ANTHR 454

Field School Skills and Knowledge

Students who are enrolled for the required Spring capstone Field School in either the American Southwest/Great Basin or in Petra, Jordan will gain critical skills necessary for archaeological field work, analysis, and cultural immersion.

Field School Preparation Skills

-Students will prepare for their excavation training and experience at a BYU-sponsored dig through course assignments which will include: 1. Course readings that give students a general introduction to the history, cultural contexts, and archaeological research related to the site of the Department's Field School. 2.  Through class discussion, students will be prepared to live compatably with the host culture and nation in which the archaeological site under excavation resides. 3.  Course exercises and readings that will prepare each student to recognize the various strata-graphic levels of the cultural deposits they will be excavating in Field School. 4.  Course discussion, exercises, and readings will give each student a working knowledge of the major archaeological methodologies and theories that will be employed in the Field School projects. 5  Students will gain a basic knowledge of how to research, plan, and prepare a major archaeological excavation field project.