2010 Summer Field School Announcement!

The MSU Campus Archaeology Program and the Department of Anthropology are pleased and excited to announce that there will be a summer archaeological field school on MSU’s historic campus. An archaeological field school provides formal training for students, teaching them the fundamental methods of archaeological field methods. The chance to do so on our own campus is a special opportunity, as MSU students will not only gain this important training without leaving campus, but will also be able to take part in the discovery of their own cultural heritage.

Specific locations for the field school will be in a number of different areas throughout the old part of campus. This spring, the Campus Archaeology Program will try to identify which sites will provide the most useful information to answer some of the questions we have been asking about MSU’s past. One new partner in our search is Dr. Remke Van Dam of the Geology Department, who, with his geophysics class, will help us better identify potential sites using geophysical survey methods. The sites we want to examine more closely are located near College Hall, at the site of the first Botanical Laboratory, and at the first Botanical Greenhouses. This summer, we will do more than just excavate a single site — students will learn how to find, identify, and excavate archaeological sites.

The Field School will be held from June 1-July 2, Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 4 pm. Students will receive 6 credit hours, and are required to pay an additional course fee of $150 for supplies and equipment (you will get to keep your own trowel). Applications for the field school are available at our website to download, as well as at the Department of Anthropology website, and the Anthropology office, and must be turned no later than March 5. It should be noted that archaeological field schools are physically demanding: students should be prepared to engage in strenuous physical labor for the entire class. Also, this is NOT a class where you can decide to sleep in or not show up for a class or two — you really have to be there every day because everyone depends on you.

The field school will be co-directed by the Director of Campus Archaeology, Dr. Lynne Goldstein, and Campus Archaeologist, Terry Brock. Students will gain experience carrying out historical and archival research, archaeological survey, excavation, lab work, and will also work in Cultural Resources Management contexts on projects as needed by the Campus Archaeology Program. This field school will provide a unique mixture of archaeological experience for enrolled students.

For more information, please contact Lynne Goldstein at Lynneg@msu.edu. For an application, click here: 2010 Field School Application (pdf)

Professors: The flyer above is yours to distribute! Post it in a class lecture, print it out and put it on your office door, or give it to your best and brightest students!