Cornell University Field Course in Iroquois Archaeology

Cornell University Field Course in Iroquois Archaeology

Cornell University Field Course in Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Archaeology

ANTHR / ARKEO /AIS 2220

July 7-August 4, 2010

This archaeological field school will be the fourth season of excavation at the White Springs site, a Seneca Iroquois village occupied from approximately A.D. 1688 to 1715. White Springs was a nucleated village that housed 1,000-2,000 people. The field school will concentrate on finding, excavating, and mapping residential and trash midden areas in order to obtain information on Seneca daily life, house forms, and subsistence, as well as the structure of the village itself. Excavations in 2007-2009 found copious domestic artifacts and preserved traces of Seneca features and trash deposits below a plowzone. For 2010, excavations will concentrate on expanding understanding of residential architecture and confirming whether a palisade existed at the site. Very little domestic-context archaeological data has been collected from late 17th and 18th century Iroquois sites, and White Springs presents an exciting opportunity to explore Seneca community life during this period. The site is located near Geneva, New York, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region; excavation plans have been developed in collaboration with representatives from the Seneca Nation.

The course (ANTHR/ARKEO/AIS 2220) primarily is designed for students with little or no archaeological field experience, although it also provides an appropriate introduction to a new region or era of study for more experienced students. Participants will learn a number of archaeological survey techniques (including surface mapping, surface collection and geophysical survey), excavate and map units and features, conduct laboratory work (including artifact sorting and washing), and engage in the preliminary analysis of archaeological remains. Supervisory staff will provide instruction and guidance in all aspects of field and laboratory work. Students will receive 3 academic credits from Cornell University.

Note that a moderate degree of physical exertion will be required during the course, including lifting, shoveling, screening, moving over uneven terrain, and spending long hours in the sun. If you have any concerns about the physical requirements of the course, please contact the instructor.

Full-tuition scholarships for Native American students are available through Cornell’s American Indian Program. Please contact Prof. Kurt Jordan for details.

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Course Requirements & General Schedule:

The course will run from July 7-August 4, 2010. You should arrive in Ithaca at some time on July 6 (a Tuesday; note that most Cornell offices will be closed on Monday, July 5). Students from outside Cornell should plan to arrive during business hours so that you have time to get an ID card at Day Hall. Coursework begins at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, July 7th, inMcGraw Hall, room B-65. The last day of fieldwork will be Monday, August 2nd. You will have the July 31-August 1 weekend and two additional weekdays to complete the term paper for the course, which officially ends on Wednesday, August 4th. You should plan to move out of Cornell housing (if used) on Thursday the 5th.

The main goal of the course is to provide training in archaeological field techniques so we will spend as much time working at the site as possible. The first day of class will consist of lectures and a hands-on lab session to provide background on Iroquois archaeology, review our field strategy, and learn about Seneca material culture. This first day will take place indoors on the Cornell campus; you do not need to dress for the field. Following the first day, fieldwork will be conducted five days per week, weather permitting. On each day spent in the field, the group will assemble at McGraw B-65 in time to depart for the site at 8:30 am SHARP. Transportation will be in vehicles owned or rented by the University. The sites where we will be working are each about one hour's drive from campus. The drive TO each site counts as part of class, since we will discuss reading assignments, our approach to the excavations, and the work-plan for the day. The drive back from the site is NOT counted as class-time. Note that we will not return to Ithaca until about 5:30 pm each day.

In the event that the weather does not permit excavation, we will spend all or part of that day in the McGraw B-65 lab doing labwork (e.g., artifact cleaning, sorting, and identification). We will also plan visits to view the extensive Seneca archaeological collections at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC), Ganondagan State Historic Site (location of a 1675-1687 Seneca village), and other local museums. The trip to Ganondagan and RMSC may take place on a "rain day" when we cannot do fieldwork. Your weekends will be free, although you may have reading to do.

The course grade will be based on participation in fieldwork, labwork, and discussions (75%) and on a 7-10 page research paper (25% of the grade).

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Accommodations, Meals, Parking, and Recreation:

You are responsible for obtaining your own lodging during the course. Single- and double-occupancy dorm rooms are available to registered students through the Cornell summer session. Summer sublets and other off-campus housing options likely also will be available, although their exact availability is difficult to predict.

You can register for Cornell dorm housing at the following Web link:

If you elect to stay in Cornell housing, you should apply for a room beginning on July 6 (the day before class begins) and ending on August 5 (the day after the final paper is due). Undergraduate room expenses for this period are approximately $955 for single-room occupancy (31 days @ $30 per night, plus $25 registration fee) or $738 for a space in a double room (31 days @ $23 per night, plus $25 registration fee). Housing for graduate students is in a separate location, with single rooms only, for $34 per night; this will cost approximately $1079 (31 days @ $34 per night, plus $25 registration fee). If you apply for Cornell housing, be sure to get your application in early and follow instructions carefully!

Off-campus housing options also can be explored through the following Web site:

You will be responsible for your own meals, including bag lunches for every day we work at the site. The Cornell meal plan will be in operation during the program, but since you will be off-campus for most lunches, you probably should not sign up for a full meal plan. Dining plan information can be found at the following website:

There are also numerous small delis, coffee shops, and convenience-type stores on or near the Cornell campus where you can buy food.

If you plan to bring a car with you to Ithaca, please note that a permit is required to park on the Cornell campus. Cornell is quite vigilant about issuing tickets, so you should plan to obtain a permit the first day you arrive on campus. Details on parking can be found at the following website:

There are plenty of opportunities for weekend outdoor recreation around Ithaca; we will be quite close to Cayuga Lake, so be sure to bring a swimsuit. There are opportunities for camping and hiking as well.

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Local Weather:

Summer temperatures in Geneva and Ithaca typically range from the low 60s to the low 90s. However, high (100°) or low (40°) extremes can occur so make sure you bring adequate clothing for both. There are sporadic summer rains; occasionally we will work in the rain so you will need to have raingear.

Since we will be working outside most of the time, adequate sun protection is essential! Three weeks of archaeological fieldwork is comparable to spending three weeks at the beach, and lots of unprotected exposure to the sun can make your summer miserable, as well as being dangerous to your health. Be sure to bring sun-block (preferably of a high level of protection) and a hat. Anyone who has trouble with sunburns also should obtain lightweight clothing to protect their arms and legs.

As far as insects and other hazards in the field, mosquitoes and poison ivy are likely to be the biggest headaches. You will definitely learn to recognize poison ivy if you don’t know what it looks like already, so you will be able to avoid it. One bit of good news -- upstate New York is largely tick-free, at least at this stage in the global warming process. So if you are from farther south or coastal areas, it will be much easier to be outside than you are used to.

Clothing and Gear You Should Bring:

You should bring a selection of T-shirts, shorts, long-sleeve shirts, and long pants for work in the field. Bring enough clothing for a full week’s work so that you don’t have to do a lot of laundry. Remember that you will be working outside in the dirt, so your clothes will have a fair chance of getting wrecked during the course. In other words, don’t bring your best rain-jacket or your Italian leather driving gloves!

Additionally, bring the following items:

  • one pair of boots
  • one pair of shoes with little or no tread. Walking in excavated areas with heavy-tread shoes makes it very difficult to see archaeological features.
  • a sweater or sweatshirt
  • hat for sun and rain protection
  • a rain jacket (rain pants optional)
  • a backpack for personal gear (something the size of the average bookbag is fine)
  • a clipboard (metal or plastic is best; wood fiber clipboards disintegrate if they get wet)
  • water bottle(s) totaling about 2 quarts in size (non-leaking)
  • pocket knife
  • sunscreen
  • insect repellent

Optional equipment:

The project will provide the following gear, but you should feel free to buy your own if you are so inclined:

•one trowel -- the archaeologist’s favorite tool. You should get a 5" pointing trowel, which is available at most hardware stores. Archaeologists generally prefer Marshalltown trowels (especially the 45-5), although other brands such as Goldblatt are fine too. Note that a pointing trowel is a mason’s (bricklayer’s) tool, so you will find one in the concrete-working section of a hardware store, not in the gardening section or a sporting goods store!

•leather-palm work gloves for digging and screening. You will push a lot of dirt through metal mesh during the course.

Note that this discussion omits anything that you need for personal hygiene and evening and weekend recreation, such as swimsuits, towels, toothpaste, etc.

Health Insurance

Health insurance (which includes hospitalization)is required for all students that attend summer programs at Cornell. Any summer student is eligible for the Cornell Student Health Insurance Plan, or SHIP. Students enrolled in SHIP automatically will be insured to Cornell’s requirements. If you feel that your non-Cornell insurance does not meet Cornell's requirements, you should contact the Cornell Office of Student Health Insurance.

Information about health insurance requirements, SHIP, and Cornell health facilities can be found at the following link:

SHIP enrollment forms and payments must be received prior to the start date of the program; no enrollments will be accepted after the program begins.

If you already have health insurance through Cornell, another institution, or your parents, we ask that you provide a copy of your insurance card to Field Course staff (see the application below).

Field School Costs

A three-credit course with the Cornell summer session costs $3030 (based on the 2010 rate of $1010 per credit). As noted earlier, dormitory lodging for the duration of the program will cost approximately $738-955. You should plan to have money for food, recreation, and any transportation you will take outside the course. You will also need to purchase health insurance if you do not already have it.

Application & Registration

The application form is included at the end of this document. Applications, along with a signed copy of the statement on health insurance, copy of your insurance card, and $50 application fee, should be submitted to Prof. Kurt Jordan at the address given on the form. Although the final application deadline is on June 15, 2010, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and acceptances made until the program is full. There is a $50 non-refundable application fee that must be included with the original application; checks should be made out to “Cornell University Summer Session.”

All field class participants must have graduated from high school and be eighteen years of age.

Upon acceptance into the program, you must submit a $500 non-refundable deposit (with the check also made out to “Cornell University Summer Session”), which will be applied toward tuition. The total program charge will be $3030, based on a rate of $1010 per credit. This includes all transportation to archaeological sites and return to the Cornell campus each evening. Because of the need for close supervision of students learning excavation techniques, enrollment is strictly limited to twelve students.

Field Course Staff and Addresses

Instructor:

Kurt Jordan, Assistant Professor

Department of Anthropology

210 McGraw Hall

Cornell University

Ithaca NY 14853-4601

(607) 255-3109

** please address all questions, applications, and other correspondence to Kurt Jordan **
Application and Information Sheet
Cornell University Field Course in Iroquois Archaeology
July 7-August 4, 2010

Please fill out all the following sections and sign the health insurance statement at the end of the document. Return the signed application, a copy of your health insurance card, and $50 non-refundable application fee (a check made out to “Cornell University Summer Session”) to:

Kurt A. Jordan, Ph.D.

Department of Anthropology

210 McGraw Hall

Cornell University

Ithaca NY 14853-4601

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General Information

Name:

Current College/University:______

Major/Field: ______

Student Status (check one):____Undergraduate_____Graduate___ Not enrolled

Year in Program:

Current Grade Point Average (we may request a transcript from you for validation): ______

Date of Birth:

School Address:

School Telephone Number:

E-mail address:

Permanent Address:

Permanent Telephone Number:

Emergency Contact Person Name and Relationship:

Emergency Contact Address:

Emergency Contact Telephone Number:

Reference Information:

Please supply information on one person who can evaluate your ability to succeed in the Field Class, such as an instructor or employer. Field Class staff will contact this person for an evaluation before you can be accepted into the program.

Name of Reference:

Title/Position:

Reference Mailing Address:

Reference Telephone Number:

Reference E-mail Address:

Background

What is your reason for interest in the Field Course in Iroquois Archaeology?

List any anthropology, archaeology, or American Indian studies courses you have taken. Include course titles and grades received.

Describe any experience you have with outdoor activities (e.g. camping, hiking, landscaping jobs, etc.).

Describe any special skills you have that might be of use during the project (e.g., first aid training, digital photography, surveying, etc.)

If you attend the Field School, would you bring a car with you? (If yes, be sure to review the rules for parking on the Cornell campus): ______

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Health and Diet

Please note any health concerns (e.g., bee sting allergies) that we should be aware of:

Do you have any special dietary requirements (e.g., vegetarian, food allergies, etc)?

**If you have health insurance, please supply a copy of your insurance card with this application***

Please read and sign below:

It is strongly recommended that applicants to the Summer Field Course in Iroquois Archaeology carry their own hospitalization insurance if they are not covered under their parents’ plan or an equivalent. Neither the University nor its designates will be held responsible for accidents or injuries to participants in the program. Your signature below signifies that you have read this statement and understand it.

Signature: ______Date: ______

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