Community-based Research in the Archaeological Classroom

Summary

This poster focuses on the pedagogical challenges and educational outcomes of including excavations at a 19th century cemetery in an Introduction to Archaeology class. The research project was initiated by a local family when their cemetery was destroyed for farmland. Community-based research is archaeology for, by, and of local communities, a collaboration between community members and researchers. The Anthropology program at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) -- a small, public liberal arts college in the rural western prairie -- incorporates extensive community-based research in our classrooms. As an American Indian serving institution, UMM has both the obligation to train Native students in the study of the past, and the opportunity to learn from their perspectives. Learning through action, and reflection through service, are key tenets of our educational approach. Student feedback, and more objective measures of learning, show that community-based research significantly improved educational outcomes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage