Hello all,


We are looking for participants in the session below. Please contact myself or Kate Ellenberger if you would like to contribute:


[log in to unmask]

[log in to unmask]



Title: Motivations and Community in Public Archaeology Evaluation

Sponsored by the Public Education and Interpretation Committee


Subject: Theory-ethics of evaluation in public archaeology



Abstract:

Evaluation of public archaeology programs has become a more urgent concern in recent years as social sciences funding is threatened by neoliberal politicians. To have a robust discourse about evaluation, we must identify motivations, principles, and illustrative examples, and make more materials available to colleagues. Following past sessions focusing on case studies and principles for evaluation, this session focuses on the reasons we pursue it. Whether we are following the mission statement of an institution, a community call to action, an ethical imperative, or a theory of knowledge production, our public-facing work has a meaningful impact on the publics we engage, and the greatest bank of knowledge about how is held within our colleagues. In this session, presenters will discuss their motivations, both practical and intellectual, for pursuing specific public archaeology programs, and how they do or will use evaluation in their work.





----------------------

Long draft:



Engaging with the public, and with specific communities, through archaeology has become a more central part of archaeological practice over the past several decades. Partially in response to economic and political pressure to secure support for archaeological research, many scholars have recently discussed how and why we evaluate those public engagement efforts. Although we often assess the work we do, it is rare that these processes are discussed or shared with colleagues in a way which can help guide them in their own public archaeology practice. In order to move forward in discourse about evaluation, we must identify the motivations, principles, and examples of assessing public archaeology efforts, and make as much of this available within the scholarly community as possible. Following past sessions focusing on case studies and principles of evaluation, this session is focused on the reasons why we pursue evaluation. Whether we are following the mission statement of an institution, a community call to action, an ethical imperative, or a theory of knowledge production, our public-facing work has a meaningful impact on the publics we engage, and the greatest bank of knowledge about how is held within our colleagues. In this session, our goal is to hear from colleagues about their specific motivations for pursuing public archaeology, both practical and intellectual, and how they do or will evaluate their programs in terms of those reasons. Following the papers, there will be a dedicated discussion period focused on the craft of comparing goals to actions, and how the scholarly community here can support continued success and sustainability in public archaeology.






Kevin Gidusko

Public Archaeology Coordinator
Florida Public Archaeology Network
East Central Regional Center
Cell: (904) 392-8065
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/ecrc/

________________________________



This email contains CONFIDENTIAL information intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify us by reply email and delete this email from your records. Furthermore, the contents of this email do not necessarily represent official policy of Flagler College.