Here is another endorsement to John McCarthy when he wrote:
 
>As A SOPA-certiifed historical archaeologist under the old system - no I
>don't think so.  The qualification requirements for SOPA speciality
>certification were pretty darn reasonable and strictly inforced.  In my
>opinion SOPA lost a great deal of professional authority when it stopped
>certifying speciality expertise.
 
I agree, even though the SOPA code does require that we stick to our areas
of expertise. I agree with John completely, and I still cite my
certifications under the old dispensation.
 
And Richard Trammel wrote:
 
> From my perspective, I think historical archaeologists should be trained
>historians. That's how we earn the title  "historical" archaeologist.
 
Let's add industrial specialization to the mix of needed but neglected
expertise. Not only should historical archaeology be recognized as a
separate profession, but industrial archaeology deserves similar special
treatment.
 
In one state with which I am familiar, the university archaeological center
and the SHPO staff deny the existence of a separate industrial-archaeology
discipline. The result has been a long-term disaster. The university
program routinely writes off industrial sites, while the SHPO rubber-stamps
them.
 
Major sites have been wiped out, even ones that  already were listed on the
National Register, thanks to the fact that prehistorians evaluate historic
and industrial sites, both as consultants and as SHPO reviewers.
 
The powers-that-be are scrupulous in demanding prehistoric qualifications,
but rutinely accept the most cursory historical background boilerplate, and
incredibly slovenly treatment of industrial sites.  The most minimum,
cursory and amateurish historical background is accepted, as long as you
are careful to maintain the appearance of complying with the Secretary's
standards.
 
Part of the problem is a lack of professionalism among historians in
general, not just in CRM. In my humble opinion, a graduate degree in
history is woefully insufficient credential for a CRM historian.
 
Too many history departments are nothing but schools for history teachers,
where none of the faculty has ever lifted a finger as a professional
historian. Yet we are expected to rely upon the work of their students. You
can get the MA degree in history without writing a thesis. I was once
offered such a degree, and turned it down because I already had a real MA,
for which I wrote a real thesis. Is it any wonder that CRM "historians"
frequently can't do research and can't write coherent reports?
 
State offices are in a position to use their authority to raise the
standards of practice, but in my experience they are either unable,
unwilling, unaware, or unqualified to do so.
 
 
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