Cultural Astronomy Bootcamp: An EONS Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Charbonneau 
 

Cultural Astronomy Bootcamp is a one month intensive course designed to quickly introduce themes and methods in the history of science, as well as familiarise the student with basic astronomical literacy. 

Structure: A few hours of reading a week, a once a week “challenge question” to be answered during the staff meeting, a Friday seminar with Dr. Charbonneau, and a small research project at the end of the month. 

Guiding Questions 

• What role does the concept of “objectivity” play in the scientific process?
• How has colonialism and imperialism affected (and continue to affect) astronomy?
• In what ways is astronomy tied to culture?
• Themes: History of science; astronomy; history of ideas; colonialism; scientific racism

Schedule

Week One: Introduction to Cultural Astronomy (Historiography)

• Readings from W1 on reading list
• Weekly challenge: Is space tourism (such as Jeff Bezo’s recent launch) a positive or negative development in the future of spaceflight?
• Friday seminar

Week Two: Introduction to Cultural Astronomy (Case Studies)

• Read both scientific lit and historical lit
• Readings from W2 on reading list 
• Weekly challenge: Do non-human objects (like mountains or planets) have rights?
• Friday seminar

Week Three: Skills in Methodology 

• Readings from W3 on reading list
• Assignment: One practice oral history (see instructions under “oral history project”)
• Assignment: Find one primary source from an astronomy archive and conduct a 1-page analysis.
• Weekly challenge: Does astronomy contribute to the social good?
• Friday seminar

Week Four: Independent Research

• No reading this week.
• Assignment: Investigate existing resources
• Assignment: Select a culture to focus on for prototype and make a short presentation.
• End of first month: 5-10 minute presentation in staff meeting defending choice of culture/method
• No seminar this week.

Assignments 

Weekly Challenge Questions: answer in a few sentences, using one PRIMARY SOURCE and one SECONDARY PUBLICATION to justify your claims. 

• W1: Is space tourism (such as Jeff Bezo’s recent launch) a positive or negative development in the future of spaceflight?
• W2: Do non-human objects (like mountains or planets) have rights?
• W3: Does astronomy contribute to the social good?
• W4: No weekly challenge.

Oral History Project

Interview an astronomer at the CfA for 20 minutes. Use Otter AI to transcribe the interview, and then manually correct. Submit both the audio files and written transcript.

Month One Research Project

The student will spend the week researching and reading to determine which culture they will select for the FITSI prototype. In doing so, the student will develop a preliminary annotated bibliography with secondary sources. The student will then prepare a short (5-10 min) presentation at the Thursday staff meeting justifying the choice, which will be the subject of the initial prototype for FITSI. 

Reading List

W1: Historiography

• Reading
  • Start reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Kimmerer
  • Cronon, William “A Place for Stories: Nature, History, and Narrative”
  • “Science Under the Scope”: https://freerads.org/science-scope-full/ 
• Practice Science Paper 
  • Choose one article from either: AstroBites ‘Classics’ https://astrobites.org/category/daily-paper-summaries/classics/ or AAS Historical Astronomy Division ‘This Week in Astronomical History” https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history 
• Challenge Question Suggested Reading
  • “Lost in Space” http://bostonreview.net/science-nature/alina-utrata-lost-space 
  • Walkowicz, Lucianne (They/Them), “The Freedom Theatre of Billionaires in Space”: https://www.patreon.com/posts/freedom-theater-53721105 
  • “Bezos Launching into Space Will Probably Make Your Life Better Too” https://reason.com/2021/07/20/bezos-launching-into-space-will-probably-…;

W2: Case Studies 

• Reading
  • Finish reading Braiding Sweetgrass
  • Gould, Stephen Jay, “Introduction” in The Mismeasure of Man
  • Charbonneau, Rebecca “Imaginative Cosmos: The Colonial Heritage of Radio Astronomy and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence”
• Watch: Hidden Figures (2016)
• Building Scientific Literacy 
  • Choose one article from either: AstroBites ‘Classics’ https://astrobites.org/category/daily-paper-summaries/classics/ or AAS Historical Astronomy Division ‘This Week in Astronomical History” https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history 
• Challenge Question Suggested Reading
  • Evans, Katy, “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! A Declaration of the Rights of the Moon”, https://eos.org/features/hear-ye-hear-ye-a-declaration-of-the-rights-of…;
  • Declaration of the Rights of the Moon https://www.earthlaws.org.au/moon-declaration/ 
  • Should Rivers Have Rights? https://e360.yale.edu/features/should-rivers-have-rights-a-growing-move…;

W3: Methodology

• Reading
  • Smithsonian Institute, “How to do Oral History”, https://siarchives.si.edu/history/how-do-oral-history 
  • The 5 Oral History Commandments https://contingentmagazine.org/2020/04/21/the-five-oral-history-command…;
  • Building a Framework for Indigenous Astronomy Collaboration, “Native Skywatchers, Indigenous Scientific Knowledge Systems, and The Bell Museum”, https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2008/2008.07270.pdf 
• Building Scientific Literacy 
  • Choose one article from either: AstroBites ‘Classics’ https://astrobites.org/category/daily-paper-summaries/classics/ or AAS Historical Astronomy Division ‘This Week in Astronomical History” https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history 
• Challenge Question Suggested Reading
  • Weinstein, Chanda, et al. “Reframing astronomical research through an anticolonial lens — for TMT and beyond”
  • Thread: https://twitter.com/nksaunders/status/1431327666142023681 

W4: Month One Research Project

• Prepare your own reading list and share with Dr. Charbonneau 
• 5-10 minute presentation at Thursday staff meeting 
• Friday seminar will discuss next steps for plan to develop project.