Course Number: ARC 471k/571k
Year: Elec
Credit Hours: 3
Semester(s): Fall
Prerequisites: none
Instructor(s): Dennis Doxtater
Course Description:
This new interdisciplinary course is taught by Dennis Doxtater (architect/anthropologist) and John Fountain (astronomer/archaeoastronomer). It will examine the techniques, accuracy and motivations of traditional and/or prehistoric peoples as they laid out small and large scale geometric patterns connecting prominent natural features such as mountains or heavenly objects either among themselves, or to built form. Typically these two areas of study concerning spatial and material culture tend to be considered separately--landscape ritual by social anthropologists, archaeologists, landscape historians and geographers, and archaeoastronomy primarily by astronomers. Ethnographically, however, there is much apparent overlap between performing ritual in symbolic landscape frameworks and timing many of these same experiences by observations of heavenly bodies. Our objectives are to introduce the two areas of study and encourage new ideas about their interrelationships. This course is cross-listed with ANTH 471k/571k.
Course Structure & Topics
First portions of the class will focus on prehistoric abilities to know the earth and the sky, the technical means of creating related geometric patterns, and statistical ways to verify design intention as distinct from randomly occurring pattern phenomena. With this introduction, the class will then focus more directly on published literature about different cultures and their use of landscape and architectural space, with an emphasis on those in the Native American Southwest. Some field exercises may be possible, but the primary student products for the semester will be investigations of particular sites in particular cultures via published literature, maps, Google, etc. Topics for each week are as follows:
Week 1: Introduction from both faculty
Week 2: Prehistoric surveying
Week 3: Prehistoric surveying exercise
Week 4: Definition and goals of archaeoastronomy
Week 5: Archaeoastronomy exercise
Week 6: Critique: Mystery of Chaco Canyon
Week 7: Assigned LR and student selected reading
Week 8: Assigned AA and student selected reading
Week 9: Guest lecture; student proposals due
Week 10: Assigned LR and student reading
Week 11: Guest lecture; AA and student reading
Week 12: Student readings / presentations
Week 13: Student readings / presentations
Week 14: Student presentations
Course Requirements
Readings will be required and assigned for each class period. Students will be required to discuss in class the progress of their term project more than once during the semester. Final term projects will be presented to the class.
Students will be given a semester grade, of which 90% is determined from the semester paper, and 10% from class participation. Graduate papers will be in the range of 25-30 pages, while undergraduate papers will be 15-20 pages.
Grading policy is as follows:
A Excellent 90-100%
B Good 80-89%
C Average 70-79%
D Minimum Passing 60-69%
E Failure 0-59%
Final grades will be determined by totaling each student's numerical scores, as follows:
Undergraduates:
Participation 10%
Term Paper/Project 90%
Graduates:
First paper 10%
Term Paper/Project 90%
