Yearly Archives: 2015


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?

What does it take to become a CRM archaeology expert?

How to become an expert on cultural resource management

I wonder how many hours I’ve spent being a cultural resource management archaeologist. It’s hard to calculate because, even though I’ve been doing CRM since 2004, I haven’t always been employed full-time as a CRMer. In fact, based on the longest stints I’ve had with CRM companies, I think it’s […]


Native Americans, Archaeological Monitoring, and CRMers

Archaeological Monitoring (v.)­ (1) watching and waiting for a mechanical excavator to reveal an archaeological deposit; (2) a great way for archaeologists to find sites and Native people to reclaim their heritage before development destroys all traces; (3) something construction companies and developers (should) know about but always seem to […]

How does hiring Native Americans help archaeological monitoring

Discussions of whiteness in colleges are important to eliminating structural racism

Why is it a big deal when universities discuss whiteness?

Last week, Fox News helped my dissertation research immensely. I learned about five books that I definitely need to read based on their coverage of a course at Arizona State University titled “U.S. Race Theory and the Problem of Whiteness.” The course is taught by Professor Lee Bebout who has […]


How does structural racism effect cultural resource management?

Are archaeologists racist?: Part I 2

WARNING: This blog post is probably going to make you very emotional. The principal emotion you are likely to experience is anger. Before you start rampaging in the comments box, please, read the entire article. Then, take three deep breaths and think about where this anger is coming from. Then, […]