ESCI 103: Earth & Life Through Time

4 credits

Course Content: In this course you will be learning about the evolution of the earth and life as understood through the geologic record. The Geologic Time Scale will be referred to repeatedly in this class so it is of utmost importance that you learn it! The course will follow the textbook closely as outlined on the class schedule, and students are expected to read the assigned pages before class. The first seven chapters deal with basic principles of geology. The other ten chapters provide an overview of the earth and life from its origin to the present day.

Online Textbook: Historical Geology - by Callan Bentley

Top Hat app: interact with lectures by using this software to answer questions. Required.

Laboratory: The laboratory is an integral part of the course, and every student should be registered for one of the lab sections. The lab grade will constitute one quarter of the final course grade. You are required to earn a passing grade in lab to pass the class.

Course Topics:

• Early Geologists & Geological Ideas

• Plate Tectonics

• Rocks & Minerals

• Sedimentary Archives

• Geologic Time

• Fossils & Evolution

• Early Earth (Archean)
  -Origin of Life

• Precambrian

• Paleozoic Geologic Events & Life

• Mesozoic Geologic Events & Life
  -Dinosaurs

• Cenozoic Geologic Events & Life
  -Ice Ages

• Climate Change