GEOL 210 History  of Life

History of Life is a one-semester course in the Earth Sciences, which is an elective in  Laboratory Science. It provides an overview of the physical and biological history of the Earth. The prerequisite is Physical Geology (GEOL 151) or Historical Geology (GEOL 152), which meet the Lab Science requirement. This course is required for students in the Natural Sciences program (Paleontology option). Mesalands’ History of Life is offered every other Spring (odd years), and is a 4-credit course (which includes a compulsory laboratory section). The course introduces the following topics: Fossil Preservation, Evolution, Systematics, Plants, Microfossils, and Invertebrate, Vertebrate and Plant fossils. There is significant usage of the College’s Dinosaur Museum and fossil collections. The class is supplemented with online materials available through the College’s WebCT system. Grading is based on tests, a research paper, homework assignments, and laboratory exercises. The textbook is D. R. Prothero’s “Bringing Fossils to Life” (McGraw-Hill); there is no lab manual. For information about the course content or procedures contact the instructor, Dr. Axel Hungerbuehler, at axelh@mesalands.edu or (575) 461-3466