GEOL 104 Dinosaurs: A Natural History

Fall Semester 2006
Walking with Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park: Dinosaurs in Pop Culture

Dinosaurs as Metaphor:

A long history of dinosaurs in the popular eye.

Dinosaurians in the Victorian Era:

During 20th Century, dinosaurs got the reputation of being "kids stuff" and not "real science". Explosion in dinosaur kid's books, toys, etc.

Many popular (and generally youth-oriented) versions of dinosaurs in books (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Edgar Rice Burroughs Earth's Core and Land that Time Forgot), comic strips, movies (Gertie the Dinosaur, The Lost World, King Kong) during the first three decades of the 20th Century. Another burst of dinosaur popularity (replaying the earlier one) in the 1950s, via American and Japanese monster movies.

The Dinosaur Renaissance:

Why are dinosaurs so popular?

(The last reason, of course, is the justification for this course!)

A Reminder: Don't forget that the final exam is on Dec. 20, Wednesday!!, from 8:00-10:00 in PLS 1140!

To Previous Lecture.
To Syllabus.

Last modified: 14 July 2006