Field Schools as Public and Applied Archaeology

Summary

Field schools serve the vital functions of training students in basic research methods and introducing them to the realities of field-based investigations. Beyond that, they typically have been a venue for faculty to pursue their own research agendas. In this paper I present information about two field schools, one in Jamaica focused on community-engaged public archaeology, and a second in New Mexico emphasizing cultural resource management (CRM) as applied archaeology. I evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches relative to traditional field schools. Specifically, I examine their efficacy in training students in survey and excavation techniques, introducing them to the broader contexts of archaeological investigations, and producing tangible research outcomes. I also assess the degree to which the field schools succeeded as public and applied archaeology, discuss the costs and benefits of these approaches for students, faculty, and local communities, and identify ways to improve each of these outcomes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage