Careers in Archaeology
Overview
In this module, students explore different career possibilities in archaeology
and the preparation they require. They are introduced to the differences
between compliance and academic archaeology to help them frame the topics
that are covered throughout the term. We also briefly cover field schools,
internships, and other research possibilities within the department,
as well as job possibilities in CRM for those with a bachelor’s
degree.
Lesson objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- Identify the kinds of jobs available to archaeologists and the preparation
they require.
- Identify the differences (and similarities) between academic archaeology
and compliance archaeology.
Matrix Principles
Real-World Problem Solving (job hunting) and Stewardship (introduction
to compliance archaeology and preservation laws).
Instructional Procedures
This module is covered in one class session. Prior to this class, students
were given an assignment to look up
different kinds of jobs in archaeology as well as different field school
or internship opportunities (note that this assignment requires Web
access). They were also assigned the following reading:
Neumann, Thomas W., and Robert M. Sanford
2001 Cultural Resources Archaeology: An Introduction. AltaMira
Press, Walnut Creek, California.
Read Chapter 1.
The class opens with a discussion broadly comparing academic to compliance
archaeology. A brief explanation of the phases in compliance archaeology
(which might be mentioned in job ads) should also be included at this
time. I present the statistics (based on the Hutson reading covered
in Module 9) on the percentage of Ph.D.'s who obtain and retain academic
positions (as well as anecdotal information on the percentage of applicants
that are accepted to graduate school and the percentage of those who
complete the Ph.D.). This year, one of our graduate students, who worked
for several years in CRM after obtaining his bachelor's degree, gave
a brief presentation on his experiences and provided pointers on finding
field technician positions. Finally, going around the room, each student
describes the jobs they found, followed by a discussion.