Anthropology 467 (section 83)

Archaeological Field School
Curation and Lab Parcticum

The University Of Montana, Department of Anthropology
July 1-19, 2013
Course Syllabus and Schedule

Submit a letter of interest and unofficial transcripts to bethany.campbell@mso.umt.edu or kelly.dixon@mso.umt.edu

Accepting Aplications until June 1, 2013, priority given to applications submitted by April 15, 2013

Tuition: $1055 Lab Fee: $60 Credits: 4

Principal Investigator: Kelly J. Dixon
Email: kelly.dixon@mso.umt.edu

Project Manager and Instructor: Bethany Campbell
Email: bethany.campbell@mso.umt.edu

Field Assistants: Mary Bobbitt
Email: mary.bobbitt@umontana.edu

Course Description:

An archaeological field school provides an intense “learning lab” where students will decide whether they want to be professional archaeologists. Archaeology is a multidisciplinary field with diverse and numerous topics. This field school will expose students to lab and curation methods, with special skills related to long term curation and artifact cataloging. This course will provide instruction in laboratory analyses, artifact identification, mount building, artifact photography, PastPerfect 5.0 software and museum/repository organization and standards. At the conclusion of this class you will have acquired the ability to:

• Maintain a field/lab notebook
• Understand the methods of various types of archaeological sites and investigations
• Get a sense of archaeological technology such as laser scanning, digital imaging applications, GIS, etc.
• Understand basic methods for cleaning, cataloguing, and curating artifacts
• Explain the 36CFR79 The Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections
• Use PastPerfect 5.0 Museum Cataloging Software

Required Textbook:

Archaeological Lab Methods: An Introduction, 3rd Edition ,by Mark Q. Sutton and Brooke S. Arkush (2002), Kendall-Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa.

Required Readings:

Childs, S. Terry, and Lynne P. Sullivan (2004). "Archaeological Stewardship: It's About Both Collections and Sites." In Our Collective Responsibility: The Ethics and Practice of Archaeological Collections Stewardship, by S. Terry Childs, 3-21. Washington, D.C.: The Society of American Archaeology.

Bawaya, Michael (2007). "Curation in Crisis." Science, 1025-1026.

Milanich, Jerald T. (2005). "Homeless Collections: What happens to artifacts when they have no place to go?" Archaeology, 57-64.

Additional readings will be assigned as announced and discussed during the field season.

Attendance:

Attendance is required in this course. Class will meet from 8:00 am to 5:00-ish pm daily. Required absences are negotiable. Please inform the staff immediately if you need to miss class or if you are ill.

Our daily schedule will be as follows:

Class begins at 9:00 am daily in Social Sciences 244 (Historical Archaeological Laboratory). We will break for a one hour lunch around noon. On Wednesday students will participate in a lunch discussion (lunch will be extended) based on reading assignments or we will take an extended break for a local field trip.

Grades:

You will be graded on the basis of the following criteria:

Students with Disabilities:

The Department of Anthropology is committed to equal in education for all students, including those with documented physical disabilities or documented learning disabilities. University policy states that it is the responsibility of students with documents disabilities to contact instructors DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE SEMESTER to discuss appropriate accommodations to ensure equity in grading, classroom experiences, and outside assignments. The instructor will meet with the student and the staff of the Disability Services for Students (DSS) to make accommodations. Please contact DSS (406.243.2373, Lommasson Center 154) for more information.

Course Schedule:

WEEK 1: Lab Procedures and Artifact Processing

WEEK 2: PastPerfect and Cataloging

WEEK 3: Digital Preservation and Analysis

Supply List

• Pencils
• Notebook/3-ring Binder
• Water bottle
• Lab Kit:
  • Archival pens
  • Bone folder
  • Exacto Knife
  • Ruler
  • Quill and Nibs

****TETANUS SHOT****

Please make sure your tetanus shot is updated, we may be handling a lot of old, rusty, sharp, metallic objects.