Honors Seminar in Geosciences: Cuvier, Lyell and Earth History

Information on Papers

You will find information on the paper topics, hints on writing effective papers, and the appropriate reference style.

Paper topics

Paper 1: The Pre-Lyell Synthesis

• Page limit: 5 pages
• Explain the synthesis in terms of its ability to integrate various geological observations into a coherent causal framework.
• Include a concept map that illustrates your understanding of this causal framework.

Paper 2: Lyell's geological processes

• Page limit: 5 pages
• To what extent was Lyell's geological framework marked by a committment to a gradualistic, actualistic, steady-state model? How would you assess its viability compared to the directional synthesis?
• You should incorporate information from Lyell's presentation in Volume I of the Principles to support your interpretation. The main topics he discusses are: history of geology, climate change, fossil progression, aqueous processes, igneous processes, and earthquakes. Not all need to be included.

Poster: Interpreting Earth history

• Goal is to explain a "case study" as a demonstration of how Earth history was interpreted.
  • Instructor will help you with an overview of your case study
  • Group needs to identify and present a specific theme
• Basic text will be Vol. III of Lyell's Principles augmented with additional material
  • Copies of appropriate chapters will be provided from Vol. 3
  • Instructor will provide some additional reference materials
• Poster presentations
  • Two weeks to prepare poster
  • 2-3 people per poster
  • One sheet poster: maximum size is 42" x 30"
  • Poster presentations during last class
  • Grading
    • Poster 80%: scoring sheet for poster
    • Reading summary 20%
• What you will need to do
  • Bring written summaries of reading on Monday, April 28 for your group members and instructor
  • April 28-30: Analyze readings, decide theme, identify figures
  • May 5: Assemble draft poster (text, figures); may need to meet later for final assembly
  • May 7: Present poster

Some quick hints on writing papers for Dr. Harris courses

I. General principles

A. Organize around a clear focus

You must have some point of view to help you organize and select the facts you wish to include. Choose a focus that is limited enough to cover in the space allotted and that allows you to include all the material the teacher will expect to include. Write a main point (thesis) that clearly states your focus and that indicates the main sections of your answer. For most types of essay, the thesis sentence should state a conclusion, not merely announce the sections.

B. Outline your answer

Do not begin writing your answer without first making an outline, however brief. Write down the three or four main points you want to make. They should all help you to develop, explain or prove your thesis sentence. How can they most effectively be sequenced?

C. Write for the instructor as a reader

Construct your essay as an written argument for your thesis. Instructors is often looking for students to demonstrate basic knowledge organized into a reasonable and coherent argument. It may help you to image the reader as a classmate starting the course; what basic principles, examples and facts are needed to present your thesis?

D. Come right to the point.

Do not waste time or space with a general introduction or any sort of beating around the bush. It is usually a good idea to state the main point (thesis) of your answer at the beginning. Do not hid your theme until the final page! This will help you maintain a focused and concise narrative. This is essential when you have a relatively short page limit.

E. Stick to your subject

Everything you say should relate directly to the subject you have announced in your thesis sentence. Do not try to tell everything you know. Papers (and essay tests) measure the excellence of your ability to select, organize and analyze the details you have mastered.

F. Be thorough within your limits

Make your answer complete. If a question asks about a subject discussed in class or in your reading, the teacher probably expects you to deal with all the main points made there. In addition, after you have written your outline, ask yourself, "Have I left out anything important to the defense of my thesis sentence?"

G. Support generalities with specific and relevant evidence.

Evidence is crucial. The teacher is testing your detailed knowledge of a body of material, not just your ability to make or repeat generalizations. Show that you know the specific information. Do not merely state what you believe; explain why you believe it.

H. Traits of a good presentation

A few years ago, I prepared a general outline of the traits of a well-written paper for one of my classes. Although not customized for this course, it provides you with a sense of what I and many other instructors are looking for in your presentation.

II. Some practical points

A. Read the references early.

It may take time to develop a thesis that you want to defend. An early reading of the references will give you time to sort out the various authors opinions and facts. I commonly plan to read the references twice. The first time I try to understand the basic argument to plan my response. The second time I will pull out the specific information and evidence that I need to support my opinion.

B. Divide your paper into sections.

It is often very useful to organize your text into sections running from "Introduction" to "Conclusions". If appropriate, use subheadings to structure your paper (especially if a section is long). The use of headings communicates the structure of your paper to a reader and lessens the need for "transitional" sections. This helps make your essay more concise.

C. References

You will want to indicate the sources for your information or data. In your text, you should cite references using the (Author, date) or Author (date) format to indicate these sources (not footnotes or end notes). List your references at the end of your paper. Use a consistent format for your references - I prefer the format used by GSA (see below).

D. Correct grammar and spelling are expected in all papers.

You should write in complete sentences and spell check everything. (I am a terrible speller and mistakes will always appear without checking.) It often helps to read your paper aloud to catch grammatical errors.

E. The golden rule is to rewrite, rewrite and rewrite.

III. Reference Style

Citations in running text serve to inform the reader about the source of your information. The two general ways that citations are used in a paper are outlined below. [Brackets set apart comments that are not part of the citation format.]

• Adams (1938) summarized Aristotle's views of stones within a natural history framework. [Useful style to introduce a paragraph that summarizes the information from Adams' book.]
• Aristotelian and Neoplatonist views influenced Renaissance ideas on the generation of stones (Adams, 1938; Rudwick, 1985). [Common usage in scientific literature that allows citation without breaking up sentences.]

Cited references are presented at the end of the paper in alphabetical order. Books and articles are listed slightly differently. Here are some examples:

• Adams, F. D., 1938, The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences: Dover, 506 p. [Book.]
• Beer, B. de, 1962, The Volcanoes of Auvergne: Annals of Science, v. 18, p. 49-61. [Article in a journal.]
• Dott, R. H., Jr., 1967, James Hutton and the Concept of a Dynamic Earth, in Schneer, C. J., ed., Toward a History of Geology: Cambridge, M.I.T. Press, p. 122-141. [Article in an edited book.]
• Kircher, A., 1678, The Subterranean World, in Mather, K. F., and Mason, S. L., eds., A Source Book in Geology: New York, McGraw Hill, p 17-19. [Article in an edited book.]
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 1963, The foundation of the Geological Society of London: its scheme for co-operative research and its struggle for independence: British Journal for the History of Science, v. 1, p. 325-355. [Article in a journal.]
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 1985, The Meaning of Fossils, second edition: Chicago, Chicago University Press, 287 p. [Book - note that if you use multiple references by one author, you place them in chronological order.]