The Great Dismal Swamp Landscape Study
May 13-JuNe 25, 2009
(Application deadline: April 30)
American University and the Department of Anthropology are pleased to invite students to participate in the 2009 Historical Archaeological field school that will take place in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The 2009 field school represents a continuation of the Great Dismal Swamp Landscape Study (GDSLS), an initiative started in 2002. We will be working closely with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, stewards of the Refuge, and maintaining and developing interactive dialogue with the broader public. A main research focus for the GDSLS in 2009 will be on further developing our understanding of the impacts of historical processes of Diasporic exile, swamp development, racialization, and alienation on resistant and generally self-reliant African-American and Native American maroon communities of the swamp interior. Also, because so little is known about Native American occupation and exploitation of the Great Dismal Swamp prior to the late 16th century, some focus will be on excavation and recordation of precontact materials and features. As one of the only active extensive archaeological programs that is focused on maroons in North America, the GDSLS Field School will provide students with unparalleled opportunities to help piece together Diasporic resistance community histories that have great contemporary significance and resonance in public, academic, conservation/preservation, and government sectors.
Student Experience Opportunities and Benefits
Students will have ample opportunities to gain solid experiences in a variety of aspects of archaeological fieldwork including, but not limited to, the following:
· Archaeological Survey and Excavation Methods Training
· Research Design Development Training
· Research Photography, Mapping, and Data Recordation Training
· Global Positioning System (GPS) Training
· Laboratory Dating and Soil Sampling Techniques Training
· Total Station and Precision Survey Training
· Remote Sensing Training (tentative)
· Precontact- and Postcontact-era Artifact Identification Training
· Interdisciplinary research methods
· Remote landscape navigation
· Methods of cultural resources conservation and stewarding
· Being a contributing part of a research team
· Public interaction and interpretation
In gaining such experiences, students will be also paving the way to their future employment in public, academic, and private archaeology research. Participating students will also play key roles in helping the GDSLS to continue to generate one of the most detailed archaeological data sets available in the United States that pertains to resistant maroon communities and Precontact inhabitation of the Dismal Swamp.
Field School Registration, Logistics, and Costs*
Students should register through American University for ANTH 630 for 6 credit hours. Costs will include tuition for 6 credit hours at American University as well as a Field School fee that is not to exceed $800. Participants are advised to bring some kinds of field gear and equipment that may also add additional costs. We will be staying during workweeks on property outside of the Refuge (probably camping near a crew house) but within a reasonable distance for daily travel to and from sites. On weekends, participants will have the option of staying at the crew campsite and house or going back to Washington DC. More details regarding costs and the logistics of accommodations, transportation, and food are provided in field school documents (provided through links on this page or through the Project Director).
Admission into the 2009 Field School is by permission of the Project Director and students wishing to be considered for participation should submit a completed Field School Application to the Project Director by mail no later than April 30, 2009 (no email applications allowed because of required participant signature). Students are further advised not to wait until the last minute to submit their applications. Applications are available on this page or can be obtained from the Project Director. Please send applications and direct any Field School-related questions to:
Dr. Daniel O. Sayers Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
American University
Battelle-Tompkins Hall
Washington DC 20016
sayers@american.edu
202-885-1833
* In developing this program over the next few months, many aspects of the 2009 Field School detailed here and in course documents are subject to change. Those interested in participating are urged to periodically check this page for alerts to any such changes. Those who have submitted applications will be notified of changes directly by email or telephone.
