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GEOL311 Palaeontology and Stratigraphy

Updated: 12 April 2010
Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study Online Level
Armidale Semester 2 Off Campus D - Comp/internet essential
Intensive School(s)
Start Finish Attendance Notes
04 September 2010 11 September 2010 Mandatory 8-day intensive school including a field excursion
Supervised Exam There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites GEOL102 or GEOL103 or GEOL202 or candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites None
Restrictions None
Notes None
Combined Units None
Coordinator(s) John Paterson (jpater20@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

This unit covers a variety of topics in both palaeontology and stratigraphy, including evolution, phylogeny, early life forms, Ediacaran life, the Cambrian explosion, taphonomy (fossil preservation), palaeoecology, palaeobiogeography, extinctions, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and chronostratigraphy. The unit will also cover the major invertebrate fossil groups such as trilobites, brachiopods, molluscs, echinoderms, sponges, corals, bryozoans and graptolites, in addition to microfossils and trace fossils. The unit will include a field excursion.
Prescribed Material
Mandatory 		Text(s):

Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material

Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleobiology
ISBN: 9780073661704
Prothero, D.R., McGraw Hill 2nd ed. 2008
Text refers to: Semester 2 , Off Campus
Recommended Material
Optional 		Text(s):

Note: Recommended material is held in the University Library - purchase is optional

Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
ISBN: 9780131547285
Boggs, S. Jr., Prentice Hall 4th ed. 2006
Text refers to: Semester 2 , Off Campus
Referenced Material
Optional 		Text(s):

Note: Reference material is held in the University Library - purchase is optional

Principles of Paleontology
ISBN: 9780716706137
Foote, M. and Miller, A.I., WH Freeman 3rd ed.
Note: Available from the Dixson Library, UNE
Text refers to: Semester 2 , Off Campus
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Assignment 1 20% 2000
Assessment Notes
Essay
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1, 4 GA: 1, 2, 6
Online Assessment 10%
Assessment Notes
Online quizzes
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1, 4 GA: 1, 2,
Practical 30%
Assessment Notes
Intensive school practical work
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-4 GA: 1-4, 6, 8
Final Examination 2 hrs 40%
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1, 2, 4 GA: 1-4, 6, 8

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. apply and explain the main concepts and principles in palaeontology and stratigraphy;
  2. identify the major fossil groups;
  3. apply fundamental palaeontological and stratigraphical field and laboratory techniques;
  4. compare and contrast the major events and phases in the history of life on Earth.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Students are taught and assessed on the theoretical and practical aspects of advanced palaeontology and stratigraphy and expected to use this acquired knowledge to solve problems and apply it in the workplace. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
Written communication skills are assessed and practiced in the form of an essay and the practical exercises at the intensive school. Written communication skills are also regularly practiced by the use of an online discussion board. Oral communication skills are practiced during a class discussion on the Cambrian 'explosion' at the intensive school. 		True True
3 Global Perspectives
Students are taught about aspects of palaeontology that are of global significance, including a range of evolutionary (e.g., the Cambrian 'explosion') and extinction events. These aspects are assessed in all set assessment tasks. 		True True
4 Information Literacy
Students are assessed on their ability to demonstrate advanced research capacity in an essay on a specific topic in palaeontology and critically evaluate the information to generate a logical argument supported by evidence. Students are taught how to search for primary literature using databases and how to reference using the author-date system. 		True True True
5 Life-Long Learning
Students are encouraged to practice the skills and apply the knowledge they have learned to their personal and professional development. 		True
6 Problem Solving
Students practice and are assessed on a range of problem solving skills during the intensive school, including identification and classification of invertebrate fossils, the preservation of fossils, and the correlation of stratigraphic sections measured and logged during the field excursion. 		True True
7 Social Responsibility
Students are taught about the ethics of fossil collecting and field work in general, especially with regard to private land and protected areas such as national parks. 		True
8 Team Work
Students are taught about the ethics of fossil collecting and field work in general, especially with regard to private land and protected areas such as national parks. 		True True
   

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