ANTH 270 - Field Methods in Archaeology

5.0 Credits
Experience archaeological field methods through lectures, excavation, and laboratory analysis of cultural materials. Immersion in local culture and history enables students to contribute to public education efforts and gain traditional cultural knowledge. Prerequisite: Placement into ENGL 100.

Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Participate in a group learning experience and contribute to the solution of common archaeological tasks and problems. [ACT]
Describe local culture, traditional subsistence, settlement practices, technology, and art. [REASON]
Participate in local cultural renewal efforts. [EXPLORE]
Communicate with the public about techniques in archaeological fieldwork, and about regional archaeology and local history in the immediate vicinity of the field school. [COMMUNICATE]
Distinguish between theoretical approaches in archaeology (e.g., culture history and culture process; typological and population thinking) and describe the effect of each on data collection, analysis, and inference. [REASON]
Explain the three phases of cultural resource management in archaeology: cultural resource inventory, testing, and mitigation. [COMMUNICATE]
Compare and contrast excavation by natural and arbitrary stratigraphic units and explain the methodological contexts in which each is useful. [ACT]
Perform laboratory techniques necessary to conserve and curate cultural materials. [ACT]
Prepare and maintain a field notebook meeting generally accepted scientific standards for research in the field, including the documented events, observations, data, line drawings, etc. [COMMUNICATE]