Field School
Archaeology Field School (ANTH 496)
A 6-week summer field course conducted in Southern Illinois
Summer 2015: starts Monday, May 25th; ends Thursday, July 2
The current Archaeology Field School is held at Kincaid Mounds in far southern Illinois, a Mississippian mound center located in Massac County near Metropolis. The course is offered as a 6-week long, 6 credit-hour class. Students will live in Brookport, IL, living, working, and eating together. Weekends (Friday evening through Sunday evening) are free time during which students may rest, explore the region, and visit nearby archaeological sites.
- Introduction and General Information
- Prerequisites
- Costs
- About Kincaid Mounds
- How to Apply
- Field Course Schedule
Introduction and General Information
About the course...
Anthropology 496: Archaeology Field School has been taught since 1970. We encourage our own majors to take this class, and we welcome both students in related majors at SIU Carbondale and students from other institutions. The instructional staff comprises one full-time faculty member or senior doctoral student and two graduate teaching assistants.
...its purpose...
The Archaeology Field School offers full-time instruction in archaeological field methods with a special emphasis on basic excavation and laboratory techniques. Students are selected to participate in the program based on their previous coursework and fieldwork and general interest in archaeology.
...and the facilities...
The current field school is held at Kincaid Mounds site in Massac County, Illinois. Students bunk together in a school gymnasium in the near-by town of Brookport, IL, and rotate the task of preparing dinners for the group. Students may remain in the field quarters over the weekend, or may return to Carbondale each weekend.
Why take a course in archaeological field techniques?
- Job opportunities - field school + a degree in anthropology or a related field = employability as an archaeologist straight out of college!
- Earn 6 400-level credits with NO on-campus fees - it is really inexpensive.
- Out-of-state students pay in-state tuition rates.
- Totally hands-on learning experience.
- No exams / No required readings.
- No prerequisites (yes YOU can do a field school!)
- You get to play in the dirt all day!
- Unearth items that no one has seen in more than 700 years.
- Get a great tan and a great workout.
- Archaeology is fun fun fun!!!
What are the prerequisites?
There are no specific prerequisites, but an introductory course in archaeology is recommended, and additional coursework in archaeology is helpful prior to taking the field school. Permission of the Department of Anthropology is required to register, which is attained by completing and submitting the Application Form.
Costs?
Estimated costs of the 2015 field course are listed below. We do not expect additional increases, but this Web page will be updated immediately should they occur. The cost of mandatory medical insurance has NOT been included in these figures.
| 2015 Basic Costs |
|
| Tuition & fees (paid to SIU Bursar) | *$2,172.02 |
| Other costs Transportation (van & fuel) |
270.00 |
| Housing in Brookport, IL | 40.00 |
| Dinners, cleaning supplies | 105.00 |
| Total Estimated Basic Costs | **$2,587.02 |
Notes concerning costs:
* Tuition shown is the current rate for 6 credit-hours, at the undergraduate off-campus rate, which is the same for Illinois residents and non-residents. Existing SIU Carbondale students may pay a lower tuition depending on the year they enrolled here. The figure shown includes a $50 supplies fee.
** The total basic cost estimate does NOT include the price of travel to Carbondale, mandatory medical insurance (we don't care how you get it, but require you to have it), bedding and personal items that students may bring, nor does it include breakfast and lunch (self-prepared in the field school kitchen), entertainment, or meals & lodging during the weekend (Friday night through Sunday night). Students may remain in the field quarters during the weekend, or may come to Carbondale in the university van that comes up Friday night and returns to the field quarters Sunday night.
Students Enrolled at Other Institutions
The SIU Carbondale field school welcomes students from other colleges and universities. The tuition and other costs are the same as for existing SIU Carbondale students. To register for our course a non-SIU Carbondale student must be admitted to SIU Carbondale for the summer term. Undergraduates: Please print and fill out this application form, then mail it to Dr. Paul Welch at the address shown below. Parts that do not need to be filled out have been covered in gray rectangles, and a few entries have been pre-filled to ensure correct processing. There is a $30.00 application fee. Along with the application you will need to send a copy of your transcript (a photocopy of your transcript will be ok, it does not need to be an original). Graduates: If you wish to transfer the credit hours back to your graduate program you should fill out this form and mail it to Dr. Paul Welch at the address shown below. You will be billed for graduate tuition, which is roughly 30% higher than the amount shown above. If you do not wish to transfer the credit hours, you can apply as an "undergraduate" and pay the undergrad tuition rate shown above.
Kincaid Mounds
Kincaid is one of the two major political centers of the Mississippian period (ca. AD 1000-1500) in the lower Ohio River Valley. It is located in the Black Bottom area of Illinois, a large expanse of the Ohio River's floodplain opposite Paducah, Kentucky.
Information on the site, the history of excavations there since 1934, and current research on the area is available here: Kincaid Mounds.
A report of our previous work is available here: Kincaid in the New Century.
Field School Schedule
Students should report to the Department of Anthropology, Faner Hall, Room 3515, at 8 AM of the first day of class. After an orientation session, the class will move to Brookport, IL and the field site as a group. Students are finished upon the group's return to Carbondale late in the afternoon of the final day.
How to apply for a spot in the field school
To apply for a spot in the field school please fill out and send us, by May 1, the Archaeology Field School Application (this form is for departmental use; it is distinct from the SIU Carbondale application form described above that non-SIU Carbondale students must fill out).
[If you need Adobe Acrobat, you can download a free copy here. If you don't have the full version of Adobe Acrobat, you can download the shareware PDFCreator in order to save the application to your computer.]
If you are not an anthropology major at SIU Carbondale, you will need to have a Faculty member e-mail or mail a brief letter of reference to Dr. Paul Welch (address below).
We can also answer any additional questions.
Address inquiries to:
Dr. Paul WelchDepartment of Anthropology
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois 62901-4324 E-mail: pwelch@siu.edu
Phone: (618) 536-6651
FAX #: (618) 453-5037