Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 18, No 4, (2018), pp. 485-490 Copyright © 2018 MAA Open Access. Printed in Greece. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1477960

CULTURAL DEGREE IN HONDURAS: THE NEXT FORMATIVE STEP FOR THE DISCIPLINE

Javier Mejuto1, Eduardo Rodas-Quito2

1Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras ([email protected]) 2Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras ([email protected])

Received: 05/02/2018 Accepted: 12/05/2018

ABSTRACT The need for a university training program in Cultural Astronomy has been pointed out by several academ- ics for years. The arrival to the discipline of professionals from different fields has resulted in a lack of standardization in the field studies. This paper describes the process of design, creation and implementation of the first Cultural Astronomy Degree carried out by the Department of and Cultural Astronomy of the Space Science Faculty of the National University Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH). The conception of the program through the analysis made of the academic tendencies in Cultural Astronomy on a global scale is summarized below. The program itself is described, detailing each of the sub- jects and modules that make up the program and the different competences that complement the knowledge of the graduates. Finally, the academic and social objectives pursued by the implementation of this program in Central America are explained.

KEYWORDS: Cultural Astronomy, Degree, Inclusion and Equity, Cultural Pertinence in Education

486 J. MEJUTO & E. RODAS-QUITO

1. INTRODUCTION (Hamacher, 2014). Making this possible was the mo- Development and conceptualization of the disci- tivation behind the development of the very first pline by Stanislaw Iwaniszewski in the 1990s has Cultural Astronomy degree, made possible through provided the framework for disciplinary growth and a curriculum contextualized in the disciplinary his- methodological standardization (Iwaniszewski 1990, torical moment and Central American, specially ap- 1991, 1994). We agree that there are, since its disci- plied to the case of Honduras, social reality which is plinary inception, large and numerous challenges to shared by most countries of Latin America and the achieve of the field, but perhaps the most world. fundamental one is the need for a common and co- This academic program has been developed over herent academic formation possibilities that will al- the last three years by the Archaeoastronomy and low quality standards in studies by different profes- Cultural Astronomy Department at Universidad sionals in the area around the world, Duane Nacional Autonoma de Honduras (UNAH). It is the Hamacher made an interesting explanation of the result of a condensed experience in research, out- heterogeneous path to became a professional in Cul- reach and teaching of the department’s nine years of tural Astronomy through academic studies existence.

Figure 1: Global Spatial distribution of Cultural Astronomy academic programs (1: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, 2: Colgate University, 3: Politecnico de Milano, 4: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 5: University of Leicester, 6: University of Wales, 7: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 8: Ilia State University) The program’s design process was initiated by any information regarding currently formal means of a diagnostic of similar educational experi- studies in other countries or continents. ences worldwide (Mejuto, 2015). Following this vi- ▪ Only official university courses were taken sion, we focus on the Honduran and Central Ameri- into account, non-periodical courses or work- can reality, including -as a result- equity and inclu- shops were not included. Usually this non sion values and competencies. The aim to include formal or periodical courses have a very dif- this is that graduated students work as promoters of ferent learning outcomes than a degree. social changes through cultural astronomy. This ap- These subjects were divided in 4 groups: elective proach will break the classical paradigm of research- subjects in undergraduate program, selective sub- er and object of study in ethnoastronomical studies. jects subjects in posgraduate program, subjects in master program and subjects in PhD program sub- 2. METHODOLOGY jects. Among the parameters that were included in Prior to the curriculum design process, a compar- this comparison were also taken into account if pre- ative approach to the global tendencies and academ- vious studies are needed to study the subjects and, if ic programs was developed focused in the following so, which and to what degree. As a result of this main parameters: comparison we could make a spatial distribution ▪ Only European and American universities map (see Figure 1) which gives a general idea of were considered because we couldn’t find

Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 18, No 4, (2018), pp. 485-490 CULTURAL ASTRONOMY DEGREE IN HONDURAS: THE NEXT FORMATIVE STEP FOR THE DISCIPLINE 487

which cultural areas are more commonly studied institutions and programs are shown in original lan- and by which countries’ researchers. guage. If type of academic programs does not appear Also, in Table 1 the distribution by type of study means it is program independent or it is a complete can be seen. For further research and information the program itself.

Table 1: Academic programs and subjects [E=Elective, S=Selective, M=Mandatory]. Subjects and institutions are in original language for comparison. SUBJECT TYPE INSTITUTION Introducción a la Arqueoas- E Facultad de Ciencias Espaciales, tronomía UNAH Introducción a la Arqueoas- E Facultad de Ciencias Espaciales, tronomía Maya UNAH Astronomy in E Colgate University Comparative Cosmologies E Colgate University

UNDERGRADUATE Archeoastronomia M Scuola di Architettura Civile, Politecnico de Milano Exploración geofísica y ori- S Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, Uni- entación topoastro-nómica de versidad Complutense de Madrid yacimientos arqueológicos Seminarios en Arqueoastronomía S Facultad de Ciencias Espaciales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras MA Cultural Astronomy and Sophia center for the study of

Astrology cosmology in culture, University POSGRADUATE of Wales Ph.D program in cultural astron- School of Arts & Sciences, Ilia omy and archaeoastronomy State University

Diplomado en Arqueoastronomía Facultad de Ciencias Espaciales, Maya UNAH Seminarios en Arqueoastronomía Escuela Nacional de Antropología

FORMAL e Historia, Universidad Nacional

- Autónoma de México

School Research Seminar Series School of Archaeology & Ancient NON NON History, University of Leicester

Once this first comparison of the academic pro- comparison with other disciplines. As previously grams was made, a survey that explored the needs mentioned, their inclusion by universities as taught and interests of the future students of the Degree in programs level is still minimal. Either way, they can Cultural Astronomy was carried out, as well as those be divided into three major groups: undergraduate of their future employers. To this end, this survey studies, postgraduate studies and non-formal cours- was conducted on the following focal groups: high es. school students of the final year, university students Among the undergraduate studies we have five of the National Autonomous University of Hondu- related to cultural astronomy that are divided into ras, students of subjects taught by the Department of four general elective subjects and one compulsory in Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy, field a degree from another discipline. Among the post- professionals, potential employers in the country graduate studies we have four that are divided into and the public general. The distribution of the sam- an optional subject in a master's program from an- ples made between the focus groups can be seen in other discipline, a mandatory subject in a master's Figure 2. The distribution of the country of origin of degree from another discipline, a master's degree in the surveyed professionals is shown in Figure 3. cultural astronomy and a doctoral program in Cul- tural Astronomy. Finally, as non-formal studies we 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION have a diploma and 2 research seminars. 3.1 Cultural Astronomy in Academy In Europe the most traditional studies in Cultural Astronomy are located in England, in the Faculty of Currently there are very few examples of academ- Archaeology and Ancient History of the University ic programs in cultural astronomy (see Table 1), in of Leicester. Their courses in Archaeoastronomy con-

Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 18, No 4, (2018), pp. 485-490 488 J. MEJUTO & E. RODAS-QUITO

tain a general elective subject that covers introducto- in the Faculty of Space Sciences of the National Au- ry aspects of the discipline and is being managed by tonomous University of Honduras. These two sub- Prof. Clive Ruggles. It is an 11-week course divided jects are: Introduction to Archaeoastronomy and In- into four thematic blocks: nature and development troduction to Maya Archaeoastronomy. As its name of Archaeoastronomy, Astronomy in prehistoric indicates, they are of an introductory nature with a Britain and Ireland, Archaeoastronomy of the world strong knowledge component in Mesoamerican cul- and field trips. tures. The subjects are taught 3 times in the academic Also, general electives are the subjects of the only year with several sections for each of the subjects, university department of the discipline, the Depart- exceeding 300 students in the course in both cases. ment of Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy

Figure 2: Sample segments for pre-program survey

Figure 3: Professionals asked by country for pre-program survey The following course, Archeoastronomia, taught the program for Native American Studies. The two by Giulio Magli, is included in the curricula of the subjects: Astronomy in culture and Comparative Architectural Design degree program of the Poly- cosmologies are part of the elective subjects eligible technic Institute of Milan. It has a strong component for the graduates of the Native American studies of Roman and Egyptian , because they are program, as it is obvious, they deal with aspects of the areas in which Magli has been researching dur- American Indian cultures and do not deal with other ing his professional career. cultural or geographical niches. The latest undergraduate subjects are those taught Now changing to postgraduate studies, we will by Prof. Aveni teaches at Colgate University within begin with the optional subject Geophysical explora-

Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 18, No 4, (2018), pp. 485-490 CULTURAL ASTRONOMY DEGREE IN HONDURAS: THE NEXT FORMATIVE STEP FOR THE DISCIPLINE 489

tion and topoastronomic orientation of archaeologi- The subjects are grouped as follows: cal sites, within the Master in Geophysics of the Fac- Social Sciences module: ulty of Physical Sciences of the Complutense Univer- Anthropology, Mathematical Logic, Fundamen- sity of Madrid. It is taught by María de Gracia tals and Methodology of Archaeology, Cultural His- Rodríguez-Caderot and María Luisa Cerdeño who, tory, Ethnology, Fundamentals of Linguistics, Physi- in turn, run the research group in archaeoastronomy cal Geography, Human Geography, Tradition and of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, with Oral History, Ethnohistory, Epigraphy, Cultural which Juan Antonio Belmonte directs in the Canary Heritage and its Management. Islands are the two current research groups in the Natural Sciences module: most relevant field in Spain. Mathematics, Geometry and Trigonometry, Calcu- Again, in the Department of Archaeoastronomy lus, Vectors and Matrices, Physics, Introduction to and Cultural Astronomy of Honduras we find a sub- Astronomy, Position Astronomy, History of Astron- ject, Seminars in Archaeoastronomy, within the pro- omy and Statistics. gram of the Central American Regional Academic Cultural Astronomy module: Master's Degree in Astronomy and Foundations of Cultural Astronomy, History and (MARCAA). It is a subject based on research carried Theory of Cultural Astronomy, Foundations in Epis- out in the department itself and aimed at students temology, Cultural Astronomy in Oceania, Africa, knowing the basic disciplinary notions as well as the Asia, America and Europe, Methods in Cultural As- techniques of Cultural Astronomy. tronomy, Ethnoastronomy, Compared cosmologies, The two following programs are the only two cas- Cultural aspects of calendars, Fieldwork, Research es that we have until the moment that can be consid- seminar and 3 elective subjects -between Urbanism ered as degrees in Cultural Astronomy. This is the and Astronomy, Astronomy in the art and architec- Master in Astronomy Culture and Astrology taught ture, Cultural aspects of the mesoamerican ballgame, since 2002 (Brady and Bird, 2013, Campion and Mal- Nahuatl, Indigenous and autochthonous honduran ville, 2011), and since 2008 only in virtual mode, languages, Mesoamerican languages, Archaeoas- within the Faculty of Archeology, History and An- tronomy in Honduras, in Hondu- thropology of the University of Wales. The master's ras and . degree consists of 180 ECTS credits, with compulso- In addition to these subjects a series of cross mod- ry modules of 20 ECTS credits each: Introduction to ule competences will complement the training of the cultural astronomy and astrology, Research methods: graduates. These competences will be: Outreach, Ethnography and field work, . Research and Diversity, inclusion and equity. The course is completed with the choice of one of the 4. CONCLUSIONS three itineraries: The inner cosmos, Stars and stones and Earth and Sky, and a subject from one of the This formative experience is intended to cover one other two remaining along with a dissertation. of the most pressing needs in Cultural Astronomy, Finally, the PhD program of the School of Arts the need of standardization of professional academic and Sciences of the Ilia State University that includes formation. The inclusion of formative processes in in its curriculum: Special Course of Astronomy, Cul- the academic environment is key in order to obtain tural Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy, Landscape Cultural Astronomy recognition between archaeolo- Archaeology, Ancient History. According to their gists, and other disciplines that tradi- curriculum information that shows the doctorate, to tionally have a very difficult relationship with Cul- be a free 4-year program. tural Astronomy. Additionally an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary amalgamation will provide 3.2 Cultural Astronomy degree best tools for future professionals to obtain the ulti- The definitive Cultural Astronomy degree pro- mate disciplinary development. Finally, a standardi- gram is a competency-based program and it will zation of the methodologies will avoid the one pre- consist in a 47 subjects grouped into 4 major groups viously referred by Iwaniszewski as “methodologi- that correspond to the different epistemologies that cal chaos” allowing a dialogue between field profes- make up the interdisciplinary nature of Cultural As- sionals. tronomy: Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Specific Professional possibilities were also considered in subjects in Cultural Astronomy and other subjects the design process, including most common work related to other disciplines and some subjects that areas for cultural astronomers nowadays. The pro- are of forced inclusion due to the Honduran educa- gram reflects a mesoamerican approach but can be tional system (Honduran History, Spanish, Sociolo- easily adapted to any cultural context and can be gy, Philosophy, English, 2 elective subjects in sports developed in any country; this is possible because in and natural sciences).

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its very core, the program includes the global roots. This peoples have been historical and system- tendencies of the discipline and labor niches. atically excluded by a postcolonial society. It is ex- The process of creating this program is based on pected that a respectful and non-colonial based ap- the experience accumulated by the Department of proach to their astronomical heritage will have a Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy at Uni- positive impact on the social recognition improving versidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras for al- public policies that benefit the excluded original most ten years. This academic department is im- peoples and, therefore, to the entire population in mersed in the Central American social and cultural the Central American society. reality and as consequence it is devoted to social de- To conclude, just commenting that the implemen- velopment of the Central American countries. Trying tation of the program is at the expense of final ap- to achieve this aim we search for a deep understand- proval by the management of Higher Education in ing of contemporary peoples and their cultures in Honduras and it is expected that it will be approved the mesoamerican region with clear archaeological in 2018. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy Department’s staff that in to a greater or lesser extent they have contributed to the achievement and writing of this educational program. REFERENCES Brady, B. and Bird, A. (2013) A Niche Degree: a Case Study of an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. Diskus Vol. 14, pp. 55–69. Campion, N. and Malville, M. (2011) Masters-level education in archaeoastronomy at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. In “Oxford IX” International Symposium on Archaeoastronomy. Interna- tional Astronomical Union Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 278, 2011. Clive L. N. Ruggles (ed.). Hamacher, D. (2014) Studying Cultural Astronomy for a Career - a Guide. http://aboriginalastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/12/studying-cultural-astronomy-for-career.html Mejuto, J. (2015) Tendencias curriculares en Astronomía Cultural. Revista Ciencias Espaciales, Vol.7, No. 2, 2014. Iwaniszewski, S. (1990) Astronomiia kak kul'turnaia sistema, Na rubezhakh poznaniia vselennoy, A. A. Gurshtein, Moskva, Nauka, pp.67–73. Iwaniszewski, S. (1991) Astronomy as a , Interdisciplinarni izsledvaniya, Vol. 18, pp. 282–288. Iwaniszewski, S. (1994) De la Astroarqueología a la Astronomía Cultural, Trabajos de Prehistoria, Vol. 51(2), pp. 5–20.

Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 18, No 4, (2018), pp. 485-490