I. ASCRC General Education Form (revised 2/8/13)
Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change or
renew existing gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses
(X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be
submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
II. Mathematics
VII: Social Sciences
(submit
III. Language
VIII: Ethics & Human Values
separate forms
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * IX: American & European
if requesting
IV: Expressive Arts
X: Indigenous & Global
more than one
V: Literary & Artistic Studies
XI: Natural Sciences
general
w/ lab X w/out lab 
education
VI: Historical & Cultural Studies
group
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of
designation)
majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language
requirement
Dept/Program Geosciences
Course #
106N
Course Title
Prerequisite
History of Life
none
Credits
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
3
Date
Instructor
George Stanley
Electronic signature
Phone / Email 5693/george.stanley@umontana.edu
Program Chair James Staub
Dean
Christopher Comer
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew X
Change
Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Renewal
Description of change
Renewal of existing class
IV. Description and purpose of the general education course: General Education courses
must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General
Education Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/archives/minutes/gened/GE_preamble.aspx
The existing Geosciences course, Geo 106N History of Life course consists of an introduction
to the principles of paleobiology, the geologic process which influence the development of life
on Earth and the historical development of it. Course includes ideas, methodologies and
activities scientists undertake in this field to obtain the data they need which is then used to test
hypotheses. The springboard for the course is both evolution and deep time. The lab engages
students via “hands on”, inquiry-based work with fossils and geological materials. Here they
delve into and are details of morphology and evolution and here they are expected to formulate
possible answers to question and problems previously presented in the lecture. Using both
“thought” and actual experiments, students come to understand both the limitations and
advantage of using paleobiological data to solve problems and how to better understand the
way evolution and geologic processes work together.
The purpose of the introductory course is to present the scientific basis of biologic evolution
using examples from geoscience and the fossil record. The course also showcases major
highlights in the development of ancient life on Earth to instill an understanding of conclusions
reached about the structure and function of the natural world and to demonstrate or exemplify
scientific questioning and the validation of findings.
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Courses explore a discipline in the natural
This course explores deep time, evolution
sciences and demonstrate how the scientific
and fossils. In this course students come to
method is used within the discipline to draw
understand how the scientific method in
scientific conclusions.
general and how historical science in
particular, works and how to draw scientific
conclusions. Ideas formulated are tested via
reasoning skills and critical thinking to
validate or invalidate specific hypothesis.
Using observations and skills of critical
reasoning, Understanding the key events in
the ancient past is presented as a key to
understanding present-day problems which
may lead to helping solve them.
Courses address the concept of analytic
The students are challenged to draw their
uncertainty and the rigorous process required to own conclusions based on the data at hand
take an idea to a hypothesis and then to a
and from deep-time and evolutionary
validated scientific theory.
experiments. In parts of the course they use
text and web-based data to understand
analytic uncertainties, especially from
statistics when applied to both quantitative
and qualitative data. In this course the
students gain familiarity with the processes
surrounding hypothesis testing and the
uncertainties associated with theories that are
now widely accepted but once disputed. For
example, the hot and cold-blooded dinosaur
controversy or the concept of continental
drift and plate tectonics.
Lab courses engage students in inquiry-based
learning activities where they formulate a
hypothesis, design an experiment to test the
hypothesis, and collect, interpret, and present
the data to support their conclusions.
The lab each week relates to the lectures.
Lab components engage student in inquirybased learning in historical science, allowing
them to examine fossils, collect data about
those fossils and formulate and test
hypotheses in order to reach a conclusion.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Understand the general principles associated
This class stresses general principles of
with the discipline(s) studied.
evolution, Earth processes and mass
extinction
understanding the methodology and activities
In natural processes such as evolution, plate
scientists use to gather, validate and interpret
tectonics, the great dying of life and climate
data related to natural processes;
change, students are introduced to different
questions and ideas which are posed to
explain the events in the history of life.
They learn how scientists develop
hypotheses which are used to test the
questions or idea.
detecting patterns, drawing conclusions,
Students learn about detecting patterns in
developing conjectures and hypotheses, and
the history of life with real data from the
testing them by appropriate means and
fossil record. They learn how these data
experiments;
validate or invalidate the original question
or idea. Such examples include how life first
evolved or the hypothesis that the impact of
meteorites or similar objects could explain
mass extinctions and even control events in
the history of life.
VII. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry
at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level. If the course has more than one
pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200
level), provide rationale for exception(s).
Course has no pre-requisites
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
GEOLOGY 106N - HISTORY OF LIFE
Syllabus (also attached)
George Stanley E-mail: george.stanley@umontana.edu Office: CHCB 302
5693
Tel: 243-
Required Text: R. Cowen - THE HISTORY OF LIFE, 4th Edition (available from Bookstore)
Office Hours:
DATE
January
February
March
April
May
TOPIC
24 Introduction to class, geologic time, evolution and the
view of life and how science works
26 Darwin and Evolution: outrageous ideas confirmed
31 Fossils / Origin of Life and plate tectonics
02 Lab 1/Life’s Earliest rocks; Testing hypotheses
07 Lab 2 / Evolution of Sex and Eukaryotes
09 Metazoans and the Great Explosion of Life
14 The Burgess Shale / Chengjiang Biota
16 Lab 3
21 Group Discussions Take Place
23 Lab 4/ A Changing World & Mass Extinctions /
28 Lab 5/ The First Vertebrates
01 Lab 5, cont. / Life and how it Moved to Land
06 Reptiles and Amphibians / Heat Regulation
08 Lab 6 / The Triassic Takeover
13 Hour Exam
15 Dinosaurs
20 Dinosaurs, cont. / Lab 7
22 Lab 7, cont. / The Evolution of Flight: the hypotheses
27 The Mesozoic Modernization of Life
29 Lab 8 Mammals / Mammal
03 NO CLASS- SPRING BREAK
05
10 What killed the dinosaurs? Is scientific reasoning
wrong?
12 Cenozoic Mammals & Ecologic Guilds
17 Lab 9 / Ancient Geography & Evolution
19 Primates and Their Evolution
24 Lab 10/ Becoming Human: Hominids in Africa
26 The Ice Ages
01 Ice Ages and Climate Change / Humans Today and in
the “Next” Extinction: Lessons today from the past
03 Wrap up - Review & Evaluation of the History of Life
10 Final Exam (Comprehensive)
ASSIGNED READING
--Bowler, 2009 Science
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapters 4
Chapter 5
Chapters 4 & 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9 & 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 21
1:10-3:10 P.M.
GRADING BASIS FOR COURSE
Attendance is required for successful completion of 80% of the course and reading, completing
assignments and participation in group discussion. If you are sick or need an excused absence,
please inform instructor.
Mid-term exam
20%
Labs Due one week from being handed out
(may omit one or lowest score dropped)
27%
Chapter questions each week (may omit one or lowest score dropped)
20%
Participation in the group discussions (leaders get extra credit)
3%
Final exam (comprehensive)
30%
The web site for your book is:
http://www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~cowen/HistoryofLife/
Check it out and use this web site. It contains useful information keyed to your text
chapter reading and the weekly assignments made. It contains ideas and hypotheses and
the experiments used to test them,
Read the Honor Code which will be enforced during the class.
The University of Montana Honor Code IV A.
Academic honesty is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a
disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student
Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at:
http://life.umt.edu/VPSA/documents/StudentConductCode1.pdf
Please note: Approved general education changes will take effect next fall.
General education instructors will be expected to provide sample assessment items and
corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.