| Unit name | Evolutionary Palaeoecology in the field |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC30070 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Professor. Donoghue |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Mandatory Year 1 fieldwork EASC20029 Introduction to Field Mapping EASC20044 Palaeobiology EASC20047 Stratigraphy and palaeontology fieldwork |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
This unit is designed to put your skills, learned in lectures and laboratory classes, into practise in a field based setting. You will make primary palaeontological, sedimentological and stratigraphic field observations of terrestrial and marine settings and integrate them into palaeoecological, palaeoenvironmental and evolutionary interpretations. Practical skills will include exemplary note taking, sedimentary logging, facies analysis, identifying fossil organisms in the field, taphonomic interpretations of fossil assemblages, making comparative and functional morphology interpretations and linking these to facies associations. You will also be introduced to the challenges of designing and executing science communication strategies. The location of the field course will vary between years.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The unit draws on practical skills and knowledge learned in class and laboratory classes, integrating them with practical skills learned in field-based units, but applying them specifically within the context of core aims of the programme of study. These include
An overview of content
This field-based unit will visit a series of related localities to study stratigraphic sections, with set exercises in which the learners will be required to collect data and/ or interpret the sections in terms of faunal/floral composition and how they vary with sedimentary facies and taphonomic variation. These observations and inferences will build to comparative analyses between sections, to derive inferences about variation due to palaeogeography, palaeoenvironment, and geologic time. You will also be required to consider how these observations and interpretations can be communicated to other learners and to lay audiences.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will gain from the experience of analysing classic geologic sections that record geographic variation and global environmental change in deep time. You will also gain practical experience in how to collect, analyse and interpret diverse data from individual stratigraphic sections and integrate them into a broader understanding of regional geological history and its evolution.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this unit you will be able to:
You will learn through set exercises in which you collect, analyse and interpret data in the field. These exercises will provide the practical experience required to obtain a deep understanding of core methods of palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental analysis.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
You will be provided with a detailed field guide that introduces the regional and local geology to the area. You will be introduced to stratigraphic sections and guided in the collection and analysis of data in the field. These build on skills obtained in prerequisite class, laboratory and field units.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Coursework 100%
The unit will be assessed on the basis of three fieldwork exercises. The unit mark will be derived from short exercises. These will involve documentation, analysis and interpretation of sedimentological and palaeontological features observed in various settings.
When assessment does not go to plan
The University’s Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes outline the requirements for progression on and completion of degree programmes. Students who miss an exam and self-certify their absence may complete a supplementary assessment for an uncapped mark as if taken for the first time. Resit and supplementary exams are habitually taken during the reassessment period later in the summer. As far as is practicable and appropriate, resit and supplementary assessments will be in the same form as the original assessment but will always test the same intended learning outcomes as the initial missed or failed assessment. In the case of group work, failure by a whole group would result in an appropriate group task being set and reassessed for all group members. If a single student fails a group assessment or is unable to participate for an evidenced reason, an individual reassessment will be set.
There are rigorous and fair procedures in place to support students who are ill or whose studies and assessments are affected by exceptional circumstances.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EASC30070).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
