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Sponsor: Dr.
Rex A. Hanger
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E-mail
Address:hangerr@mail.uww.edu
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Department:Geography
& Geology
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College: L&S
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Co-sponsor:
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E-mail
Address:
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Department:
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College:
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Other
Programs Affected:none
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if course is to meet any of the following requirements: __None__Writing__Computer__DiversityXGeneral
Ed: AreaScience/Math Credit/Contact
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if course is repeatable:__X__
No___YesIf
"Yes", answer the following questions: Enter
the appropriate titles if the course is required in any of the following: Major
Title(s): Minor
Title(s): Emphasis
Title(s): Course
justification: The
achievement of scientific literacy for all citizens of the United States
is now a national mandate. In a recent summary and global overview of the
Earth Sciences (NRC, 1993), the single, overarching recommendation underpinning
all others in the report was, "... that there should be a commitment within
the United States to Earth system science." Modern Earth system science
is the multidisciplinary study of the solid earth, the oceans, the biosphere
and their ineractions.
Paleontology,
which naturally straddles geology and other science disciplines, is uniquely
qualified to address this need. No other science, or subdiscipline within
geology, has more recognition among the general US population (Springer,
1997). Paleontology owes this cachet to the great love and scientific interest
that the public of all ages has for Dinosaurs (Stucky, 1998). At the university
level, courses on Dinosaurs fill to overflowing (MacFadden, 1988; pers.
observation of my Dinosaur course at George Washington University). Relationship
to program assessment objectives: The proposed Dinosaur
course will incorporate data and hypotheses from geology, biology, stable
isotope geochemistry, geophysics and more in a visually exciting, thought-provoking
environment. Nationally, it will fulfill Priority Area A-I (Global Paleoenvironments
and Biological Evolution) of the National Research Council (NRC, 1993),
and the Earth System Science recommendations of the American Geophysical
Union (AGU, 1994). As a substantial number of the potential students will
be from the College of Education, it is important to also note that the
course will address performance standard E.8.5 (Earth's History) of the
state of Wisconsin Content Standard for K-12 education. Within the Department
of Geography and Geology, and as a General Education Option, the proposed
course will fulfill, or partially fulfill, the following goals: Goal 1
- "to think critically and analytically, integrate and synthesize knowledge,
and draw conclusions from complex information;Goal
4 - acquire a base of knowledge common to educated persons, and the capacity
to expand that base of knowledge over their lifetimes; and Goal 5 - "to
communicate effectively in written, oral, and symbolic form an appreciation
of the logical considerations in conveying ideas". Budgetary
impact: The course will not
require additional staff or training, as Dr. Hanger has taught a similar
course at another institution. Current plans are to offer Dinosaurs on
an alternate year basis with GEOLGY 300 - Oceanography. Course
description: The proposed course
will examine all aspects of Dinosaurs from Earth System Science perspective.
Who were the Dinosaurs? When, how and where did they live on earth? What
is their relationship to birds? What were the circumstances of their extinction? Course
requisites: MATH 140 or MATH 141
as co-requisites Graduate
level requirements: Not
Applicable Course
objectives and tentative course syllabus: Objectives:Upon
completion of the course, the successful student will have a thorough knowledge
of the great organisms we know as the Dinosaurs. The student will understand
how data from stratigraphy, geochemistry, tectonics, geophysics, cladistics
and other scientific sub-disciplines are used to test hypotheses related
to the Dinosaurs. With this knowledge, the student will be able to address
current controversies about the Dinosaurs from an informed perspective.
Part I. The Geological
Background of Dinosaur Studies.An
introduction to the many various subfields within geology that are used
in scientific study of the Dinosauria. Each week is oriented around a large
question, and how modern geology attempts to answer it. Week 1 - Introduction,
What are dinosaurs? Week 2 - When did they
live, and how do we know? Stratigraphy, Isotope geochronology Week 3 - Where did
they live, and how do we know? Plate Tectonics and paleoenvironmental analysis Week 4 - What climates
did dinosaurs 'live with'? Stable isotope geochemistry Week 5 - How do we
classify dinosaurs, and how do we study their origins? Cladistics EXAM 1 Part II. Survey
of the major dinosaur groups.
The entire five week portion of the course answers the questions, "Who
were the players, and what do we know about them?" Week 6 - Ornithischia
1: Stegosaurs, Ankylosaurs, Pachycephalosaurs Week 7 - Ornithischia
2: Ceratopsians Week 8 - Ornithischia
3: Ornithopods Week 9 - Saurischia
1: Sauropods Week 10 - Saurischia
2: Theropods EXAM 2 Part III. Dinosaur
Controversies. With our scientific
methods toolkit complete (Part I), and our new familiarity with the players
(Part II), we can examine the current controversies with an informed perspective. Week 11 - What do we
know about Dinosaur behaviors? Week 12 - Hot or Cold
Blooded? Week 13 - Why and how
did dinosaurs go extinct? Week 14 - The origin
of birds, the 'living' dinosaurs Week 15 - Public perceptions
of dinosaurs - movies, TV, books Week 16 - A critique
of "Jurassic Park", and wrap-up FINAL EXAM Methods For Evaluating
Students: -
Three in-class examinations (30% each) covering each of the Parts detailed
above, plus a short (8 - 10 page) writing assignment (10%) based upon a
"virtual field trip" to several of the now thousands of excellent, dinosaur-related
sites on the web. Proposed Text: Lucas,
S. G., 2000. Dinosaurs: The Textbook. 3rd editionOR Fastovsky,
D. and D. Weishampel. 1996. Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs.
1st edition(A second edition is
planned for publication in 2001.) Bibliography:References
Cited above, plus examples of reference materials available in the UWW
Library (marked with asterisk*). References
Cited: American
Geophysical Union. 1994. Scrutiny of Undergraduate Science Education: Is
the viability of the Geosciences In Jeopardy? AGU, Washington, DC, 55pp. MacFadden,
B., 1988. Dinosaurs Rescue Geology Departments. Geotimes, XX: 6. National
Research Council. 1993. Solid Earth Sciences and Society. National Academy
Press, Washington, DC, 340pp.
Springer,
D. 1997. Geology in the Popular Press: Paleontology's Greatest Hits. Geotimes,
42(3): 20-23. Stucky,
R. K. 1998. Paleontology: The Window to Science Education. Online contribution. Reference
Examples from UWW Library*: *Currie, P. and K. Padian
(eds). 1997. The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Academic Press, San Diego,
869pp.CALL NUMBER QE 862.D5C862 *Dingus,
L. and T. Rowe. 1998. The Mistaken Extinction: Dinosaur Extinction and
the Origin of Birds. W. H. Freeman, New York, 332pp. CALL NUMBER QE862.D5
D4928 *Horner,
J. and E. Dobb. 1997. Dinosaur Lives: Unearthing an Evolutionary Saga.
Harper Collins, New York, 244pp. *Norman,
D. and J. Sibbick. 1985. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Crescent
Books, New York, 208pp. *Raup,
D. 1986. The Nemesis Affair: A Story of the Death of the Dinosaurs and
the Ways of Science. Norton, New York, 220pp.