Undergraduate Field and Laboratory Equipment Improvement

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This university is one of the few universities in the United States that has a Department of Archaeology. As such, it is able to provide a concentration of courses that would be difficult to obtain at other universities. An active faculty represents many aspects of the field, and all of them are committed to promoting the use of sciences in archaeology. Whereas the staff has a modern approach, the department's lack of equipment has prevented it from providing the most up-to-date scientific methodologies. Funds are now being used to obtain equipment that would ameliorate this problem and permit expansion of several courses that are critical to improving the quality of undergraduate instruction in archaeology. The courses in question instruct students about the role of sciences and scientific methods as applied to archaeological problems. Equipment is being used for four courses that include both field and lecture/laboratory components: Department Field Schools in conjunction with a course, Remote Sensing, Geoarchaeology, and Micromorphology of Terrestrial Materials. The department is in the process of developing a concentration in geoarchaeology. In addition to a course in Geoarchaeology, a course in micromorphology and its application to archaeological problems is being added. Micromorphology is a relatively new subdiscipline in geoarchaeology. This course is unique in that it is aimed explicitly at advancing the application of this scientific technique to archaeological problems. Until recently, resources have not been sufficient to teach a small class of even 10 students. To augment the instrument to student ratio, this project will purchase binocular and petrographic microscopes, as well as teaching aids such as a video camera and monitors to train students in scientific observation and interpretation.