The "Archeology is Anthropology" edition

iPod shuffled to "Toast to the Fool", The Dramatics. A little back story on the journey to archeology. First off, Brian and I still marvel that Shawn ended up in archeology.  It started with the declaration of the Anthropology major is her sophomore year. The following summer, one of her professors at Howard University suggested she attend a field school in New Mexico to study Buffalo Soldier sites.  She and several students from around the country spent 4 weeks in the boondocks. The closest town was Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.  However they were far enough away that there was no cell signal. In fact, if I had to reach her, I was given the phone number off the Black Range Mountains Ranger Station ( my mind immediately goes to Ranger Smith and Yogi Bear -- I digress..lol ).  In the following spring, the group presented their findings at the Society of American Archeologists convention in San Diego.

She transferred to Wayne State University that fall.  Howard decreased the funding to the Anthropology department :-(   WSU has a robust Anthropology department, so she never missed a beat. That spring she applied to a field school sponsored by University of Illinois, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).  This was the New Philadelphia Project.  This field school was in the boondocks of Illinois, but about 30 miles east of Hannibal, Missouri.  New Philadelphia was a town settled by Black and White settlers.  It faded away because the railroad did not stop there, or even near New Philadelphia. The students were there for 6 weeks, then spent 4 weeks at U-Illinois Springfield to catalogue the findings.  Between these 2 field schools, she got quite a bit experience in methodology and the use of the equipment. 

Last summer she opted out of an out of state field school.  The fall semester she was involved in a field school training class at the old train station.  WSU has been researching the neighborhood that was there before the train station was built. Yep, an entire neighborhood was razed to accommodate  train station.  "Thin Line Between Love and Hate", The Persuaders.  A cautionary tale - lol. That winter, she finished up the remaining required class and applied to grad schools.  When she asked the professor in charge of New Philadelphia for a recommendation, he urged her to apply to U-Illinois. Surprisingly, it was not on her list. Something I still don't quite understand is most schools don't have an Anthropology Masters program, rather they had PhD programs where you get the MA on the way.  Well, she was accepted at U-Illinois PhD program, with a fellowship, and will start next month (!).  

This summer, she is working with WSU on a project looking into Detroit's Purple Gang and speakeasies.  She is enjoying urban archeology.  I have no idea what her future will bring. Brian and I are along for the ride. :-)  She does want you to know, archeologists are not Indiana Jones, and if you reference that, you will be corrected!!!

I've included links to the different field schools. 

http://www.demingheadlight.com/ci_11438821

http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/nsf/fieldschool.html

http://wayne.edu/article.php?id=8775