The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

A common refrain from archaeological employers is that both graduate and undergraduate students lack the key skills and experiences needed to be competitive for the nonacademic job market. Perhaps unwittingly, many university and college programs continue to prioritize learning outcomes with academic careers in mind, and assume all archaeological knowledge and skills are transferrable across the job market. One solution to this widespread problem is to encourage more collaboration between university programs and CRM firms, public institutions, and government agencies. This symposium aims to have a cross-industry dialogue about how we are training students and young professionals, where gaps in our training exist, and how to equitably fill those gaps. Contributors will discuss innovative educational approaches for the future of archaeology, and how to continue to encourage diversity and inclusion in recruitment and education. The symposium will include case studies in techniques for training archaeologists in multiple settings, highlighting examples of successful educational/research partnerships and career pipelines for students.

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  • Documents (6)

Documents
  • Academic Museums as Instruments for Increasing BIPOC Representation in CRM (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Albert Gonzalez.

    This is an abstract from the "The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Under the directorship of Dr. Albert Gonzalez, the C. E. Smith Museum of Anthropology at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) has dedicated much of its resources and staff time to exploring creative methods by which to connect BIPOC undergraduate students and recent graduates to the CRM network and related jobs in the region....

  • Adapting to the Changing Environment in CRM Graduate Training (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Thomas Whitley.

    This is an abstract from the "The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Graduate training in cultural resources and heritage management has evolved in the last few decades, from a focus almost exclusively on compliance archaeology, to one where descendant community outcomes and involvement take center stage. It also entails working with new, and often changing, legislation that can seem to conflict with...

  • Collaborative and Equitable Training in Archaeology (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Kirsten Vacca.

    This is an abstract from the "The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. There has existed a lack of communication and collaboration between CRM and academic archaeology in the United States since cultural resource management moved out of university systems and into the private sector. This lack of collaboration proves problematic when future CRM and industry archaeologists are trained by academics through...

  • Integrative Approaches to Anthropology Degree Marketability: Resources and Testimonials for Nonacademic Career Fields (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Mark Castro. David Bruner. Nick Angeloff.

    This is an abstract from the "The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Cultural Resources Facility at Cal Poly Humboldt integrates training and employment in cultural resource management with the more traditional academic-themed archaeology courses. The CRF trains undergraduate students in project compliance with historic preservation laws and regulations under federal, state, and local jurisdiction....

  • Our Future Is Applied: The Applied Archaeology MA Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ben Ford.

    This is an abstract from the "The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Since 2009 the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Applied Archaeology MA program has prepared students for archaeology careers outside of the academy. Through constant contact with employers and alumni, as well as an advisory board of archaeology professionals, the IUP program has been responsive to changes in the job market. The...

  • Training Students: Collaboration across the Academic Divide (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Renae Campbell. Mark Warner.

    This is an abstract from the "The Future of Education and Training in Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. A familiar refrain among archaeologists working outside of academia is the myriad of training shortcomings in higher education anthropology programs. There is no doubt that there is room for improvement within the academy. However, there is also room for CRM, state, and federal archaeologists to collaborate in training students more...