Teaching the Craft of Archaeology: Theory, Practice, and the Field School

Field schools are a rite of passage for archaeologists, the first experience of what for many is the defining activity of the discipline: fieldwork. While teaching competence in practical techniques is the minimum goal of any field school, this technical training must be situated within the broader...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of historical archaeology 2002-09, Vol.6 (3), p.199-207
Main Authors: Walker, Mark, Saitta, Dean J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeological paradigms
Archaeological sites
Archaeology
Coal
Explosive mines
Historical archaeology
Massacres
Pedagogy
Underwater archaeology
War
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Field schools are a rite of passage for archaeologists, the first experience of what for many is the defining activity of the discipline: fieldwork. While teaching competence in practical techniques is the minimum goal of any field school, this technical training must be situated within the broader goals that drive the fieldwork. The University of Denver Archaeological Field School provides the fieldwork for the Colorado Coal Field War Archaeological Project. This project is an experiment in archaeology as political action in the present. It explores the possibility of an emancipatory archaeology through engagement with contemporary audiences and struggles. In this paper we discuss some of the ways we try to link technical training with the admittedly unusual theoretical and political goals of the project, teaching not only skills but an awareness of the responsibilities these skills should bring.
ISSN:1092-7697
1573-7748
DOI:10.1023/A:1020337204361