Earth History & Fossils Lab

Catalog description

Historical Geology provides the student with a comprehensive survey of the history of life and major events in the physical development of Earth. Most importantly, this class addresses how processes like plate tectonics and climate interact with life, forming an integrated system. The first half of the class focuses on theoretical concepts within both the biosphere and lithosphere (e.g., tectonics, earth sciences, evolution) and the second portion of the course will focus on a chronologic overview of major biological and physical events in different geologic periods. This lab course aims to enhance student Earth science college-level content knowledge, awareness, and analysis and critical thinking skills in a broad context by examining the temporal, regional and global (e.g., climate and ecological change through time) scales. This course is designed to develop skills in map-reading, cladistics/systematics, problem-solving, and to foster learning of the interactions between Earth processes, the environment, and the biosphere. We will apply the scientific method and foster student analysis of scientific data and models to evaluate leading concepts in both geological and paleontological science.