Academic Program

ACADEMIC PROGRAM (for students enrolled in fieldschool for credit)

Introduction 

      The Fieldschool in Pambamarca, Ecuador consists of several opportunities.  One offered by American University run by Dr. Zev Cossin and a second offered by Foothill College run by Dr. Sam Connell.  For the American University program go here.  For the Foothill program go here. One quick independent study course taken over a span of two weeks from July 3 to July 16.  During the fieldwork season the students will be given a chance to complete an Independent Project in which they will interpret original data that they have helped collect in the field within the context of Ecuadorian history and culture.

      Applicants will be accepted that demonstrate some classroom experience in archaeology, Latin American studies or ancient history, or simply a strong desire to improve upon their life experiences.  Students do not need to have prior fieldwork experience.  Fluency in Spanish is not necessary, however preference will be given to students with at least a year of Spanish.  

Archaeological Fieldwork and Laboratory Training 

      Working six days a week, students will participate in all aspects of the research project, gaining skills and knowledge in intensive archaeological fieldwork, laboratory work and initial data analysis.  

      During Week 1 of the program students will be introduced to the study area from a regional perspective as they visit a sample of Pambamarca's 60 archaeological sites.  Traveling by foot and by car, the students will be instructed by project leaders in basic survey methods, including how to locate archaeological sites and resources, assess site degradation, and analyze site surface remains.  Students will then help develop the project's field strategies for the year, which will require them to consider research feasibility, site choice, environmental impact, personnel management, and the project's overall responsibility to local communities.

      Once they have studied the cultural landscape of Pambamarca and the project's place within it, the students will conduct intensive archaeological fieldwork in Week 2 at a selection of the Pambamarca sites [in this case lab work specifically in 2023].  First, they will learn how to consider and investigate the sites themselves, preparing maps of settlement layout and analyzing standing architecture.  Here they will be trained in the use of a total station, the standard equipment used in site survey and mapping, and they will practice basic field photography and architectural drawing.  Second, students will learn how to select for, plan and grid areas of each site for excavation.  Experienced project staff will then instruct students in the basics of horizontal excavation.  This work will be a highlight of the program as students are allowed to conduct actual excavations.  

      Carefully recording every activity and discovery made during archaeological excavations is an essential feature of responsible research, and on this project record-keeping is emphasized [This is done during field seasons whene we excavate].  First, students will help make daily photographic and video recordings of each excavation and its discoveries.  Second, students will be shown how to analyze and draw to scale stratigraphic profiles and cultural features at each excavation.  Third, students will learn the importance of note taking in the field by contributing on a daily basis to the project records as well as to their own field journals.

      Processing artifacts discovered in the field is also a vital aspect of archaeological fieldwork, and students will be instructed in basic laboratory work starting from the first day they arrive in Pambamarca. They will start to work entirely in the laboratory refining their skills as they learn the basic steps of artifact processing, including how to stabilize, catalogue, analyze and curate archaeological materials.

      Student Assessment: Throughout the program students will rotate between different archaeological sites and work teams exposing them to all aspects of fieldwork.  During these rotations the students will be under observation by the directors and staff of the project, and the students' efforts and abilities in the field and laboratory will be assessed regularly.  In addition, students will be graded on the contributions they make to the project records as well as the notes they keep in their own field journals.

Ecuador Past and Present 

      There is a long history of archaeological and ethnographic research in Ecuador, and this course reviews trends in these disciplines as they relate to the archaeology, history and modern cultural geography of the country.  Students will begin by reviewing the prominent periods in Ecuador’s history (Inka Period, Colonial Period, Viceroyalty of Columbia, Republican State) and conclude with a survey of the country's current sociopolitical organization.  

      Specifically, students will meet two evenings a week for classroom and library work based in the project house in Pambamarca.  These lectures and readings will provide initial overviews of (1) the geography and demography of Ecuador, with special emphasis placed on the study region in the Andean Highlands, and (2) the archaeology and cultural history of the Andean societies of Ecuador.  Emphasis in these overviews will be placed on historical moments and sociopolitical movements that link in some way to Ecuador's living communities and still-standing monuments.  Visits to some of the important archaeological sites and historical places will be organized on off days to take advantage of being in Ecuador.  

      In this course, then, students will come to understand:

            * Ecuador's defining geographic and demographic features

            * the major changes that have occurred in Ecuador since prehistoric times

            * the repercussions of the Conquest on Ecuador's indigenous communities

            * the role played by race, class and ethnicity in Ecuadorian history

            * the outline of Ecuadorian society and culture today

            * the main political issues informing contemporary Ecuadorian politics

      Student Assessment: Students will be evaluated on their participation in the classroom seminars (33%), their overview presentation given at one of the locations visited during the program (33%), and their notebook recordings of site-visits that they will keep during the course of the program (33%).

Independent Project 

      Academic credit will be awarded for the two courses described above on the successful completion of an Independent Project that combines original data recovered through fieldwork with a facet of the material covered in the Ecuador course.  The results of this Independent Project and its subsequent assessment by project leaders will be a significant factor in determining the final grades for each student in the program.  

      With the help of the project leaders students will conceive of their projects at the start of the program; sample topics include ancient pottery production, military architecture, GIS modeling, remote sensing methods, etc.  Students will work on their projects over the duration of the program and present their findings during the final days of the project in oral and written form.  They will have full access to the computer lab in the project house in Pambamarca for graphic work, CAD modeling, database management, statistical analysis, and basic word processing.  

      The Independent Project will be a challenge on a number of levels.  Intellectually it will be the first time many of the students have connected primary data to original interpretations.  Emotionally the students can expect to be challenged by the prospect of doing academic work amidst so much activity and foreignness.  Physically the students will be tired from the fieldwork, travel and classroom work.