Topic ID #7253 - posted 3/21/2010 8:41 AM
Tlayne
Determining Reliability of a Field School
Tlayne
I have been looking at various field schools for this coming summer and have come across a field school that I think would be very interesting. It is up in Alaska and deals with a paleoindian site and includes work in geoarchaeology which is something I would like to do once I have graduated.
My only hesitation about this field school is that it requires no real application process. You just sign up through the school on a first come first serve basis, and requires no letters of recommendation or statement of purpose which is what I have seen in almost all of the other field schools I have looked at. Because of this, I am a bit hesitant to sign up for this field school, even though I feel like it fits my interest best.
If anyone has any words of wisdom in regards to whether or not having an application process is an indication to the quality of the field school I would very much appreciate it.
(or if anyone knows any other good field schools that deal with geoarchaeology that would be welcome too!)
My only hesitation about this field school is that it requires no real application process. You just sign up through the school on a first come first serve basis, and requires no letters of recommendation or statement of purpose which is what I have seen in almost all of the other field schools I have looked at. Because of this, I am a bit hesitant to sign up for this field school, even though I feel like it fits my interest best.
If anyone has any words of wisdom in regards to whether or not having an application process is an indication to the quality of the field school I would very much appreciate it.
(or if anyone knows any other good field schools that deal with geoarchaeology that would be welcome too!)
Post ID#17519 - replied 3/23/2010 2:59 PM
KB
I'm not sure if I'd sweat it too much, so long as it is administered by an actual university with a qualified archaeologist running it. I suspect it's very rare for a student-funded field school to turn anyone away, regardless of the formal application process. For my field school, I believe our capacity was that of the series of houses that were rented, or around 25 people. We had to fill out a formal application but as far as I know, everyone who applied got in. If you have concerns, you can probably get a good idea of how things are from calling whoever runs it.
The situation is definitely different for those NSF-funded projects out there, where your tuition and pay comes from a grant.
The situation is definitely different for those NSF-funded projects out there, where your tuition and pay comes from a grant.
Post ID#17521 - replied 3/23/2010 5:19 PM
prisoner
Consider too that the fieldschool is in Alaska, so they may not get huge numbers of people applying. It might also be their first year. Fieldschools generally need a minimum to meet costs, so if they can support a lot of folks they may not be too picky. But, like KB said, you might just call up there and talk to whoever is running it to see if it is really what you want and also what they have planned. A decent conversation will give you a little insight into the prof and how it might be.
Post ID#17524 - replied 3/25/2010 2:05 PM
Arkadey
If this is the Broken Mammoth project you are referring to, it is indeed very much legit and has been running for 20 years. Afaik, UAA has ran this field school every summer since 1990, execpt for a few summers in Russia.
I received my undergrad anthropology degree from UAA and know the archaeologists who run this project very well. As for the application process, I had to grin after I read that you found it odd that they didn't require letters of rec or statements of purpose. That's just how things are done up there. As the previous poster mentioned, it is in central Alaska and they very rarely have to turn people away. If you can handle the bugs and the mud, they'll take you. This is a well established site (still plenty to dig though), so don't be afraid that the the school will be mickey-mouse or shoestring just because they don't require you through jump through bureaucratic hoops.
http://anthro.uaa.alaska.edu/
According to this link, they are also hosting a field school on Adak Island in the Aleutians in 2010.
I hope you go for it. Alaska is a wonderful place.
I received my undergrad anthropology degree from UAA and know the archaeologists who run this project very well. As for the application process, I had to grin after I read that you found it odd that they didn't require letters of rec or statements of purpose. That's just how things are done up there. As the previous poster mentioned, it is in central Alaska and they very rarely have to turn people away. If you can handle the bugs and the mud, they'll take you. This is a well established site (still plenty to dig though), so don't be afraid that the the school will be mickey-mouse or shoestring just because they don't require you through jump through bureaucratic hoops.
http://anthro.uaa.alaska.edu/
According to this link, they are also hosting a field school on Adak Island in the Aleutians in 2010.
I hope you go for it. Alaska is a wonderful place.
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