Grant MacEwan University
ANTH 396: Archaeological Field Training
Summer 2013 (Rebun Island, Japan)
Note: this course outline is tentative and is subject to change depending on weather, field
conditions, etc.
Instructor: Dr. Hugh McKenzie
Office: 7-367D
Phone: 633-3435
E-mail: mckenzieh2@macewan.ca
Course Description:
This is an introductory course in archaeological field work. Instruction will be given in all
practical aspects of archaeological field techniques, including surveying, excavation,
documentation, photography and conservation.
Course Prerequisite: A minimum grade of C- in ANTH 206
Course Objectives:
Students will learn to:
Organize a survey strategy to locate archaeological sites
Recognize traces of archaeological sites in the field, including artifacts, ecofacts and
features
Map archaeological sites using a variety of instruments
Establish a metric grid and provenience system for excavation
Systematically excavate and recover archaeological materials in context
Record excavated contexts through daily written field journals, photograpy and drawings
Process and catalogue recovered materials through an archaeological laboratory
Prepare recovered materials for further analysis and curation
Summarize fieldwork findings in a short technical report
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Grade Evaluation and Course Requirements:
Orientation Training (in Edmonton)
Quizzes: Excavation and Laboratory Strategies (in Japan)
Daily Field Books
Excavation Report
Site Tour Presentations
Field Skills & Conduct
5%
20%
25%
25%
10%
15%
Archaeological Fieldwork Orientation
On July 3 (in Edmonton), you will have a short but intensive orientation to the project goals,
Hokkaido prehistory, mapping, field recording systems, artifact analysis, etiquette and safety
prior to departure for the field location (Rebun Island, Japan). Delivery may include lectures,
labs and field exercises. Attendance is absolutely mandatory and satisfactory completion
will form 5% of your final course grade. From July 19-2, you will have another orientation in
Sapporo that will provide you with further background on Hokkaido prehistory, artifact
recognition, etc.
Fieldwork. You will spend four weeks at the field site of Hamanaka-2, located in the small
fishing village of Funadamori, on Rebun Island, Japan. Your time at the site will be divided
between survey, excavation and lab work. In the field, you will be given intensive instruction and
hands-on learning activities. This will include occasional orientation lectures/briefings,
discussions and tours of your project area guided by you. During discussions, you will critically
evaluate field methods and their application to the problems in your area of the site, as well as
discuss your progress on a short field report you are responsible for preparing. In the lecture
briefings you will be informed of the project’s goals, sampling strategies and technical methods.
The lecture/briefings and discussions will form the basis of your quizzes (cumulatively worth
20% of your final grade), which may include both written and practical elements (dates TBA).
The bulk of your time will be spent engaged in the skills of data collection, including most
importantly, recording of your observations.
Tours (10% of your final grade). Roughly once a week we will take a tour of the project area
and you will explain what is being found in your work area and how you interpret it. I want you
to think about what you are doing on a daily basis. This will be worth 10% of your grade.
Field Book and Records (25% of your final grade). Each of you will keep a daily field work log.
Details on what to include in the log will be discussed during orientation. I will review these
mid-way through the project and grade their quality at the end of the field work (25% of your
final grade)
Field Report (25% of your final grade). During your time in the field you will write with a
partner a short ‘technical’ report on either your survey, lab or excavation activities, outlining
your methods and findings. Detailed instructions will be circulated separately. Yes, it can be
hand written
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Grade Criterion: Below are the percentage ranges and their grade equivalents for courses in
Anthropology
Grade
Percentage
Grade Points
A+
95-100
4.0
A
90-94
4.0
A85-89
3.7
B+
80-84
3.3
B
77-79
3.0
B74-76
2.7
C+
70-73
2.3
C
67-69
2.0
C60-66
1.7
D+
57-59
1.3
D
50-56
1.0
F
0 -49
0
Please Note:
1. The official grading system at Grant MacEwan University is the 12-point letter grade
system. While instructors may use percentages to aid in their grade development,
percentages are not part of Grant MacEwan University’s official grading system.
2. A minimum grade of C- is required to receive university transfer credit or to satisfy a
prerequisite for a higher level course.
3. Some university career programs will accept a grade of D.
Late Policy: Note: a deduction of 10% will be made for every day that an assignment is late
without a valid medical excuse. Assignments more than 1 week late will not be accepted.
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Topics and Readings:
In Class Training
I
Background to Baikal-Hokkaido Archaeology Project
Background to Hokkaido Prehistory
Background to Rebun Island Archaeology
II
Field Etiquette
Japanese Culture
III
Site and Topographic Survey
IV
Establishing a metric grid
Planviews
Stratigraphy and profiles
Soil and the Munsell Book
V
Artifact Recognition and Recovery
Record Keeping
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Weber et al. 2013-06-24
Topics and Readings:
In the Field
This list of topics and their order is to be considered tentative. It must be kept flexible to
accommodate logistical changes in priority that typically arise.
Hokkaido prehistory and material culture
Sapporo Orientations
Site formation, abandonment and disturbance processes
Is this anything? Site recognition
Survey Sampling Strategies & Remote Sensing
Excavation & recovery strategies
Photography
Lab procedures
Artifact analysis
Faunal analysis
Relative dating
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Archaeological Equipment
Required
Small day pack
Water bottle
Hat and/or bandana
Sunscreen
4-6” Pointing Trowel. I prefer the 4.5 or 5”, but anything up to 6” is fine.
File, 6” Bastard Mill (to sharpen your trowel)
Pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, Fine Point Sharpie indelible marker
Black ball point pens
Small metric ruler (at least 10cm)
Your textbook
Optional , but recommended
Small plastic toolbox to hold all your supplies
Work gloves
Small Pocket knife
2-3” hair paintbrush
Small wooden sculpting tools / bamboo skewers
Hand lens or loupe (10x)
Small calculator
Knee pads
Camera
Notebook for informal, personal observations – I will supply you with an ‘official’ field notebook, but this
will stay with the project at the completion of the field work, so you may want your own notebook that
you can take home with you.
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Field School Policies
Conduct: You will be interacting with other students, the local community, government
representatives and officials, our Japanese colleagues and students, Ainu elders, and fellow
lodgers for a prolonged period. It is important to maintain a professional demeanor with all.
Some particular issues we want to avoid are as follows,
Dress. Dress for safety, comfort and respect. You may be in the rain, in open fields and in a
very small town all in one day.
Drugs and alcohol. Possession of drugs will result in immediate dismissal from the course. Use
alcohol in moderation and only in the evenings. There will be absolutely no drinking on site –
violation will result in dismissal from the course. People in the community will also be watching
your conduct. Act accordingly.
Quiet time. You will be staying in a small family run hostel that is shared with other paying
guests who are not part of our program. Your neighbours can hear you. You will also have
roommates. Be respectful of everyone’s need for quiet in the late evening.
Private property. We are guests in Funadamori, and our site is in somebody’s back garden. Do
not cut across other people’s yards or enter into anyone else’s private property without
permission.
Hostel maintenance. Your hostel is your home. Everyone deserves a clean and safe home, and
in Japan cleanliness is an expectation.
Interaction with locals. You will be a very visible minority on Rebun Island. People will be
curious about you and our project. Be friendly and share general information with them openly.
If questioned pointedly about site locations or the value of the project, refer them to me.
Remember also that you are a guest in someone else’s Culture, where there are different values
and expectations. As anthropology students, you are expected to conform to local expectations
even when these expectations may seem odd to you. If you have any particular concerns, please
come to see me.
Safety
There are many potential hazards on an archaeological project. Here are some simple rules.
Keep your work area tidy. Shovels and other tools are sharp and should not be left lying about.
Be mindful of open holes. Look before you swing a shovel. Dirt is heavy. Think about how
much you and your partners can lift before filling a bucket or screen. Do not swim alone. If you
are going hiking, go with a partner and tell me where and when you intend to return. Do not take
unnecessary risks.
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Student Responsibilities:
Students are expected to be aware of their academic responsibilities as outlined in the
Students’ Rights and Responsibilities section in the University Calendar.
1. REGISTRATION STATUS: Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of
their registration in courses. This can be checked at any time using Web Advisor.
2. WITHDRAWING FROM THE COURSE: Students who stop attending class must
officially withdraw from the course. This must be done by the official withdrawal
deadline for the course, which is available at the Registrar's Office. Failure to withdraw
properly will result in a grade being assigned that is based on completed course work.
3. EXAMS: Your student photo I.D. is required at exams to verify your identity. At the
discretion of the instructor, students may or may not be allowed to begin an examination
after it has been in progress for 15 minutes. Students must remain in the exam room for at
least 20 minutes from the time the exam commenced. Consumption of food is not
allowed during exams. Electronic equipment, other than calculators, is not to be brought
to exams and hats should not be worn.
4. MISSED EXAMS: When students miss an exam, test, or quiz the instructor should be
notified of the reason within 48 hours. In general, some type of official documentation is
required in order to obtain an excused absence. When students seek an excused absence
because of illness, an official medical note is required. Medical notes must include: the
date you were examined, a clear statement indicating that due to the severity of the illness
you were unable to write the exam on the scheduled date, and the signature of the doctor
(signatures by office staff on behalf of the doctor are not acceptable). Notes obtained
subsequent to the date of the exam are generally not accepted. It is the student’s
responsibility to keep up with class work when they are absent from class. Absence from
class will not be accepted as a legitimate reason for failure to attend an exam on time.
In addition to illness, acceptable reasons for an excused absence can include jury duty or
military assignments. If a student misses the midterm because of illness (medical note
required) or other circumstances approved by the instructor, then the student will receive
an excused absence for the missed exam. The final exam mark (in percent) will then
also be used as the midterm mark in the calculation of the final grade. No makeup
exam will be given.
5. DEFERRED FINAL EXAMS: : Deferred examinations are only offered to students
who have documented reasons deemed appropriate and formally approved by the Chair.
(Note: According to university policy C2005, personal vacations are not a sufficient
reason for a deferral to be granted.) Application for a deferred exam must be made
within 48 hours from the missed final exam. If you know beforehand that you will be
unable to attend the final exam at the scheduled time, the instructor must be informed
prior to the final exam.
6. LATE ASSIGNMENTS: A deduction of 10% for every day that the assignment is late.
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7. CELL PHONES: Cell phones are to be turned off during lectures, labs, seminars, and
exams (except under exceptional circumstances in which approval has been granted by
the instructor).
8. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students who require accommodation in this
course due to a disability are advised to discuss their needs with Services to Students with
Disabilities located in the Student Resource Centre, and to advise the instructor(s). See
Policy E3400 Students with Disabilities.
Disclaimer: The information in this Course Outline is subject to change; any changes will
be announced in class.
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Academic Integrity at MacEwan
MacEwan's Academic Integrity Policy (C1000) promotes honesty, fairness, respect, trust, and
responsibility in all academic work.
According to the policy, "Academic dishonesty involves participating in acts by which a person
fraudulently gains or intentionally attempts to gain an unfair academic advantage thereby
compromising the integrity of the academic process."
Here are four common forms of academic dishonesty:
Cheating on Tests and Examinations: Copying the work of others; or the use, or attempted
use, of unauthorized notes, information, materials, study aids, or devices in any academic
exercise or activity.
Plagiarism: The use and submission of another's words, ideas, results, work, or processes
without providing appropriate credit (ie. documentation).
Multiple Submission: Submitting the same material for credit in two courses, without
permission of the instructor(s).
Improper Collaboration: Inappropriate sharing of work on an assignment that was intended as
an individual assignment. Or when students work together in groups beyond the degree of
permissible collaboration set out by the instructor.
A more detailed description of types of academic dishonesty can be found in the Academic
Integrity Policy. Students are responsible for understanding what constitutes academic
dishonesty.
All incidents of academic dishonesty are reported to and recorded by the Office of Academic
Integrity.
The penalties and sanctions for academic dishonesty include the following:
a mark reduction up to zero on a piece of academic work
a grade reduction up to an F in the course
suspension or expulsion (with transcript notation) from the university
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Avoiding Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use and submission of another's words, ideas, results, work, or processes without providing
appropriate credit to the individual(s) responsible. According to the Academic Integrity Policy (C1000), plagiarism
is one form of Academic Dishonesty, and it can result in a range of penalties and sanctions, the most common being
a mark of zero on the piece of academic work.
What constitutes plagiarism?
Plagiarism is often misunderstood. It is not only the act of copying text word-for-word; plagiarism also occurs when
a student hands in work done wholly or in part by another person
portions of a submitted work are taken from another source without proper reference to
that source
a student paraphrases sections of another work without acknowledging the source
ideas in a work are borrowed, derived or developed from another source without
reference to that source (for example, "checking a few internet sites for ideas")
How to avoid plagiarism
The simplest way to avoid plagiarism is to reference any sources properly (using both in-text, parenthetical citations
in the body of your assignment and a "Works Cited" or "References" page at the end). While it is commonplace in
academia to build upon the knowledge of others, it is necessary to clearly state the sources and foundations of that
knowledge. Referencing must conform to an accepted system of documentation (such as MLA or APA style).
Penalties and sanctions for plagiarism
Plagiarized work generally will receive a mark of zero. All instances of plagiarism are also recorded by the Office of
Academic Integrity. Repeat instances of plagiarism will result in additional sanctions, such as a grade reduction, up
to grade of F, in a course; or suspension or expulsion from the university (with transcript notation indicating "
Academic Misconduct").
If you have any questions about plagiarism, please consult your instructor, a reference librarian, or the Office of
Academic Integrity.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7l0odimm2kd35ad/238fUmsXkI
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