Highly recommended.
https://iversity.org/en/courses/stonehenge
(This site may be quiet for a while as I participate in the course.)
About this course
Course Summary
When was Stonehenge built? Who built it? How was it built? Why was it built? Answers cannot be promised to all of these, but we can get better at asking the questions and work towards solutions. We can look at how people have responded to Stonehenge. Most of all we can begin to think about what Stonehenge means to us.
What do I learn?
- To understand present archaeological thinking about Stonehenge.
- To evaluate responses to Stonehenge in art, literature, music, architecture and culture.
- To consider your own response to Stonehenge, expressed through two peer-evaluated mini-essays.
What do I need too know?
No entry requirements. This MOOC is open to all.
Course Structure
Chapter 1: The Stonehenge Landscape Stonehenge as a landscape of prehistoric sites. A historical context: the Mesolithic, the Neolithic and the building of the Stonehenge.
Chapter 2: Who built Stonehenge? Theories: when, by whom, how and why.
Chapter 3: Stonehenge Problems Context - the Stonehenge landscape: problems with transportation and erection. Part destruction - why and how?
Chapter 4: Responses to Stonehenge An array of responses: Geoffrey of Monmouth (1138); the antiquarian tradition, the temple and astronomic alignments traditions; various amateur theories; the archaeological traditions. Stonehenge, Woodhenge: monuments in a landscape
Chapter 5: Cultural Contexts Stonehenge in fiction, poetry, music, art and popular culture.
Chapter 6: Stonehenge Today Stonehenge as a cultural icon, emblem of Britain, World Heritage site and sacred space. Blick Mead as the cradle of Stonehenge.
Chapter 7: Reassessing Stonehenge Written activity as an assessment
Chapter 8: Responses to Stonehenge Examination of students' responses through their essays. Integration of blog, Wiki, Twitter and eBook as a way of continuing the discussion after the course.
Workload
Approximately two hours per week for watching video lectures, completing quizzes and homework assignments.