APPLICATION OF GEOCHEMICAL PROBLEM-SOLVING EXERCISES IN UNDERGRADUATE SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULA

An important challenge facing geoscience faculty is to provide meaningful contributions to undergraduate general education curricula. A notable problem is that most general education geoscience courses do not explore the fundamental relationships between the Earth sciences and ancillary social sciences (e.g. cultural geography, anthropology, archeology, history). Consequently, most social science and social science education majors do not develop appreciation of the relevance of Earth science discovery techniques to the investigation of human social and cultural development. In order to address this problem within the Middle Tennessee State University Department of Geosciences, faculty integrate laboratory-based geochemical problem solving exercises into the undergraduate geography and geography education curricula. These exercises are constructed around required geography field courses conducted in the Taos Valley, New Mexico. While in the Taos Valley, students collect samples of lava from outcrops identified as sources of raw material for prehistoric Native American lithic tools. As part of their on-campus geography course requirements, students conduct geochemical analyses of collected lava samples by x-ray fluorescence. Via statistical comparison of XRF geochemical data to that of lithic artifacts from throughout the Taos Valley, students resolve multiple problems related to migration and settlement of prehistoric cultures within the Taos Valley region. The integration of such exercises into undergraduate social science curricula has important effects in that it: a) promotes and enhances development of analytical problem-solving skills; b) allows direct participation in the process of Earth science discovery; c) demonstrates the relevance of natural history to human social and cultural development; d) provides social science education majors important field and laboratory experiences which can be drawn upon in the middle/high school classroom.