This class will begin with the field experience in the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador. While in the archipelago, students will read a variety of articles and handouts related to the natural history of the Galapagos as well as to Charles Darwin's explorations of the islands in 1835. Students will keep a daily naturalist's journal while traveling. In the spring semester, the course will investigate the islands' geology (e.g., the relationships between volcanoes, oceanography, marine animals, coral reefs, and limestone) and biology (e.g., comparative anatomy, endemism, speciation, and extinction). The class will also read extracts from Darwin's Galapagos Journals and Origin of Species. The goal of the course is to understand the profound impact that the Galapagos Islands had on Darwin's developing ideas on natural selection. We will compare Darwin's original texts to modern sources to see how well his ideas have survived.
Prerequisite: None
This course fulfills the lab-science distribution requirement.
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