Teaching Einstein: from epicycles to the equivalence principle

In Fall 2005, under the auspices of the University of Utah's Office of Undergraduate Studies, we launched a new physics course on the life and work of Albert Einstein. A condition imposed on the new class was that it be taught completely free of mathematical content. In this talk we discuss our goals for the course, and present our conclusions about its effectiveness. We propose further innovations, such as structuring our history-based curriculum to admit students of varied mathematical abilities, from incoming freshmen to physics graduate students who are largely ignorant of the historical development of their science. This course has made us converts to the idea that an historical approach can greatly increase the appeal of science to the general student population.