WGS 2660 - Southwest Studies in the US

Credits: 4

This team-taught cross-disciplinary course with a focus on ethnicity, gender and culture and one or two additional areas including ecology and/or astronomy combine to form a coherent picture of one of the most diverse parts of the United States, the Southwest of New Mexico and Arizona. The course focuses on Native American, Chicana/o/Hispanic and Anglo forces that shape the land and influence the arts and architecture. We will examine Native American traditions, spirituality, gender, myths and rituals. In addition we will focus on two of the desert ecosystems of the Southwestern US, the Chihuahuan and Sonoran, and the boundaries between them. The dominant plants and animals will be examined. And/or students will study astronomy and archeo-astronomy. The Southwest includes the best observing sites in the continental US and we will examine optical and radio astronomy, and investigate the relationship of the sky to Anasazi culture and the astronomical alignments of the ruins of Chaco Canyon. The course includes a field trip to the Southwest.
Cross-Listed: SCI2660
Fulfills: D in LS Core