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Field Course in Iroquois Archaeology
July 8-August 5, 2008
Course description
Anthropology/Archaeology/American Indian Studies 2220 is a four-week field school that offers hands-on training in archaeological methods through survey and excavation at Postcolumbian Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) sites in New York State's Finger Lakes region.
The majority of class time will be spent engaged in supervised fieldwork, supplemented by lectures introducing archaeological methods and Iroquois history and material culture.
Excavations will gather data on Iroquois residential architecture and domestic activities. Students will master field procedures, record-keeping, and interpretation of field data; study Iroquois material culture; and write a short research paper (7-10 pages) that uses data generated by the project to evaluate a topic of anthropological interest.
This will be the second season of excavation at the Seneca White Springs site (occupied circa 1688-1715) in Geneva, New York. White Springs was a nucleated village that housed 1,000-2,000 people. Excavations in 2007 found copious domestic artifacts and preserved traces of Seneca features below a plowzone. Survey also will take place at a less-known site to be determined. An article about the 2007 field school can be found on the Cornell Chronicle's Web site.
The project director is Kurt A. Jordan, as assistant professor of anthropology and American Indian studies.
Registration
The course is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Course work in archaeology or American Indian studies is desirable, but not required. Participants register for ANTHR/ARKEO/AIS 2220 for three credits.
The field school runs for eight hours a day, five days a week, for four weeks, followed by a two-day on-campus period during which students should complete their research papers. Lab work will take place on days when the weather does not permit excavation. Students should make their own arrangements for housing in the Ithaca area. Dorm-room lodging is available as are summer sublets (see "Housing" for more information).
Students need to bring a bag lunch to eat on-site each day; breakfast and dinner are on your own.
Tuition is $2,775 for three credits. Full-tuition scholarships for Native American students are available through Cornell's American Indian Program. Please contact Kurt Jordan for additional information.
The application deadline is June 15, 2008; or until the program is full.
Download the application form and program description document to begin your application.
Refund Policy
To withdraw from this special program, you must notify the program director. Your refund amount will be determined by the date on which you notify the director.
| Refund % | Dates |
| 100% | N/A* |
| 75% | July 14-16 |
| 50% | July 17-18 |
| 25% | July 21-23 |
| 0% | July 24 |
* This program has a non-refundable deposit of $500 that can be returned to you only if this program is cancelled.
For more information
If you have questions, please contact the project director:
Kurt A. Jordan
Department of Anthropology
210 McGraw Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-4601
phone: 607.255.3109
e-mail: kj21@cornell.edu
Related links
- Students dig into Iroquois culture in summer archaeology field course - a news article from the Cornell Chronicle
- Department of Anthropology
- Department of Archaeology
- American Indian Program