Horizon: Where Land Meets Sky

Assignments, etc...

The world began with what it is now the fashion to call the "Big Bang"... it could not, of course, have been a bang of any sort, with no atmosphere to conduct waves of sound, and no ears. It was something else, occurring in the most absolute silence we can imagine. It was the Great Light. 
LEWIS THOMAS, Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony, 1983 quoted by W.H. Calvin

Syllabus
Week 1 Earth and Sky Chapters 1 and 2

Handouts and assignments include observation and journal requirements for quarter Week 2 Earth and Sky Chapters 3, 4 and 5 In Class: Some notes on Mayan cosmology and Popol Vuh text study
Handout: astronomy and Navajo weaving
Week 3 Earth and Sky Chapters 6 and 7 In Class: Critique the language and perspective of anthropology
Notes on astronomy and Navajo weaving
Films: John Adair "Through Navajo Eyes" series
Week 4 Earth and Sky Chapters 8, 9 and 10 In Class: Sacred Landscape discussion. Karen Aqua film; Sun Dagger film
Notes on the Venus cycle
Week 5 Earth and Sky Chapter 11 In Class: Cosmologies of the Pacific Northwest   Week 6 Earth and Sky Chapter 12, 13 and 14
 Week 7 Earth and Sky Chapter 15 and 16
Week 8 Earth and Sky Epilogue and All of Prehistoric Astronomy in the Southwest. In Class: Introduction to Archeoastronomy
In Class:  Film : Chaco Legacy
Week 9 Prehistoric Astronomy in the Southwest In Class: Films/Southwest Archaeology
Hand in all papers due for credit
Week 10 Summary/Review/What have you learned? 
 

Format for classes:

6-7: Triad conversations on assigned chapters 

7-8: Whole class discussion of books

8-10: Lectures, films, assignments
 

Requirements for credit:

  • Attendance. This will be a large class and an attendance sheet will be passed around.

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    Because each class is an intensive four hour session, two absences or more than 10 minutes late four times, no credit. Attendance will be taken in the first 10 minutes of class. 
     

  • An observation journal and moon observations worksheets. a. At least 15 entries during the quarter in journal. b. At least one full month of moon observations over the quarter. (using handout week 1) Journal is to be typed from your handwritten journal. Pieces of notebook paper, sloppy work, etc. will not be acceptable. Keep copies. I will not return what I am given.

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    Due week nine.
     

  • An annotated bibliography of at least 10 entries. Follow guidelines for annotation and use standard MLA style guidelines. Typed, neatly presented. Select and review at least 10 articles or books on any culture represented in either text. Keep copies. I will not return these. Due week nine.

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    Due week ten 
     

  • Evaluations. Course only students will receive credit or no credit with a short paragraph description of the class. Evaluation will note that you have completed all the work to the standards required. No conferences. Horizons students should include their own evaluation of their work in the course in Horizons self-evaluations. Completion of course will be noted in Horizon faculty evaluations. Again, credit or no credit with a description of the work completed.