Spring Semester 2010

                                   Chem 150         Introduction to Earth Science

A class designed specifically for education majors to address earth science education standards. Students are taught fundamentals of earth science with a blend of lecture topics and lab exercises including the identification of rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, and the use of topographic maps.

Chem 130        Understanding Planet Earth

An earth science class for non-majors focusing on a wide range of geological concepts including mineralogy, paleontology, structural geology, geomorphology and natural hazards.

 

Chem 237/Biol 237 Paleontology

The course is designed to follow the march of geological time, pairing paleontological concepts with learning about major fauna as they appeared in the fossil record.  Lectures alternate between teaching paleobiological concepts and focusing on the fauna living within a particular interval of geological time.  This approach weaves practical scientific knowledge with a picture of how life unfolded through time.  Labs combine the two lectures, applying methods discussed in class with the study of certain taxonomic groups. Lecture will occasionally be used as a seminar-style class where students will discuss an assigned reading relevant to paleontology.   There will also be a mandatory Saturday field trip to the Cincinnati region for collecting rocks to use for a paleoecology lab exercise.