Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Dinosaurs and the History of Life (Face-to-Face)

GEO 1040-02

Course: GEO 1040-02
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Geosciences
CRN: 33398

Course Description

A General Education course for both non-science and science majors, particularly teachers. This course presents an overview of life on Earth, with emphasis on dinosaurs. Topics include extinction, evolution, preservation, geologic time, plate tectonics, and stratigraphy. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a Geosciences major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other course. Those interested in a lab experience to supplement knowledge gained in this course are encouraged to enroll in GEO 1115 - Fundamentals of Geology Lab. (Fall - Even Years) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Physical Sciences

Required Texts

  • Required: GEO 1040 Dinosaurs Handbook (free PDF files provided by the instructor)
  • Recommended: Dinosaurs: a Concise Natural History, 4th Ed, by David Fastovsky and David Weishampel (ISBN-13: 978-1108469296).

Learning Outcomes

This Class Fulfills the Physical Sciences GE Learning Outcomes:
  1. Explain science as a process and as a way of understanding the physical world: students learn how geoscientists identify minerals, reconstruct past geologic conditions using quantitative analyses, find and interpret fossils, and connect fossil discoveries to modern animals, including humans.
  2. Demonstrate understanding of matter, energy, and their influence on physical systems: students learn about the interaction between the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, and how that all affected evolution of dinosaurs and other ancient animals, and how those effects set the stage for modern ecosystems.
  3. Evaluate the credibility of various sources of information about science-related issues: students will practice using peer-reviewed scientific resources to develop communication materials to share with each other.
  4. Describe how the Physical Sciences utilize their foundational principles to confront and solve pressing local and global challenges, shaping historical, ethical, or social landscapes in the process: students will use new understanding of geoscience principles to understand geologic resources and environmental dynamics, as well as ethical concerns with fossil discoveries and sales.

Course Requirements

The assessments and assignments required for a passing grade in this class:
  • Exams: four in-class paper exams (including the final); make sure to schedule any accommodations you are entitled to through the SUU DRC before the test.
  • Summary reflections: post-exam surveys, with points based on completion of your analysis of how you are doing in the class, how you can improve, and what parts of the course are most or least effective for you.
  • Meme Assignments: each student will create two memes about dinosaurs or other Mesozoic life. You will submit each meme to a Canvas Discussion to share with other students. Templates provided. These assignments should integrate a student's ability to explain scientific processes (GE Learning Outcome 1) through visual and textual representations, ideally demonstrating sufficient understanding (GE Learning Outcome 2) to make the meme humorous and effective without mistakes.
  • Mesozoic Life Study Guides: each student will create three study guides on different Mesozoic organisms, one from each of the three Mesozoic periods. Don't worry, you don't actually have to present them, but you will submit them to Canvas Discussions to share other students. Template provided. These assignments will require students to use what they've learned to evaluate the scientific credibility of the sources they use (GE Learning Outcome 3) and practice communication aimed at their peers.

Course Outline

The broad outline of the course content is as follows:
  1. General Geology Content 
    • Rocks and minerals
    • Tectonics and climate
    • Sedimentary processes and systems
    • Fossilization
    • Geologic time
    • Speciation 
  2. General Dinosaur
    • The origin of dinosaurs
    • Shared morphology of dinosaurs
    • Different groups of dinosaurs
  3. Dinosaur through Time
    • How dinosaurs interacted with the environment
    • Mesozoic plants
    • Mesozoic mammals
    • Triassic environments
    • Jurassic environments
    • Cretaceous environments
  4. The End of the Dinosaurs
    • Mass extinction
    • Finding and excavating dinosaurs
    • Review content

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Each late assignment is docked 5% per late day. Some assignments will have hard closure dates that lock the assignment, and after that time you cannot complete it, with limited exceptions.

Attendance Policy

Daily attendance is not required but is important for success. Exam attendance is required and students must contact the instructor for any potential exam absences.

Course Fees

No additional fees.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.