# 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/&nbsp](https://freerads.org/science-scope-full/ ); - Practice Science Paper - Choose one article from either: AstroBites ‘Classics’ or AAS Historical Astronomy Division ‘This Week in Astronomical History” [https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history&nbsp](https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history ); - Challenge Question Suggested Reading - “Lost in Space” [http://bostonreview.net/science-nature/alina-utrata-lost-space&nbsp](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&nbsp](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-…](https://reason.com/2021/07/20/bezos-launching-into-space-will-probably-make-your-life-better-too/?te=1&nl=the-morning&emc=edit_nn_20210721 ); 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’ or AAS Historical Astronomy Division ‘This Week in Astronomical History” [https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history&nbsp](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…](https://eos.org/features/hear-ye-hear-ye-a-declaration-of-the-rights-of-the-moon#.YPijKMYAeEA.twitter ); - Declaration of the Rights of the Moon [https://www.earthlaws.org.au/moon-declaration/&nbsp](https://www.earthlaws.org.au/moon-declaration/ ); - Should Rivers Have Rights? [https://e360.yale.edu/features/should-rivers-have-rights-a-growing-move…](https://e360.yale.edu/features/should-rivers-have-rights-a-growing-movement-says-its-about-time ); W3: Methodology - Reading - Smithsonian Institute, “How to do Oral History”, [https://siarchives.si.edu/history/how-do-oral-history&nbsp](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…](https://contingentmagazine.org/2020/04/21/the-five-oral-history-commandments/ ); - 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&nbsp](https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2008/2008.07270.pdf ); - Building Scientific Literacy - Choose one article from either: AstroBites ‘Classics’ or AAS Historical Astronomy Division ‘This Week in Astronomical History” [https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history&nbsp](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&nbsp](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. ###### ![Illustration by Nadieh Bremer showing glowing stars against a dark blue background. The stars are connected with thin lines representing asterism boundaries.](/sites/g/files/omnuum1806/files/wolbachlibrary/files/figures_in_the_stars_detail_5.png) [Figures in the Sky](https://figuresinthesky.visualcinnamon.com/) detail, Nadieh Bremer