Christian Gerike wrote:
>
> When an instructor assigns a research term paper, there is seldom real
> research involved, i.e., there is no specific research question that needs
> to be answered. The paper is an exercise to acquaint a student with the
> process (could you trust the results if you were really trying to address
> an issue?); an engineering student doesn't build a bridge; and a medical
> student doesn't; etc... .
>
> Why then, is it alright for archaeology students to practice on real sites?
>
> Christian GerikeChristian--
A specious argument--medical students do practice medicine and engineering stude
nts
design and sometimes implement projects. We call these internships in medicine,
engineering, law, archaeology, etc. As a proprietor of an archaeological consult
ing
firm, prospective employees without firsthand field experience--gridding, bustin
g
plowzone, documenting and excavating features--have no prospects with my firm. M
ock-ups
are fine for teaching basics, but sooner or later, students have to 'get their f
eet
wet.' If problems arise on a field project, identifying the source should not be
a
problem: blame the field supervisor, the person being paid to insure that techni
cians
and volunteers collect data in a responsible, usable manner.
I help run a long term project in Anne Arundel County, Maryland: The Lost Towns
of Anne
Arundel Project. Our mission: involve the public in original archaeological, arc
hival,
and environmental research. We do not engage our many volunteers, virtually none
of whom
learned archaeological method in a field school, by creating and excavating mock
sites.
They appreciate the opportunity to work alongside professionals on a bona fide r
esearch
project.
Excavations always should be undertaken with a well-developed research design an
d a plan
for processing and curating materials, and reporting the results. Those issues p
roperly
attended to, I see no reason why students and volunteers cannot participate in a
n
archaeological excavation. If we expect to remain employed in archaeology, we wi
ll all
have to work harder to involve the public in what we are doing, as well as in wh
at we
are finding.
Jim Gibb
Annapolis, Maryland USA
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