Field School
Washington College's Field School in Archaeology is an eight-credit course designed to give students practical experience in all phases of archaeological fieldwork, from site preparation through lab analysis. We do this by rotating students through various activities such as surveying methods (with compass, transit and GPS), site reconnaissance and remote sensing technologies, excavation, recording, drawing, photography, and laboratory processing. We begin each of these activities with lectures, supplemented by readings and a field manual written specifically for the Field School.
In addition to the practical aspects of the course, students learn a great deal about regional and local history. Depending on the specific site chosen for the Field School, students may be exposed to other topics, such as architectural analysis and the archaeology of plantations, African-Americans, and Maryland's Upper Eastern Shore. Although the primary focus of our field sessions is on land, beginning in 2003 students also will have the option of participating in maritime or underwater archaeology surveys in the region.
Interested?
The Field School course runs for six weeks, meeting five days a week (approximate hours 8:30-5:00). The base of operations is the Washington College Public Archaeology Laboratory in the Custom House; vans will take students to field sites outside of Chestertown. Tuition for the 8-credit course is $2,700. Students will register for ANT 296 Sections 10 and 11. Contact Dr. John L. Seidel, Anthropology & Environmental Studies (x7756 or jseidel2@washcoll.edu). Please register early, as spaces are limited.