Monthly Archives: March 2015


What March Madness taught me about the archaeology job market 2

In the beginning, there are 64 teams. The NCAA selection committee ranks each team and creates four groups loosely based on regions of the country. Then, they play each other until only one remains. The NCAA mens basketball tournament, March Madness, begins with a spectacular flurry. Half of the teams […]

What can March Madness teach you about finding a job in archaeology?

Is a cultural resource management report actually archaeology writing?

Does a cultural resource management report count as archaeology writing?

I was recently informed that a CRM archaeology technical report isn’t true archaeology writing. It was a shocking revelation that came from somebody that has written dozens of cultural resources reports that instantly made me start thinking about the nature of our industry and the way we value our reports, […]


What do you think should be included in an archaeological field school? 4

Yesterday, I received good news. The property owner of the Erma Hayman House in Boise, Idaho has given permission to conduct an archaeology project on this property. This will be the next step in my dissertation work on The River Street Digital History Project, but it is also an excellent […]

Archaeological field school needs to be about more than just digging

What does the student loan bubble mean for cultural resource management archaeology?

What does student loan bubble mean for archaeology?

Small liberal arts colleges are starting to lose the battle against the “educational-industrial complex.” This month, two colleges in the eastern United States—Sweet Briar College and Tennessee Temple University—announced they will close their doors this year (2015). Insurmountable financial challenges and declining enrollment were cited as the reason for the […]


Is education and #freearchaeology really a substitute for actual archaeology experience?

We’ve all seen the following clauses in a job description: — A combination of education and experience which includes College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education. — The work experience must have included archeology field experience, which may […]

Ever wonder why volunteer or graduate school is considered experience for cultural resource management archaeology?

It’s not just archaeology. Most students don’t learn what they need in college.

A few months ago, I penned a (un)popular blog post titled “When archaeology field techs have to teach PhDs how to do archaeology”. Some people thought it was great. Many did not. Fortunately, I haven’t been kicked out of graduate school over it. The basic premise was: Universities are not […]

How can universities prepare students for cultural resource management archaeology careers?