fossil data regarding dinosaur metabolism, evidence of dinosaur behavior, possible evolutionary relationships with birds, and theories of dinosaur extinction. Students may not take EASC 103 for credit towards EASC major or minor program requirements. Students with credit for EASC 103W may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Science.

COURSE DETAILS:

General: REQUIREMENT DESIGNATION: B-Sci
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is an introductory course with focus on the evolution, dominance and extinction of (non-avian) dinosaurs. We will examine the Mesozoic Earth during the ‘Age of Reptiles’ and gain insights into a world ruled by the dinosaurs.

Course Topics:
1. What is (and isn’t) a dinosaur?
2. Dinosaur fossils – body fossils and trace fossils.
3. The geologic time scale – a record that goes back 4.56 billion years!
4. Dinosaur ancestry and biological classification; dinosaur anatomy.
5. The rise of dinosaurs – the earliest dinosaurs appear in the Triassic.
6. The big theropod meat-eaters.
7. The feathered theropods and the dinosaur-bird connection.
8. The long-necked sauropods.
9. The ornithopods – iguanondontids and the ‘duck bills’ (hadrosaurs & lambeoaurs).
10. Thyreophora – the ‘armoured dinosaurs’ (stegosaurs and ankylosaurs).
11. Marginocephalia – the ‘thick-headed’ dinosaurs (ceratopsians and pachycephalosaurs).
12. The fall of the dinosaurs – the K/Pg Extinction Event.

Course Organization:  The summer offering of EASC 103 is via remote instruction (as all other SFU summer courses during the COVID-19 pandemic). We will be using the Canvas platform where you can download lecture PowerPoint slides follow along with instructor-led lectures on Canvas Blackboard. The course is divided up into quarters, with each quarter ending with a ‘virtual lab’ and an online test. Tests will cover the lecture material (slides plus additional material discussed on the Blackboard lectures) and the ‘virtual lab’.

Grading

  • 4 tests done via Canvas Quizzes, each worth 25% of the course grade.

NOTES:

The summer offering of EASC 103 is via remote instruction.

The technology requirements for successfully completing your course include a computer or tablet, and internet access. 

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

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 2020

Please note that all teaching at SFU in summer term 2020 will be conducted through remote methods. Enrollment in this course acknowledges that remote 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 believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.