Sept. 1 LABOR DAY (No classes)

Sept. 3 Introduction; Behold the Mighty Dinosaur!

Sept. 5 The Science of Uncovering the Past
Pre-Course Survey due

Sept. 8 "The Meaning of Fossils": Discovering the Prehistoric World

Sept. 10 The Great Exhibition to Great Expeditions: The History of Dinosaur Studies

Sept. 12 Pages in the Book of Time: Sedimentary Rocks
Nature of Science HW due

Sept. 15 Bones in the Stones: Fossils and Fossilization

Sept. 17 Deep Time: How Old is That Fossil?

Sept. 19 Fossils from the Field to the Museum
Geology HW due

Sept. 22 The Living Earth: Plate Tectonics & Ecology

Sept. 24 Our Bodies, Our Selves: Introduction to Vertebrate Osteology

Sept. 26 Taxonomy and Species
Anatomy & Taxonomy HW due

Sept. 29 Evolution I: Descent with Modification

Oct. 1 Evolution II: Patterns and Processes and Systematics I: The Tree of Life

Oct. 3 Systematics II: Tree-Based Thinking
Phylogeny HW due

Oct. 6 Four on the Floor: Tetrapod Colonization of the Land

Oct. 8 Triassic Transitions & the Age of Reptiles
MIDTERM EXAM I available 10/8-9

Oct. 10 The Rise of the Dinosaurs: Good Genes or Good Luck?

Oct. 13 Fall Break (No classes)

Oct. 15 Thyreophora: Defense! Defense! Defense!

Oct. 17 Thescelosauridae and Ornithopoda: Beaks, bills & crests

Oct. 20 Marginocephalia: That's using your head!

Oct. 22 Sauropodomorpha I: Dawn of the Thunder

Oct. 24 Sauropodomorpha II: Neosauropoda: Size Matters
Dinosaur Diversity I HW due

Oct. 27 Theropoda I: Dinosaurs Red in Tooth and Claw

Oct. 29 Theropoda II, Coelurosauria: Tyrant Kings and Lesser Royals

Oct. 31 Theropoda III, Maniraptora: The Flying Dinosaurs
Dinosaur Diversity II HW due

Nov. 3 Theropoda IV: Rise of Birds

Nov. 5 Dinosaurs Take Flight

Nov. 7 The Worlds of Dinosaurs & Dinosaurs Without Bones: Trace Fossil Analysis
Dinosaur Diversity III HW due

Nov. 10 Dinosaur Olympics: Locomotion and Dinosaurs in the World of Physics [LECTURE PRE-RECORDED; please watch on Panopto on ELMS]
MIDTERM EXAM II available 11/10-11

Nov. 12 Tyrannosaurus Sex: Dinosaur Social Behavior [LECTURE PRE-RECORDED; please watch on Panopto on ELMS]

Nov. 14 Bringing Up Baby: Dinosaur Families and Growth [LECTURE PRE-RECORDED; please watch on Panopto on ELMS]

Nov. 17 Giants in the Earth: Dinosaur Size
Smithsonian Field Trip Project due

Nov. 19 The Hot-Blooded Dinosaurs

Nov. 21 So You Want to Be An Endotherm?

Nov. 24 Life in the Fast Lane
Dinosaur Biology HW due

Nov. 26-28 Thanksgiving Recess: enjoy your roasted maniraptoran

Dec. 1 Dragons of the Sea & Air

Dec. 3 In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Mesozoic Mammals

Dec. 5 The Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction I: All Good Things...
Denizens of the Mesozoic HW due

Dec. 8 The Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction II: Earth's Worst Day Ever

Dec. 10 The Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction III: Dinosaur Apocalypse

Dec. 12 Dinosaurs in the Cenozoic: The Legacy of the Dinosaurs

Dinosaur Extinction HW due
Post-Course Survey due

Dec. 19-20 FINAL EXAM ONLINE

Note: This is a tentative schedule, and subject to change as necessary: monitor the course ELMS page for current deadlines. In the unlikely event of a prolonged university closing, or an extended absence from the university, adjustments to the course schedule, deadlines, and assignments will be made based on the duration of the closing and the specific dates missed.

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

Last modified: 4 August 2025