Digging Our Past: Student-Led Excavation as Experiential Learning and Active Engagement with Campus History

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Public Archaeology in New Hampshire: Museum and University Research" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Campus archaeology programs have been springing up around the country and with good reason: they are an excellent way to engage students with campus history, connecting them with the everyday lives of past matriculants, and also providing valuable practical and experiential learning opportunities. In the last 10 years, we have led students in excavating various parts of the University of NH campus, from army barracks and the first train station, to dormitories and instructional buildings. These excavations, embedded within semester-long courses, have added immensely to the depth, variety, and relevance of our curriculum, not to mention the curiosity and enthusiasm of students. Auxiliary open public days have also been held to encourage interaction between students and the public, spread educational awareness of UNH’s and NH’s buried past, and cultivate local interest in understanding, preserving, and conserving the archaeological record.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Public Archaeology in New Hampshire: Museum and University Research   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 442