Dr. Stuart S. Sumida
Winter 2011
Thursdays
ENROLLMENT: STUDENTS MUST BE ENROLLED IN THE COURSE TO PARTICIPATE IN LECTURES AND CLASS EXERCISES. ENROLLMENT IN BIOLOGY 622 CONSTITUTES LEGAL ACCEPTANCE OF ALL THE GUIDELINES LISTED BELOW. PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY.
Grading Criteria:
The course is not graded on a curve. Letter grades are based on the cumulative points. 100 points are derived from the student's primary classroom (PowerPoint) presentation. 50 points are derived from the student's secondary classroom (PowerPoint) presentation. 50 points are derived from a brief final exam. 50 points are derived from classroom attendance and participation. Grades will be set according to the criteria listed below. There is no extra credit work available.
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Grade
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Percentage of Total Points
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A
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90-100
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B-
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72-74
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D
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50-54
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A-
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87-89
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C+
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70-71
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F
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Below 50
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B+
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84-86
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C
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60-70
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|
| |
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B
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75-83
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C-
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55-59
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|
| |
SUMMARY CLASS SCHEDULE and READING ASSIGNMENTS
Dr. Sumida will present introductory materials during the weeks 1-2 sessions. Subsequent sessions will be the responsibility of one or more students (depending on enrollment). Refer to the schedule below for topics, activities, and reading assignments.
Primary Course Textbook:
Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya. 2005. The Microstructure of Dinosaur Bone. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 195 pages.
Week
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Date
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Topic/Activity
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1
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1/13
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Introduction; Distribution of Class Assignments - Dr. Sumida
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2
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1/20
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Overview of Bone Biology - Dr. Sumida
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3
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1/27
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Chapter 1 - Unraveling Dinosaur Bones
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4
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2/3
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Chapter 2 -Dinosaur Bones Discovered
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5
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2/10
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No Class Meeting. Dr. Sumida away at conference.
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6
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2/17
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Chapter 3 - From Bone Mcrostructure to Biology
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7
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2/24
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Chapter 4 - Inside Dinosaur Bones
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8
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3/3
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Chapter 5 - Growing Dinosaurs
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9
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3/10
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Chapter 6 -Biology of Early Birds
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10
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3/17
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Chapter 7 - Dinosaur Physiology
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Final
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3/24
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DETAILED CLASS
All Students/All Weeks:
All students will be expected to read the literature chapters assigned above as well as papers listed below. Each student assigned to that week's material will be responsible for (1) acquiring the primary literature from Dr. Sumida (I have some, but not all of it.), or from the library, or securing it from interlibrary loan; (2) tuning those papers into PDF files; (3) sending copied of those PDF files to the remainder of the class; presenting a powerpoint summary of the materials for class review and discussion. The list below can change as students prepare their presentations and potentially recommend papers.
Additional Primary Literature:
These papers are listed in the order of suggested reading not necessarily chronological or alphabetical order.
Weeks 1,2,5: None
Week 3 (Chapter 1):
Chinsamy, A. 1997. Assessing the biology of fossil vertebrates through bone histology. Palaeontographica africana, 33:29-35;
Week 4 (Chapter 2):
Witmer, L. M. 1995. The extant phylogenetic bracket and the importance of reconstructing soft tissues in fossils. Pp. 19-33 in J. J. Thomason (ed.) Functional Morphology in Vertebrate Paleontology. University of Cambridge Press, Cambridge.
Week 6 (Chapter 3):
Hutton, J. M. 1986. Age determination of living Nile crocodiles from the cortical stratification of bone. Copeia, 1986:332-341
Ricqles, A. J de 1974. Evolution of endothermy: histological evidence. Evolutionary Theory, 1:51-80
Week 7 (Chapter 4):
Reid, R. E. 1996. Bone histology of the Cleveland-Lloyd dinosaurs and of dinosaurs in general, Part I: Introduction: Introduction to bone tissues. Brigham Young University Geology Studies, 41:25-71
Week 8 (Chapter 5):
Sander, P. M. and C. Tackmantel. 2000. Bone lamina thickness, bone apposition rates, and age estimates in sauropod humeri and femora. Palaontologische Zeitschrift, 77:161-172,
Week 9 (Chapter 6):
Chinsamy, A. 2002. Bone microstructure of early birds. Pp. 421-431 in L. M. Chicappe and L. M. Witmer (eds.) Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of the Dinosaurs. University of California Press, Berkeley.
Week 10 (Chapter 7):
Padian, K., A. J. de Ricqles, and J. R. Horner. 2001. Dinosaurian growth rates and bird origins. Nature, 412:405-408
Services to Students with Disabilities
If you are in need of an accommodation for a disability in order to participate in this class, please let me know ASAP and also contact Services to Students with Disabilities at UH-183, (909) 537-5238.
Policy on Attendance and Recording of Lectures:
All lectures are the copyrighted property of the instructor. Audio recordings of lectures may be made for individual use only. They may not be sold, reproduced, or redistributed in any way. Although tape recorders may be used as a study aid, they may not be used in lieu of attendance. Attendance is not monitored, but it is expected of all students. Students who miss a class session must acquire the course notes from a fellow classmate. The instructor's lecture materials will not be distributed to individuals in the class.
Office Hours:
Dr. Sumida's office hours will be held in room BI-314 on Tuesdays from
E-mailed questions for CSUSB courses are normally answered within 48 hours. Answers may be to multiple students if more than one student asks a similar question via e-mail. To facilitate speed of response, please make some kind of reference to Biology 622 in the subject line.
Web Resources:
Please note, web resources for this course are on Dr. Sumida's wepage, and not on Blackboard. The class syllabus, updates on grades, and summaries of lecture activities are available as powerpoint files and PDF will be available on the course website:
http://www.stuartsumida.com/BIOL622/622-11Gateway.htm
As soon as generated by class participants, PowerPoint files summarizing each week's activities will be posted to the course website, both as a PowerPoint and a PDF.
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