MSU CAP 2015 Field School – Accepting Applications
This summer an on-campus field school will be offered. This will be the third time a MSU Campus Archaeology field school will be conducted on MSU grounds. The course, listed as ANP 464 Field Methods in Archaeology, will run from June 1st to July 2nd. The specific excavation locations will be announced later, but we will be excavating in several places in the oldest part of campus. The course will teach student’s proper excavation techniques, and an array of archaeological methods.
As discussed in Katy’s prior blog post the first on-campus excavation was conducted in 2005. As I’ve previously mentioned here I was lucky enough to participate in the Saints’ Rest excavation course while I was an undergrad here. It’s hard to believe that was nearly ten years ago, and although I’ve participated in other field schools and excavations since, the Saints’ Rest field methods course remains a unique experience that I’m glad I had as my first excavation. There are so many benefits to excavating on campus:
- It’s a familiar area! This makes it a very comfortable environment to try something new, and you get to go home and sleep in your own bed. Never underestimate the glory of taking a hot shower after a long day in the field.
- It’s easy to get to. One field school I participated in required a thirty-minute drive, transfer to a larger off road capable truck, rafting across a river, and hiking another mile and a half. It was fun, but there’s something to be said about being able to walk/bike/bus to the field location.
- There’s a lack of dangerous animals. At the above-mentioned field school there were rattlesnakes and bears. We even had a bear pee in the equipment box, which was a unique life experience but one I don’t feel the need to repeat. With an on-campus field school the most dangerous wildlife to keep a lookout for are large groups of incoming freshmen on campus tours.
- You get to work with your classmates in a hands-on work environment. Although you may have had several classes with many of the other members in the field school, you don’t truly know someone until you’ve worked side by side in a 1mx1m excavation unit. It’s been nearly ten years, and I’m still in contact with many of the people who I participated in Saint’s Rest with.
But perhaps one of the biggest benefits is how unique of an experience excavating on campus is. You get to excavate the material culture created by past MSU students, faculty and staff, while at the same time creating your own imprint on the archaeological record by being a part of the current MSU campus. So if you’re looking for something to do this summer that allows you to gain practical experience, while earning anthropology credits, please consider applying to the 2015 MSU Campus Archaeology field school.
Applications are due by March 5th, 2015.
Download an application: Field School Application 2015
Download the flyer – Archaeological Field School2015-s
Author: Lisa Bright