ANTH 450

ANTH 450: Field Work In Anthropology

An applied course in archaeology involving excavations at archaeological sites during the summer months. Emphasis on field techniques including map reading, photography, excavation techniques, artifact processing and analysis.

Digs and Discovery at Minnesota State University Moorhead

MSUM's Archaeology concentration is more than a field school or classroom experience. The program has pioneered archaeological research in the Red River Valley. The results of this work are published in state and regional journals, and some undergraduate students have published work related to the analysis of artifacts from MSUM field projects.
The MSUM archaeology lab is used as a research facility by outside archaeologists interested in Plains prehistory and ethnohistory. MSUM archaeological collections have been used by researchers from universities and government agencies and are also used for public displays and educational programs. The MSUM archaeology lab hosted the initial Northeastern Plains Ceramic Conference with participants from Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Manitoba, and Ontario.
Almost every project MSUM students work on is featured in local and regional media and reception of the archaeological crews by rural communities is welcoming and enthusiastic. For example, during the 1987 excavations at the Shea site, an "open-house" arranged on a June weekend for the local community, attracted over 500 people. Some came from as far as Pierre, South Dakota, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
MSUM offers an Archaeology Field School for five weeks most summers. It is available to both anthropology majors and non-majors and there are no prerequisites. Students spend a week learning artifact identification, map reading, site identification, and the basics of surveying. The following weeks involve field work at an archaeological site or on a comparable project. Students are often involved in cultural resource management projects which archaeologists at the university perform for many outside agencies. MSUM graduates are regularly placed in applied archaeology positions because of the intensive field training they receive.
MSUM's Field School began in 1974. View a list of major projects completed by MSUM students here.


Left: students excavate an 8000year old Native American campsite along the Sheyenne River. Right: students uncover the remains of historic nineteenth century Moorhead on the banks of the Red River.

A student exposes a jaw fragment of extinct Bison occidentalis during summer field school.

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Last Updated 10/19/03
by Bruce Roberts
robertsb@mnstate.edu