The Souris River. (Credit: Northwest/Wikimedia Commons)
If you are looking for something a little bit different this summer, this may be what you are looking for. This summer the Brandon University Department of Anthropology will be offering their Archaeological Field School (12:342). This course is worth 6-credit hours and will run from Tuesday, July 4th, to Monday, August 21st.
The excavation site is located along the Souris River, near Souris, Manitoba. This particular site provides a unique opportunity as the deposits of Late Precontact artifacts are found in situ. Typically artifacts such as these are found in distributed contexts. This work is also important as the site has been affected by erosion, due to flooding. The work undertaken by the BU Archaeological Field School will contribute to the understanding of who lived in the area, as well as when and how they lived.
The first week of classes will be held at Brandon University beginning at 8:30am. During this first week students will participate in an orientation as well as lectures. The following week, beginning on Monday, July 10th, students will begin working in the field. Transportation will be provided from Brandon University to the site by the instructor. Students should bring work gloves, a hat, sunglasses, and rain gear as needed. Appropriate attire includes work socks, jeans or light pants, work boots or hiking boots, tank-tops or t-shirts as well as button up shirts, and a sweater or warmer jacket for cooler days. This is Manitoba, and the temperature can change dramatically from morning to afternoon. Additionally, students should bring a water bottle as well as a lunch and snacks.
The cost of the course is $1754.10 for Canadian students, and $2421.30 for international students. These costs are broken down into $754.10 for tuition fees for a 6-credit hour course, with $1000.00 allocated for material fees to cover the expenses of the program. Equipment for excavation and lab work will be provided, as well as notebooks and recording forms.
For those interested in applying to the field school, there are two forms that must be completed and submitted to the Field School Director. This includes the 2017 BU Field School Application which details information relating to your academic background, as well as questions of general health as the work will be outdoors and can be quite labour intensive, and all participants are expected to complete site chores. The second is the Permission of Instructor form. These can be found online at www.brandonu.ca/archaeology-field-school/registration/ as well as more detailed information relating to the field school.
Republished from The Quill print edition, Volume 107, Issue 28, April 4th, 2017.