Introductory Information - This course covers the evolutionary history of plants as revealed by the fossil record. Included are an introduction to the concepts of geological time, stratigraphy and sedimentation, fossilization of plants, and the diversity of plants through time. Hands-on experience with fossils will be gained during field trips to collect fossils, and through techniques to prepare and identify plant fossils. The course emphasizes a few important topics in plant evolution each quarter. This quarter the topic will be the evolution of land plants trough time.

General Course Organization and Meeting Times - Paleobotany will consist of lectures, laboratory sessions, discussion sessions and field trips. The lecture and laboratory sessions  are scheduled for 8:10 - 11:00 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Additional time will be scheduled for field trips, and these will substitute for class time, as is appropriate. This will include two or three day-long field trips on either Saturday or Sunday. The lecture/laboratory schedule is already completed. The other meeting times will be arranged during the quarter.

Prerequisites - A general knowledge of introductory biology, organismal botany and geology is helpful, but not essential. Students with an understanding of the material covered in PBIO 115 & 211, and GEOL 101 will be well prepared for success in the course. If you are unsure of your preparation, or about the extent to which you retain general botanical information, review the material in an introductory text such as Raven, Evert and Eichhorn (Raven, P.H., R.F. Evert and S.E. Eichhorn. 2005. Biology of Plants, 7th ed., W.H. Freeman & Co., New York).

Attendance Policy - No formal attendance will be taken. However, consistent attendance in lectures and laboratories will assure the best possible grade in the course.

Grading Policy - Your final grade in Paleobotany will be determined by the scores from five exercises and projects that center on your laboratory work and on individual library/internet research. The percentage of your final grade from each of these is as follows:

                Laboratory Preparations, Identifications, and Notebook          15%
`               Internet/E-Mail Exercises                                                          5%
                Midterm Examination                                                              25%
                Course project                                                                        15%
                Final exam                                                                              35%         
                Subjective                                                                                5%

                Total                                                                                      100%

Late Work - All work received late will be evaluated and then lowered one full grade as a penalty for the late submission.

Cheating - Anyone caught cheating on a quiz or examination, or presenting plagiarized work will receive an F for the course.

Extra Help - The instructor is eager to assist you in mastering the course content. If you are having trouble or wish additional information, do not hesitate to ask.

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