Anthropology 495
Archaeological Field School
Course Syllabus and Schedule
The University Of Montana
Department of Anthropology
First Summer Session
Dr. Kelly Dixon, Principal Investigator
Email: Kelly.Dixon@mso.umt.edu
Field Suppervisor: Marta Timmons
Email: mwtimmons@earthlink.net
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 basic field and lab methods, with special skills related to fieldwork at a historic ghost town. This course will provide instruction in archaeological field methods, such as general survey techniques, map making, excavation, historic structure recording, historical record interpretation, and laboratory analyses. At the conclusion of this class you will have acquired the ability to:
Locate, document and interpret cultural resources
Locate/place cultural resources on a 7.5 minute USGS map
Use a directional compass to survey and to map sites
Understand how a total station works for site mapping
Maintain a field notebook
Prepare a map/drawing and analysis of a cultural feature
Lay out a grid
Understand basic methods for cleaning and cataloguing artifacts
Required Textbook:
Archaeology: Basic Field Methods, 3rd Editions, by R. Michael Stewart (2002), Kendall-Hunt Publishing Co, Dubuque, Iowa.
Attendance:
Attendance is required in this course. Class will meet from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm daily. You will also be required to spend a certain number of hours each week during the evening in the field laboratory. Required absences will be acceptable. Please inform the staff immediately if you need to miss class or if you are ill.
Our daily schedule will be as follows: 7:30am load site vehicles and drive to site. 8am: begin daily work. We will break for lunch at 11:30am and have tea at 2:30pm. We will pack up and leave the site at 4pm, arriving back at camp and unloading by 4:30pm.
Grades:
You will be graded on the basis of the following criteria:
Field notebook 20%
Oral Exams 20%
Daily Participation 60%
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 Jim Marks in DSS (406.243.2373, Lommasson Center 154) for more information.
Course Schedule
Week 1:
Day 1: Meet in Social Science SS244 (Historical Archaeology Lab) at 8:30 am
Morning: Lectures/Talks: history of Coloma, past archaeological investigations, research themes, site paperwork
Lunch: 11:30-12:30 (please bring your own lunch)
Afternoon: we will caravan to Lubrecht Experimental Forest and spend the afternoon getting to know the facilities, touring the site, discussing safety, and setting up the camp.
Day 2: First day of fieldwork
Day 3: In the morning we will have an orienteering class and learn to use USGS quad maps
Day 4: Fieldwork
Day 5: Fieldwork
Week 2:
Fieldwork
Afternoon Field Trip: Garnet Ghost Town
Week 3:
Fieldwork
Week 4:
Fieldwork
Supply List
Camping equipment (we will be camping in an open area at Lubrecht with access to bathrooms, showers and drinking water)
-tent (if you do not have one, please notify the staff ASAP)
-sleeping bag (it gets cold at night, please plan accordingly)
-blankets
-pillow
-sleeping mat (ground can get quite wet- cots and thermarests are a good options)
-folding chair
-flashlight (or other battery powered light source)
Shower stuff (ie toiletries, towels)
Field clothing
It can be hot, it can be cold. Dress in layers. We will be hiking and digging as part of daily activities and thin clothing may get torn. You are not required to wear trousers in hot weather, but they are HIGHLY recommended. Please bring appropriate field clothing.
Sturdy boots for hiking (waterproof highly recommended)
Sneakers
Hat (ie baseball hat, cowboy hat, knitted hat for cold days)
Sun screen
Warm coat/gloves (it does get cold)
Work gloves
Bug repellent
Pencils
Thin notebook (one subject) of your choosing to be your field notebook
Rain gear (waterproof jackets are HIGHLY recommended. Waterproof trousers are nice to have)
Folding knife
Water bottle
Back pack/ dig bag (as long as you can hike comfortably with it)
Marshalltown Masonry Trowel (can be found at Home Depot, Ace Hardware)-size 5 is recommended
Tape measure (in centimeters and inches)
Compass (Silna Ranger recommended)
****Tetnus Shot****
Please make sure your tetnus shot is updated, we will be handling a lot of old metals