Brief Description
We take for granted our ability to schedule events days, months, or years ahead, but most of us would have no idea how to keep track of time accurately without our digital watches and calendars! In this seminar, we'll discuss methods of keeping time that have been around for centuries, and sometimes millenia. We'll look into how the motions of the Sun, Moon, and planets allowed the builders of Stonehenge, Native American Medicine Wheels, sundials, and other ancient "calendars" to keep track of time. We will also investigate the origin of our own calendar, with its months and years of variable length. You'll have the opportunity to observe the Sun and other celestial objects, and to design your own method or device for keeping time.

Connections & Creativity
This class is rooted in my own specialty of astronomy, but has strong connections to history, sociology, archaeology, spirituality, and art. Students will be encouraged to find their own connections for discussion, papers, and projects which will be shared with the class (and, in some cases, with the campus!).

Overview of Class Goals
My main emphasis in this class will be on critical reading and research skills. These skills will be put to use for participating in and leading class discussions, giving presentations, and writing papers. My hope is that students who succeed in this class will have learned or strengthened these skills, which are so essential in every college-level class they will take. As a secondary benefit, I would wish that my students develop a good understanding of the natural phenomena which underlay our perception of time!

Partial Reading List

• "Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History", by E. G. Richards
• "The Illustrated Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time", by Dava Sobel
• "The Petroglyph Calendar: An Archaeoastronomy Adventure", by H. A. Allen