In Darwin's Footsteps

Abstract

“In Darwin's Footsteps” is an introduction to physical and historical geology, which is taught mainly in the field using Lyell's three-volume edition of Principles of Geology (1830–1833) as the primary text. The course was first taught as part of a Ford Foundation-funded program as a “Participatory Seminar” and is now taught in the General Honors Program at the University of New Mexico. The majority of the students are non-science majors, but they are expected to develop observational skills, record observations in notebooks and on maps, interpret their own observations, and formulate testable hypotheses. The emphasis is on the proper recording of geologic data and critical thinking. The final goal of the students is to write a geologic history, in this case of the Albuquerque Basin, based on the observations and maps that have been made by the students.