GLY 363 Invertebrate Paleontology Spring, 2008

Paleontology is the study of ancient organisms, their biology, evolution, and ecology. Paleontology plays a central role in geology because the creatures of the past provide so much information on ancient environments, climates, ecology, and geologic time. Being a paleontologist is like being a detective--observational skills, intuition and sheer hard work are need to be succeed.

Instructor

Christopher A. McRoberts
348 Bowers Hall
voice: x2925
e-mail: mcroberts@cortland.edu

General Course Information

Upon completing this course students will be able to use the fossil record to make inferences about paleoenvironments and as a means of dating the relative age of fossil-bearing rocks. Hence it will be required that students demonstrate a general understanding of the various groups of fossil organisms and their stratigraphic occurrence, as well as the principles and theories of paleontological techniques and scientific reasoning.

• Syllabus Lecture and Lab Schedule (in pdf form)
  
• Reference and Tutorial
  
• A listing (in pdf format) of suppliers of geological tools, including nice hand lenses
  
  

Important Dates:

• March 6: Exam 1
  
• March 29: Field Trip (meet at 9:00 AM, Bowers Hall) [click here for the photo album]
  
• April 10: Exam 2
  
• May 9: Final Exam (10:30-12:30) [note, the date on the syllabus is wrong]
  
  
  
  Nice day at the Museum of the Earth
  
  

Required Text:

• Prothero. D. 2004. Bringing Fossils to Life: An introduction to paleobiology. 2nd ed. McGraw Hill.
• Additional readings will be made available throughout the semester.

Attendance Policy:

You are expected to attend all lectures and laboratories; however, attendance per se will not be part of your grade assessment. Each student, however, will be responsible for material missed and any assignments due on the day of an absence. Unless otherwise excused (see below) make-up quizzes and exams will not allowed. Excused absences include your illness, a death or other family emergency, and must be documented.

Paleontology Resources and Internet Links

• Geologic Time Scale (color web version) or click here for a downloadable version in Adobe pdf format.
  
  
• So, you want to be a paleontologist?
  
  
• PaleoPortal. A very nice site with lots of paleo stuff, images, links, etc...
  
  
• Emory University's site devoted to trace fossils
  
  
• Paleonet. A clearing house of paleontological related stuff.
  
  
• The Tree of Lfe from the University of Arizona
  
  
• Systematic and Taxonomy Teaching Resources: A site where you can download two excellent books (references) on cladisitc methodology in pdf format . WOW
  
  
• The Paleontological Society. North America's leading paleontological society.
  
  
• Paleontological Research Institute. A local paleontological institution with lots of educational resources and links.
  
  
• Learning from the Fossil Record. A web site devoted to paleontological education, aimed at primary and secondary school educators
  
  
• Central New York Paleontology Group. An informal group of professional and student paleontologists in the central New York region

Return to SUNY Cortland's Paleontology Laboratory

Return to SUNY Cortland's Geology Department

SUNY Cortland is an Equal Opportunity Institution. State University of New York and the College at Cortland do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability or marital status in admissions, employment, and treatment of students and employees.

This page was created: August 25, 1997; modified: January 21, 2008