This course is taught by Associate Professor Lee Arnold, Dr Liz Reed, Dr Cesca MacInerney and Associate Professor Diego García-Bellido.

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

1.    Understand the importance of integrating knowledge about fossil records, geological processes, sedimentary archives and
       geochronology to fully understand the origin and evolution of life on Earth;
 
2.    Demonstrate proficiency in common practical skills in palaeontology and an ability to evaluate, interpret and communicate
       scientific results obtained from fossil deposits.
 
3.    Comprehend fossil formation processes in different environments, and recognise the importance of studying taphonomic
       histories and stratigraphic contexts to ensure reliable interpretations of fossil records.

4.    Evaluate changes in diversity and palaeoecology through time, and assess how key extinction and evolutionary events have
       been driven by major geological and palaeoenvironmental change. 
 
5.    Combine information from fossils and associated sedimentary archives to undertake multi-proxy interpretations of past
       environments, and assess how environmental conditions have changed through time.

6.    Demonstrate an understanding of key geochronology techniques and modern analytical approaches used to contextualise
       and interpret fossil records.

 7.    Critically debate and evaluate current topics or controversies in palaeontology via group presentations and written reports.

There is no course-specific text book for GFPIII, though there are a number of recommended reading resources that provide useful overviews of key concepts covered during the course (see next section). 

A list of relevant reading for each week’s lecture and practical will be made available on MyUni. Students are expected to read this material as part of their non-contact workload.

General course reading:
The following text book resources provide invaluable introductions to key concepts covered in GFPIII

Walker, M. (2005) Quaternary dating methods
Available at Barr Smith Library Main collection

Rink, W.J., Thompson, J.W. (2015) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods
(See specific chapters on different dating methods)
Available online through the University library catalogue

Elias, S.A. (2007) Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science
(See specific chapters on different dating methods, palaeoenvironmental proxies and climate records)
Available online through the University library catalogue

Benton, M.J. (2015) Vertebrate palaeontology 4th ed.
Available online through the University library catalogue

Jain, S. (2017) Fundamentals of Invertebrate Palaeontology: Macrofossils
Available online through the University library catalogue

Jones, R.W. (2011) Application of palaeontology techniques and case studies
Available online through the University library catalogue

Doyle, P. (2014) Understanding Fossils: An Introduction to Invertebrate Palaeontology
Available online through the University library catalogue

Bottjer, D.J. (2016) Paleoecology Past, Present and Future.
Available online through the University library catalogue

Lowe, J.J. (1997) Reconstructing Quaternary environments
Available at Barr Smith Library Main collection 

Williams, M.A.J. (1998) Quaternary environments
Available at Barr Smith Library Main collection 

Journals:
The use of the Scopus database is recommended to locate relevant academic publications in scientific journals. This is an invaluable resource for the “debates and controversies” assignment. Scopus can be accessed from the “popular resources” quick link on the Library’s website and you can search by topic keywords to find relevant journal articles.

Useful general science journals include (but are not limited to) Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS), Scientific Reports, Nature Communications. 

Key specialist journals include Palaeontology, Quaternary Science Reviews, Climate of the Past, Earth Science Reviews, Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology (P3), Paleobiology, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Geology, Sedimentology, Precambrian Research. However, this is not an exhaustive list of relevant journals for the course, and Scopus should be used to locate specific journal articles across all indexed scientific literature.

Blogs/websites/podcasts:
The following resources may contain useful content to enhance your understanding of GFPIII themes but they are often opinion-based and have not been subjected to peer-review. As such, they should generally not be used as the foundation for written work or presentations in GFPIII. 

Try searching the following resources for keywords such as “palaeontology”, “paleontology” (American spelling), “fossils”, “megafauna”.

www.nature.com/nature/podcast

http://www.sciencemag.org/rss/podcast.xml

https://www.ted.com/

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/

https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/ 

A couple of well-produced palaeontology podcasts:

http://www.palaeocast.com/

http://www.pasttime.org/ 

A series of online popular science articles written by researchers in a journalistic style. They often showcase new scientific finds or research papers.

http://theconversation.edu.au/ 

The University of Adelaide Palaeontologists club
https://www.auu.org.au/clubs/university-of-adelaide-palaeontologists

Online learning will be delivered via the MyUni platform. All lectures will be recorded and made available online. Lecture slides and prac introductions will also be made available online. 

MyUni will be used for course-related announcements and general information, posting of reading material / lists, and organisation of assignment groups.

This course will be delivered by the following means:

• Lectures - 2 x 1 hrs per week
• Practicals - 1 x 4hr per week for 10 weeks
• E-lectures - delivered at the start of the course

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Schedule

Week	Lecture	Practical
1	Course introduction Principles of  palaeontology and overview of the fossil record	SA Museum visit: fossil galleries and South Australia's fossil riches
2	Extinctions in time: key evolutionary events recorded in the geological record Major events in the history of life: Australian fossil case studies and global significance	Debates and Controveries Assignment, overview, instructions, group organisation
3	Stratigraphic context of fossils: depositional environments, geomorphic processes and classification of fossil settings (2 lectures)	Sediment sequence analysis and stratigraphic logging of fossil sequences: cores and latex peels
4	Biostratigraphy and biocorrelation: using fossils to tell time (2 lectures)	Case study: Determining relative chronologies of sites using fossils
5	Geochronology: dating principles and overview of different techniques Deep time dating techniques and palaeontological case studies	Debates and Controveries Assignment group presentations
6	Near time dating techniques and palaeontological case studies Interpreting site histories and fossil chronologies	Geochronology application: reconstructing a site chronology using numerical dating techniques
7	Taphonomy: death, decay and diagenesis (2 lectures)	Assessing taphonomic histories of fossil specimens and roadkill skeletal assembly exercises
8	Reconstructing past environments and climates using fossil remains: techniques and applications (2 lectures)	Analysing sample datasets and identifying specimens
9	Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using sediment proxies and geochemical approaches (2 lectures).	Analysing sample datasets: geochemical approaches to palaeoenvironmental reconstruction
10	Palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography: reconstructing community dynamics and distributions (2 lectures)	Fossil sorting exercise and recording community changes through time
11	Interpretive techniques in palaeontological science: field and laboratory approaches (2 lectures)	Vertebrate and invertebrate fossil identification exercises
12	Applied Palaeontology: palaeoconservation and archaeology Curation of palaeontological collections	SA Museum visit: collection management

Attendance is compulsory at all scheduled practical sessions

Practical classes will involve a mixture of independent work and small group discovery experiences. All practicals will be led by an experienced academic and supported by several knowledgeable demonstrators, with whom students will have the opportunity to interact and discuss the assigned work activities. While some practical exercises are to be conducted independently, peer group support and discussion will be encouraged within small groups of 5-10 students. The practical classes involving fossil sorting and identification, taphonomic evaluations, and trips to the South Australian Museum provide ideal small group discovery experiences, with students working collectively in groups of 5-10 to describe and interpret fossil records under the advice and guidance of  demonstrating staff.

 As part of the Assignment task, students will be required to work in small groups of 2-4 and present an oral presentation on one
of several debates or controversies in palaeontology. The oral presentations will be accompanied by group debates on the chosen topic under the guidance of a lecturer. These presentation and debate sessions will give students the opportunity to discuss a focused scientific question directly with both peers and academic staff.  

Assessment task	Type of assessment	Percentage of total assessment for grading purposes	Hurdle	Outcomes being assessed / achieved	Approximate Timing of Assessment
Practical assignments (10 x 2.5%)	Formative & Summative	25%	No	1-6	Week 1,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
Theory assignment: presentation (5%) and essay (25%)	Formative & Summative	30%	No	1,2,7	Week 5 and 6
Online quizzes (3 x 5%)	Formative	15%	No	1-6	Week 4,7,10
Final exam	Summative	30%	No	1-6	End-of-year examination period

Attendance at practicals classes is compulsory and will be recorded. The learning outcomes for this course are substantially
dependent on this hands-on experience and practice. Therefore, missing any practical class session in a semester without an allowed
absence will result in a grade of FAIL being recorded for the course. Students are able to apply for an allowed absence from a practical class by submitting an application form, with appropriate supporting documentation, to the Course Co-ordinator. Missed practical classes cannot be repeated at a later date.

If you are undertaking the course again because you have failed a previous attempt, you must not use previous practical sheets, answer keys or any material from previous versions of the course in the execution of Practicals. Use of such material will constitute plagiarism.

Practical assignments: (25% of total course grade; 2.5% per practical)
The students will complete a series of worksheets or assignments as part of each compulsory practical, which will be handed in for the marking at the end of each class. The practical assignments aim to improve quantitative and qualitative skills required to understand course material, and develop applied skills in the evaluation and interpretation of scientific results. The practicals will also reinforce theoretical learning from the lectures, as well as providing an opportunity to develop teamwork and communication skills among peers. Two practicals will assess observation and interpretive skills of museum fossil collections. Feedback will be provided during the following week in practical classes and/or via MyUni announcements.

 Theory assignment: (30% of total course grade; 5% for presentation and 25% for essay)
A two-part take home assignment will be used to assess the student’s ability to independently research and critically evaluate
scientific literature, and to develop their skills in writing, presentation and the synthesis of information. The assignment will focus on one of several contemporary issues or controversies in modern palaeontological science, each of which will be introduced by a lecturer during Part I of the course. Students will be asked to critically evaluate both sides of the debate / controversy and evaluate the strength of evidence available on the topic. The first part of the assignment (worth 5% of the total course grade) focuses on small group presentation and debate around the chosen subject, with the aim of developing verbal communication and
group interaction skills, stimulating thought, and gaining feedback from lecturers and peers prior to undertaking the written part of the assignment. The second part of the assignment is worth 25% of the total course grade and the student will be required to write an essay on the same chosen debate or controversy subject. The writing part of the assignment is designed to test the
student’s deep knowledge of a specific key topic and has a word limit of 2,000 words. Feedback on the written assignment will be provided in the second half of the course via MyUni.

Online Quizzes (15% of total course grade; 3 quizzes worth 5% each)
Three quizzes will be given to address progressive comprehension of lecture and practical class material, with a particular focus on key facts and concepts. The quizzes will be given at evenly spaced intervals throughout the course (weeks 4, 7, 10) to provide the students a benchmark for their progress in the first three units of the course. Each quiz will consist of multiple choice, short
answer and data interpretation questions based on material covered in the preceding three teaching weeks. The three quizzes will be completed outside of teaching hours, and feedback will be provided during the following week in practical classes and/or via MyUni announcements.

 Final exam (30% of total course grade, 2 hours duration)
A final written exam will be used to summatively assess all components of the course. It will consist of short answer and long answer (essay style) questions, some of which may require the drawing / interpretation of scientific diagrams, as well as
calculation questions based on activities covered in practical classes.

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply.  A penalty of 10% of the value of the
assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.