Geography-Anthropology Field Schools

Field School Requirements

All students enrolled as a geography-anthropology major must complete at least three credit hours in a geography or anthropology field course. A supervised three credit minimum internship in geography or anthropology may be substituted for the field course. USM offers a variety of courses that fulfill this requirement, usually held during the summer. The following are some classes offered in previous years that satisfied this requirement. For further information, please contact the department at (207) 780-5321.

GYA 215 Legacies of New Orleans

This summer course will provide an introduction to the ways in which basic principles of ethnography, ethnohistory, and material culture studies can be used to understand the cultural landscape of cities. The emphasis will be on collaborative research skills, understanding of other cultures, and an appreciation of the interrelationship of anthropology and geography. It will be an opportunity to study and experience the diverse ethnic heritage and cultural diversity of New Orleans and its environs. Through a combination of readings, lectures, field trips, participation in local events, meetings and interviews with local residents, and conversations with New Orleans writers, politicians, activists, and performing artists, participants in the program will develop an understanding of the city's cultural landscape today and an appreciation of its historical origins. The program will also include visits to outlying areas that have played important roles in shaping the cultural heritage of New Orleans, including southern Louisiana's "Cajan country" to the southwest, the swamps and wetlands to the south, and the Gulf Coast to the east. Admission to the course is by permission, but there are no prerequisites. Cr 6

GYA 299 Ethnography Field School: Action Ethnography in Peru

This summer course is designed to guide students to develop a degree of mastery in a few ethnographic methods, cultivate and practice a commitment to ethical conduct in unfamiliar cultures, and to engage in some level of service activity requested by hosts. In other words, students will be part of a reciprocal relationship in which they both learn from and contribute to the host community. The field site will be in central Peru, encompassing urban coastal, highland Andean, tropic agricultural, and pristine tropical forest river environments and the cultures therein. The amount of time in each place will depend upon local circumstances, but we will begin in the cosmopolitan coastal capital, Lima, travel east by road over the Andes and into the Pichis river valley (part of the Amazon tropical forest watershed) where we will be hosted by an indigenous organization, the Pichis Valley Asháninka Association. Assignments will include required readings, written projects/reports, method practicums, a journal, and a final paper. Prerequisites: 1 year Spanish or the equivalent, ability to be very flexible and open to change, and a good sense of humor, especially about yourself! Cr 6

GYA 300 Archaeology in Casco Bay

The summer field school is designed to combine training in research methods of archaeology and geography. Students will receive intensive training in methods of site survey excavation and materials analysis. Several weeks will be spent at selected areas of coastal Maine involved in survey and excavation of sites mapping sites and landscape features and investigating potential food resources in site areas. This will be followed by some laboratory analysis of recovered materials. This course may be repeated twice with the permission of the instructor. Cr 6

GYA 350-351 Internship in Applied Geography-Anthropology

Internships offer the student practical experience in working with public agencies, private firms, and municipalities engaged in applied geographical-anthropological activities including, but not limited to, planning, transportation, delivery of human services, and natural resources. A written contract will be drawn up by advisor and student each for each internship, specifying the number of credits sought and work required for these credits. As a general rule, internships will require at least eight hours of actual work per week. Interns will be expected to meet at least once every two weeks with instructor to discuss experiences and/or problems. In addition, a major paper will be required from each student intern discussing an aspect of the internship or the work performed during the internship. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing in geography-anthropology. Offered pass/fail only. Cr 1-6

GEO/GYA 360 Field Mapping in the Island Environment: Data Collection to GIS

The coast of Maine provides a unique laboratory for teaching environmental mapping, data compilation, and data management. In this course, students are trained and equipped to use kayaks as the platform from which to conduct survey work for the preparation of small-scale high-resolution analytical maps of natural, historical, and archaeological phenomena. Field techniques used include topographic surveying, global positioning system (GPS) operation, and field mapping of geological and geographical features. Minimum impact methods are used throughout. Laboratory techniques used include air-photo interpretation, traditional cartography, and geographic information system (GIS) operation. The course culminates in the completion of a portfolio of maps and a GIS database covering the area surveyed. This course may be repeated once for credit. Offered summer session only. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Cr 6

GYA 399 Shetland Islands Field Course

This summer course will introduce the islands' ecology and archaeology through visits to sites of environmental interest such as seabird nesting cliffs, upland moorlands, coastal beach and dune areas, and locations of unusual geology. Visits to archaeological monuments and sites will illustrate the islands' 5000+ years of human settlement. Some of the sites are listed among the most important archaeological resources in Europe. Megalithic monuments, Iron Age brochs (stone fortifications), Pictish settlements, and Viking long houses are among the types of sites that will be studied. Visits to museums and heritage centers will illustrate various aspects of rural life in the islands in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. In addition, the course will include instruction and fieldwork in archaeological and environmental survey and mapping. Previous experience in these areas would be helpful but is not required for participation in the course. Cr 6

2003 Summer Field Schools: Shetland Islands, US Virgin Islands, and Cuba

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