Instructors: Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Room: Chemistry Building (091 CHM) 1225B
Office Hours: Thurs 11:30 am-1 pm, or by appointment
Phone: (301) 405-4084, Email: tholtz@umd.edu

Dr. John W. Merck, Jr.
Room: Geology Building (237 GEO) 1119
Office Hours: Thurs 12-2 pm, or by appointment
Phone: (301) 405-4379, Email: jmerck@umd.edu

Room:

Textbook: Donald R. Prothero. 2013. Bringing Fossils to Life. 3rd Edition. Columbia University Press. 671 pp. ISBN 978-0891158930. Additional readings will be provided on ELMS.

Course Structure: Two lectures (Tuesday, Thursday) and 1 lab (Thursday) meeting per week.

Attendance in lecture is expected. If you cannot make a certain lecture, try and find another student who might lend you their notes. (In fact, establishing a study group early in the course has proven useful for many students in the past). If you want to achieve a good grade in the course, the time to start working towards that is from the very beginning! Keep up with the material as it is presented rather than "cramming" to study it right before exams.

Attendance in laboratory is required. Prior to each lab there will be instruction about aspects of that day's material provided on Panopto and lab quizzes evaluating previous weeks' material on ELMS. The specimens will often be accessible during the week if you wish to revisit them before turning in your assignment; however, due to loss of specimens in the past some individual fossils might only be made available during lab time.

NOTE: Attendance means more than mere presence: it means "paying attention". Please take out your ear buds and refrain from texting/web-browsing/doing homework/etc. in class.

Policies and Resources for Undergraduate Courses

It is our shared responsibility to know and abide by the University of Maryland's policies that relate to all courses, which include topics like:

• Academic integrity
• Student and instructor conduct
• Accessibility and accommodations
• Attendance and excused absences
• Grades and appeals
• Copyright and intellectual property

Please visit https://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html for the Office of Undergraduate Studies' full list of campus-wide policies and follow up with me if you have questions.

Course Guidelines

Names/Pronouns and Self-Identifications:
The University of Maryland recognizes the importance of a diverse student body, and we are committed to fostering inclusive and equitable classroom environments. We invite you, if you wish, to tell us how you want to be referred to in this class, both in terms of your name and your pronouns (he/him, she/her, they/them, etc.). Keep in mind that the pronouns someone uses are not necessarily indicative of their gender identity. Visit trans.umd.edu to learn more.

Additionally, it is your choice whether to disclose how you identify in terms of your gender, race, class, sexuality, religion, and dis/ability, among all aspects of your identity (e.g., should it come up in classroom conversation about our experiences and perspectives) and should be self-identified, not presumed or imposed. we will do my best to address and refer to all students accordingly, and we ask you to do the same for all of your fellow Terps.

Communication with Instructor:
Email: If you need to reach out and communicate with us, please email me at tholtz@umd.edu and jmerck@umd.edu or (preferred) using the Inbox email function of ELMS. Please DO NOT email me with questions that are easily found in the syllabus or on ELMS (i.e., When is this assignment due? How much is it worth? etc.) but please DO reach out about personal, academic, and intellectual concerns/questions.

While we will do my best to respond to emails within 24 hours, you will more likely receive email responses from me on morning after you send an email message.

ELMS: I will send IMPORTANT announcements via ELMS messaging. You must make sure that your email & announcement notifications (including changes in assignments and/or due dates) are enabled in ELMS so you do not miss any messages. You are responsible for checking your email and Canvas/ELMS inbox with regular frequency.

Communication with Peers:
With a diversity of perspectives and experience, we may find ourselves in disagreement and/or debate with one another. As such, it is important that we agree to conduct ourselves in a professional manner and that we work together to foster and preserve a virtual classroom environment in which we can respectfully discuss and deliberate controversial questions. We encourage you to confidently exercise your right to free speech—bearing in mind, of course, that you will be expected to craft and defend arguments that support your position. Keep in mind, that free speech has its limit, and this course is NOT the space for hate speech, harassment, and derogatory language. We will make every reasonable attempt to create an atmosphere in which each student feels comfortable voicing their argument without fear of being personally attacked, mocked, demeaned, or devalued.

Any behavior (including harassment, sexual harassment, and racially and/or culturally derogatory language) that threatens this atmosphere will not be tolerated. Please alert me immediately if you feel threatened, dismissed, or silenced at any point during our semester together and/or if your engagement in discussion has been in some way hindered by the learning environment.

Midterm Exams (15%): Two online exams on September 26-27 and October 24-25, respectively. For each of these there will be a section comprised of true/false, matching, multiple choice, and similar type questions, as well as a few short answer questions and an essay. These exams are open-note but timed, and are subject to the University's Honor Pledge; you may not seek help from students or other people in doing these. If you encounter a technical problem, please contact ELMS@umd.edus for help (and Dr. Holtz so that he is aware of your situation.)

Final Exam (15%): Another online final exam, cumulative for the entire course but focuses on the material since the second midterm. Format is similar to the mid-term exams. The exam will be available DECEMBER 11-12.

Labs (25% total): Essentially every week there will be a lab. Labs are due the week after they are assigned, allowing students time to examine specimens over the course of the week if they wish. These will be turned in as ELMS quizzes. The final "lab" is actually a field trip to the Deep Time paleontology halls of the National Museum of Natural History: more information to come.

Lab Quizzes (10% total): In order to evaluate your understanding of the anatomy and identity of fossil material, a series of lab quizzes starting in the third week of the course. These will be done on ELMS and will be due on ELMS prior to the beginning of lab time. The lowest lab quiz grade will be automatically dropped.

Homework (15% total): Throughout the course a set of homework projects are assigned to examine your knowledge of the lecture material.

Extra Credit: No separate extra credit assignments as such planned for this course, although individual exams and homework assignments may have extra credit questions which add up in the final course grade.

The University's Code of Academic Integrity is designed to ensure that the principles of academic honesty and integrity are upheld. In accordance with this code, the University of Maryland does not tolerate academic dishonesty. Please ensure that you fully understand this code and its implications because all acts of academic dishonesty will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of this code. All students are expected to adhere to this Code. It is your responsibility to read it and know what it says, so you can start your professional life on the right path. As future professionals, your commitment to high ethical standards and honesty begins with your time at the University of Maryland.

It is important to note that course assistance websites, such as CourseHero, or AI generated content (such as ChatGPT, Meta's LLaMa, and the like) are not permitted sources. Material taken or copied from these sites can be deemed unauthorized material and a violation of academic integrity. Please note that these systems are NOT search engines and are not designed to deliver factual information: instead, they are created to delivery a facsimile of human communication, without regards to its truth. Using these sources will hamper your learning process, particularly the critical thinking steps necessary for college-level assignments. The point of assignments is for you to be able to develop your skills in marshalling arguments and understanding the techniques of paleontology, not for you to simply provide me with answers I already know.

Additionally, students may naturally choose to use online forums for course-wide discussions (e.g., Group lists or chats) to discuss concepts in the course. However, collaboration on graded assignments is strictly prohibited unless otherwise stated. Examples of prohibited collaboration include: asking classmates for answers on quizzes or exams, asking for the questions on QotDs when you are absent, etc. Please visit the Office of Undergraduate Studies' full list of campus-wide policies and reach out if you have questions.

Finally, on each exam or assignment you must write out and sign the following pledge: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this exam/assignment." If you ever feel pressured to comply with someone else's academic integrity violation, please reach out to me straight away. Also, if you are ever unclear about acceptable levels of collaboration, please ask! To help you avoid unintentional violations, the following table lists levels of collaboration that are acceptable for each graded exercise. Each assignment will contain more specific information regarding acceptable levels of collaboration:

Assignment	Open Notes?	Learn Online?	Gather Content with AI?	Ask Friends?	Work in Groups?
Homework Assignments	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Labs	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Lab Quizzes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Midterm Exams	Yes	No	No	No	No
Final Exam	Yes	No	No	No	No

Grades

All assessment scores will be posted on the course ELMS page. If you would like to review any of your grades (including the exams), or have questions about how something was scored, please email me to schedule a time for us to meet and discuss.

Late work will not be accepted for course credit so please plan to have it submitted well before the scheduled deadline. (Please contact me as soon as possible if some issue came up that prevented your timely submission of an assignment.) I am happy to discuss any of your grades with you, and if I have made a mistake, I will correct it as soon as possible. Any formal grade disputes must be submitted in writing and within one week of receiving the grade.

Final letter grades are assigned based on the percentage of total assessment points earned. To be fair to everyone I have to establish clear standards and apply them consistently, so please understand that being close to a cutoff is not the same as making the cut (89.99 ≠ 90.00). It would be unethical to make exceptions for some and not others.

• http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/G331/ (but you know that already...)
  The Website contains a copy of the course policies, the syllabus, lecture notes, and other features. Please feel free to utilize this resource, and email Dr. Holtz with any suggestions on improving this resource.
• http://www.elms.umd.edu/
  The ELMS Canvas site will include the online quizzes; announcements concerning the class; copies of the handouts; and so forth.

See here for the schedule of lectures and assignments, and links to the online lecture notes.

Accessibility and Disability Services
The University of Maryland is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational, working, and living environment for people of all abilities. The University of Maryland is also committed to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the University, or be subjected to discrimination. The Accessibility & Disability Service (ADS) provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals to provide equal access to services, programs and activities. ADS cannot assist retroactively, so it is generally best to request accommodations several weeks before the semester begins or as soon as a disability becomes known. Any student who needs accommodations should contact me as soon as possible so that I have sufficient time to make arrangements.

For assistance in obtaining an accommodation, contact Accessibility and Disability Service at 301-314-7682, or email them at adsfrontdesk@umd.edu. Information about sharing your accommodations with instructors, note taking assistance and more is available from the Counseling Center.

Student Resources and Services
Taking personal responsibility for your own learning means acknowledging when your performance does not match your goals and doing something about it. I hope you will come talk to me so that I can help you find the right approach to success in this course, and I encourage you to visit UMD's Student Academic Support Services website to learn more about the wide range of campus resources available to you.

In particular, everyone can use some help sharpening their communication skills (and improving their grade) by visiting UMD's Writing Center and schedule an appointment with the campus Writing Center.

You should also know there are a wide range of resources to support you with whatever you might need (UMD's Student Resources and Services website may help). If you feel it would be helpful to have someone to talk to, visit UMD's Counseling Center or one of the many other mental health resources on campus.

Notice of Mandatory Reporting
Notice of mandatory reporting of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, and stalking: As a faculty member, I am designated as a "Responsible University Employee," and I must report all disclosures of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, and stalking to UMD's Title IX Coordinator per University Policy on Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct.

If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact one of UMD's confidential resources, such as CARE to Stop Violence (located on the Ground Floor of the Health Center) at 301-741-3442 or the Counseling Center (located at the Shoemaker Building) at 301-314-7651.

You may also seek assistance or supportive measures from UMD's Title IX Coordinator, Angela Nastase, by calling 301-405-1142, or emailing titleIXcoordinator@umd.edu.

To view further information on the above, please visit the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct's website.

Basic Needs Security
If you have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or lack a safe and stable place to live, please visit UMD's Division of Student Affairs website for information about resources the campus offers you and let me know if I can help in any way.

Veteran Resources
UMD provides some additional supports to our student veterans. You can access those resources at the office of Veteran Student life and the Counseling Center. Veterans and active duty military personnel with special circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill requirements, disabilities) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor.

Course Evaluation
Please submit a course evaluation through Student Feedback on Course Experiences in order to help faculty and administrators improve teaching and learning at Maryland. All information submitted to Course Experiences is confidential. Campus will notify you when Student Feedback on Course Experiences is open for you to complete your evaluations at the end of the semester. Please go directly to the Student Feedback on Course Experiences to complete your evaluations. By completing all of your evaluations each semester, you will have the privilege of accessing through Testudo the evaluation reports for the thousands of courses for which 70% or more students submitted their evaluations.

Copyright © 2024 Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. & John W. Merck, Jr. as to this syllabus, all lectures, and all written material provided in this course. Students are prohibited from copying and selling course materials, from selling lecture notes, and from being paid to take lecture notes without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course. Violations of this prohibition will be treated as violations of the University Honors Code and reported and dealt with accordingly.

Lecture Notes

For a formatted printable copy of the complete syllabus, click here.