Syllabus: Seeing Ourselves in the Night Sky: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Astronomy and Culture (from HSYLC Beijing 2024)
Day 1 of my HSYLC course. See the note for more information.
Note: I taught this course in Beijing as part of the Harvard Association for US-China Relations' Summit for Young Leaders in China (HSYLC). I have made the syllabus for this course public and available to anyone who wishes to learn more about the relationship between astronomy and human cultures. Please note that HSYLC asks that no one besides myself redistribute or reuse this syllabus without their express permission; please message me if you'd like to use this syllabus for any purpose other than sharing. I am willing and able to give additional talks or courses on this topic; please email williamgottemoller@gmail.com for inquiries.
Seeing Ourselves in the Night Sky: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Astronomy and Culture
Introduction
Dear HSYLC Participant,
Welcome to HSYLC Beijing 2024! I am so happy that you’ll be joining us this August (and I’m so excited to join you guys), and even more happy that you’re considering taking my class!! Our seminar, Seeing Ourselves in the Night Sky: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Astronomy and Culture, will provide an overview of (1) various human cultures’ relationship with the night sky, (2) the influence of astronomy on the development of societies, (3) the influence of culture in the science of astronomy, and (4) how the night sky brings connection to otherwise disconnected groups, peoples and nations. While, as an aspiring astronomer, I of course chose this class so I could teach the science that I love, I am more so teaching it to demonstrate to you that science is a grounds for a lot more than science, and astronomy a grounds for a lot more than astronomy. Beyond deriving equations to find the circumference of the Earth and learning about how the stories of people from 2,000 years ago shape how we navigate the cosmos today, you will be introduced to the idea that astronomy can demonstrate our place and our oneness in the universe, and be a grounds for cooperation between people, peoples, cultures and countries. As a graduate of this program, I hope that the lessons in astronomy we learn in August will help you lead the life of love, objectivity, acceptance and collaboration that makes the practice of science so valuable to human societies now, and hopefully valuable to all relations, both foreign and domestic, in the future.
From the moment I was able to speak, my parents would tell me I was a lot like my grandfather, Bill (the inspiration for my name, William, and my nickname, Billy), who died months before I was born. Born and raised in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee (a city in the Midwest of the United States), my parents catered to my interest in astronomy while emphasizing to me the value of collaboration, respect, and love for all beings. While I will be an astronomer, I wish to be a science communicator, philosopher, and above all a teacher: I believe that advancing science not only requires intensive research, but also a commitment to teaching the next generation of scientists, and leading them to prioritize collaboration. As a science communicator, I also believe that science should be accessible to all of us, experts or not; so if you are worried that you may not have the requisite knowledge to take this class, worry not–the only requirement for this course is curiosity (and I’m sure you have that). While astronomy is a significant facet of my life, I am also quite a hobbyist. I have half-meter and third-meter (that is, the diameter of the mirror) telescopes, and I frequently travel around the United States to observe with them. I also love to hike (will be asking for recommendations near Beijing!). Beyond that, I love to spend time with family and friends, watch and play basketball, write, and run.
Following my belief that collaboration and love are paramount to the pursuit of knowledge, I believe that the concepts of this class–humans’ relationship with the night sky, the influence of astronomy on human societies, and all else–are secondary. My hope is that you will come out of this seminar with an understanding of humans’ relationship with astronomy and an appreciation of the curiosity that brings us all, no matter where we’re from or what we believe in, together.
Keep looking up, and see you in August!
William J. Gottemoller
Seminar Description
Seminar Leader: William J. Gottemoller
Concentration/Class Year: Astrophysics, ℅ 2027
Title of Seminar: Seeing Ourselves in the Night Sky: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Astronomy and Culture
Seminar Category: Social Studies
Seminar Description: Carl Sagan, science communicator, astronomer, and author of the “Cosmos” TV show, once wrote that “We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” For thousands of years, the night sky has been central to the development of culture, and the imprints of culture have been central to the development of astronomy. This seminar will explore how ancient and near-ancient cultures kickstarted the development of astronomy (and science more broadly), how their cultural interpretations of the heavens still influence astrophysics today, and how human cultures are influenced by the study of astronomy. Our class will emphasize the collective curiosity, intense collaboration and appreciation of the night sky that all cultures, modern and ancient, possess together, no matter their differences or relationships with one another. Topics covered will include the stories behind the names of constellations and stars (and their utility in astronomy today), early discoveries in astronomy (e.g. earth’s curvature, retrograde motion, planets) and their influence on modern human society, how wonder about the heavens connects otherwise disconnected cultures from one another (both in the past as well as the present), and the lessons that the night sky–which all of us see together, even if separated by politics or borders–can teach us. This seminar will conclude with collaborative, case study-style student presentations on the interplay between astronomy and culture.
Syllabus
Prehistoric Astronomy (Note: 10% of your grade is participation in the seminar!)
Discussion: What does the night sky mean to us?
While it is impossible to speak for every human, wonder about the night sky is something that makes us human. Here, we will consider what we feel when we are under the night sky, and start to think about how these feelings–especially on a broader scale–can provide the foundation for cultures, religions, sciences and worldviews.
If you were under an incredibly dark sky (in the middle of the Gobi Desert, for example), how would you feel?
As we are human, our feelings about the night sky could help us build foundations for how/why the night sky plays such a critical role in the development of cultures.
How does inherent wonder about the night sky contribute to what we believe in?
If you knew that the Andromeda Galaxy, a galaxy 2.3 million light years away from us, exists, how might your understanding of our place in the universe change? What if you knew absolutely nothing about the night sky? What feelings might that sky bring to you?
Introduction to Astronomy, Culture, and the Relationships Between Them
We will broadly overview (1) what the study of astronomy is, (2) what historic human cultures look like, (3) how the relationship between astronomy and culture was established, and (4) what those relationships tell us about ourselves, our cultures, and the study of astronomy/science.
Prehistoric Astronomy: What did the night sky mean to us before we “settled down”?
We (likely) knew very little about the cosmos before we developed agriculture. Here, we will consider astronomy in the context of prehistoric cultures.
Where did the natural sciences come from?
What role did the night sky play in prehistoric cultures, specifically in the context of known artifacts (art)?
How did prehistoric wonder about the night sky lead to astrology?
To what extent was the influence of the night sky on prehistoric cultures determined by local environmental conditions?
We will consider how prehistoric relationships with the night sky might have led into various cultural interpretations after the Neolithic Revolution.
Interactive Activity: Imagine you are a prehistoric human, and, for just a moment, you see something in the sky change (I will be choosing a celestial event that you will not be able to explain away with your knowledge). How would you react to that change?
Ancient and Near-Ancient Astronomy (6000 to 0 BCE)
Ancient and Near-Ancient Astronomy (in culture and religion)
Here, we will consider how astronomy played a role in developing the stories and mythologies of ancient civilizations, from China to Greece to the Americas. Particular attention will be paid to the similarities between these cultures’ interpretations, and how, like agriculture, certain astronomical/astrological concepts developed concurrently across civilizations.
How did developing understanding of the night sky influence how cultures viewed the heavens?
How did cultures use the night sky as a canvas to tell their stories/mythologies?
How can we use the night sky to learn about cultures’ relationships with the night sky?
What similarities can we draw between cultures’ interpretations of the night sky?
Ancient and Near-Ancient Astronomy (in science)
As the oldest natural science, all science can be traced back to our study of astronomy. Here, we will examine how the study of astronomy influenced the development of science, and how we interpreted the night sky in ancient/near-ancient times. We will consider various experiments and scientific discoveries made by astronomers in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, prior to the common era (that is, over 2,000 years ago).
How did astronomy influence the development of science?
Was there an imbalance in discovery between different cultures?
To what extent did discoveries in astronomy inform cultural interpretations of the night sky?
How did measurements of astronomical phenomena influence architecture, astrology, and dogma in ancient and near-ancient cultures?
How did astronomical discoveries in early cultures influence the development of science later on?
What did earlier cultures know that later cultures did not know? Are there things that earlier cultures knew that we do not know now?
Ancient and Near-Ancient Astronomy (Intellectual Trade)
Especially in Eurasia and Africa, the trade of ideas became critical to the blending of cultural interpretations of the night sky. Here, we will consider how intellectual trade influenced and upheld the idea that, while the substantive cultural interpretations of the night sky may be different, the inherent wonder about the night sky was the same.
Discussion activity (if we have time): You will be given a map of the night sky with some important figures (that is, constellations from multiple cultures, star names, etc.). How did ancient cultures imprint their mythologies onto the night sky, and how does the agglomeration of those cultural interpretations influence astronomy today?
Astronomy in the (more recent) Past (0 to 1500 CE)
Astronomy in the (more recent) Past: Culture and the Night Sky
With the Islamic Golden Age, the rise of several Chinese empires (and their associated scientific achievements), the novel presence of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and the influence of African and Eastern European sources, our cultural understanding of astronomy evolved quite significantly from its mythological origins. Here, we will consider
How did past interpretations of the night sky influence the development of new interpretations?
How did the cultural imprint on the night sky evolve as the exchange of ideas and the formation of new cultures brought more interpretations to the night sky?
How did astrology evolve as our understanding of astronomy did?
We will discuss the similarities and differences of these new interpretations of the cosmos versus more ancient interpretations.
Astronomy in the (more recent) Past: Science
Here, we will consider how scientific practice evolved with newer cultures, and advanced (and sent backwards) knowledge of the world around us.
How did intellectual trade advance science in Eurasia?
How did more isolated cultures (e.g. the Mayans or Incas) develop science?
What role did wonder about the night sky play in spurring the natural sciences?
How did various cultural interpretations of the night sky affect the science of astronomy?
How did interpretations of celestial events change as we understood more about astronomy?
Our Imprint on the Sky (1)
We will emphasize how different cultures affected the night sky, and especially how they affect the study of astronomy today. At this point, dozens of civilizations will have contributed to naming conventions, star charts, constellations, and other facets of the night sky. We will have discussed in the last class the imprint that earlier cultures placed on the night sky; but with the meteoric rise in scientific knowledge from 0-1500 CE, the cultural imprint on the night sky became far more all-encompassing.
What role do early constellations play in finding objects today?
How are Islamic and ancient Greek/Roman naming conventions still relevant to astronomy (amateur and professional) today?
Influence of Astronomy from the Past on the Near-Past, Present and Future
Interactive: Here, we will find a solution to some problem in astronomy specifically concerned with the night sky. While we will be using algebra to solve the problem, equally important in our calculations will be the cultural imprints on the sky that we will be looking at. We will solve the problem and then discuss how past and present civilizations influenced the problem and its solution.
Influence of Past Astronomy on Present Astronomy
Astronomy has changed significantly over time, but the wonder that connects us to the night sky has not; as our first natural science, astronomy has a familiarity and accessibility that no other science can match: Every concept in astronomy has cultural undertones. Here, we will explore how past developments in astronomy influence astronomy today, and thus how the cultures of past civilizations still influence us today.
Modern Astronomy, Space Races
Amateur and Professional Astronomy Today
As our technology improves and our lighting increases, our connection with the night sky has only decreased, but we still harbor that same curiosity our ancestors had. We must, however, ask ourselves:
What parallels can we draw between astronomy today and astronomy in the past?
How has technology changed how we view/approach astronomy?
How does wonder about the night sky connect us with our ancestors?
Spaceflight
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched “Sputnik”, the first-ever space-faring probe. Since then, thousands of probes have been released, including major space missions/races such as the race to the moon, the development of “Starlink,” and other missions. These missions, while scientific and diplomatic in nature, have intense cultural undertones. Let us consider:
What about our nature does spaceflight appeal to?
How is spaceflight similar to the earthly voyages we made before we mapped the world?
What parallels can be drawn between space exploration and modern cultures?
Practices in Collaboration
Space exploration is one of the few things that unite countries without strong diplomatic ties. Let us think about:
How can astronomy unite us when we’d otherwise be divided?
What lessons can we learn from collaboration in astronomy and spaceflight?
How does wonder about astronomy unite us as one people, rather than as subset groups?
Our Imprint on the Sky (2)
With the rise of space-faring technologies (e.g. satellites, space telescopes, manned spacecraft, etc.) and our outsized ability to catalog deep sky objects, our imprint on the night sky has changed significantly, from solely naming conventions to physical impacts on the sky. Here, we will discuss how our imprint on the night sky has changed over time, and how even our interpretations of the sky now are influenced by past cultures.
Competition, Collaboration, and Relations Through Astronomy
Astronomy as a Means of Unity
Following from “Practices in Collaboration”, we will explore how the commonalities that every culture possesses in its relationship with astronomy can unite peoples who are otherwise divided.
How has astronomy contributed to international relations?
How can what we know about astronomy (e.g. that we’re small) increase “oneness,” the recognition that we are one people on one planet–that we are all dependent on each other?
Astronomy as a Means of Division
Astronomy is not only unifying, however. We must also consider how warring ideas in astronomy (and science) can divide us as well, and what our role is in addressing that.
How do conflicting ideas in science (and thus, astronomy) contribute to divisions among scientists, peoples and governments?
How might spaceflight contribute to increased division?
How do different cultural interpretations of the night sky separate cultures?
How can divisions between cultures caused by astronomy be remedied with astronomy?
Takeaways
Astronomy can demonstrate to us our “oneness”, our smallness, and our connection to each other.
The cultural foundations of astronomy are equally important to science as the study of astronomy itself.
Final project introduction (“Final” near end of syllabus!)
I will be providing a short example to provide the format you will be expected to follow.
Final Project Day
Optional Readings:
Reading 1: “Wanderers: An Introduction” and “You Are Here” from Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot
Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994.
Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot discusses the prospects of future space exploration, the role of astronomy and large space-oriented projects as builders of collaboration, and the importance of prioritizing where we live now over prospects about where we will live next. For the purpose of this seminar, I am asking you to read only the prologue and the first chapter (pp. 5-13 ).
Reading 2: “Chaco Cosmology”
Solstice Project, n.d.
The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an indigenous people who inhabited the southwest region of the United States around a thousand years ago. Chaco Canyon, located in New Mexico (in the Southwest region of the United States), is the site of the “Pyramids of the West,” a set of fourteen complexes that the Anasazi designed, twelve of which were built to align with celestial events (such as the spring equinox). The story behind this massive complex, as we will see, hints at much of what we will learn in this class.
Glossary:
Astronomy: The study of objects in the night sky and the behavior of the universe.
Galaxy: A large system of stars, gas, planets, and other objects that are gravitationally bound to each other. We are in the Milky Way galaxy.
Celestial Object: Any visible object in the night sky, like a star or a planet.
Constellation: A grouping of stars that “resembles” a shape, often serving as symbols of a culture’s mythology (e.g. Perseus, a hero in Greek mythology, is also a constellation).
Culture: The beliefs, customs, and expressions of a particular group of people. Cultures are often influenced by their surrounding environment, and particularly the night sky; for example, the ancient Greeks thought that the night sky represented the conditions of the world below, with the constellations Eridanus, Aquarius and Pisces (visible from Greece in early fall) symbolizing the beginning of Greece’s rainy season (also in early fall).
Space Race: Any “battle” between two groups (e.g. companies, countries) to achieve some shared ambition in space.
Astrology: Though your SL is not a big fan of astrology, the practice has played a central role in the development of astronomy–and once, astrology and astronomy were much the same practice. Astrology is the study of human behavior and earthly events (e.g. characteristics like kindness, or events like earthquakes) resulting from particular positions of celestial objects in the night sky.
Mythology: A folklore, similar to religion, with stories that play primary roles in the development, structure and beliefs/values of a society.
Prehistoric: Referring to “prehistory”, a time before humans first developed agriculture.
International Astronomical Union: The global governing body for research astronomers, responsible for promoting the study and acceptance of astronomy.
Islamic Golden Age: A period, from the eighth to the thirteenth century, during which science flourished in the modern-day Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
Homework (40%):
Homework Assignment
For this homework assignment, you will find an important “Earthly” measurement using the same method a certain Greek astronomer employed over two millennia earlier. You will also be asked to find ways to explain a concept of your choice to people (1) who cannot speak your language at all and (2) provide you no place to draw your ideas. While there are no prerequisites for this class, you are expected to know a bit of algebra for the first problem; the second problem only requires your imagination (+ about 100 words and some illustrations)!
60% Question 1, 40% Question 2
Final (50%): For the final project, you will organize into groups of 2-3 and present on the relationship a culture of your choice (from anywhere or any time) had/has with astronomy, both in science and broader society. Your group will be expected to create a short (~10 minute) presentation that will touch on any element of that culture you deem important (so long as it is related to astronomy/science and the broader content of this class). Have fun and do not hesitate to be creative! A shortened example will be provided to you on our sixth day of class.
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