General Information

UWF is hosting five field schools this summer: three Terrestrial Archaeology, one Combined Maritime/Terrestrial Archaeology, and one Forensic Anthropology field school. All of the field schools are based out of Pensacola. The archaeology field schools are offered for 3-9 credit hours at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The forensic anthropology field school is offered for 3 credits hours at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A prerequisite for all the field schools is Principles of Archaeology (ANT 3101) with a grade of ‘C’ or better. A similar course taken at other institutions may meet this requirement. Email the appropriate project director for more information. See below for the maritime field school's and forensic anthropology field school's additional prerequisites.

All students must apply online using the form provided on this page, and will be notified regarding their status by the dates indicated below.  Students accepted for the undergraduate session should register under the appropriate course numbers provided below.  Students accepted for the graduate-level supervisory field school should register for ANG 6824, Advanced Archaeological Field Methods.

Students applying for a terrestrial or combined field school should indicate a field school preference on the application (Colonial Frontiers, Arcadia, UWF Campus Survey, No preference). Please note that a limited number of slots are available for each terrestrial field school. It is possible that the number of applicants for one field school will exceed its maximum enrollment. In the event that either of the three terrestrial field school exceeds it enrollment capacity, some students with a preference for that field school will be assigned to the other field school. Final terrestrial field school assignments for all successful applicants will be made by the Instructors.

School Dates

Forensic Anthropology School: May 9 - June 10; Monday through Friday
Maritime and Terrestrial Combined Schools: May 16 – July 22; Monday through Friday
Terrestrial Schools: May 16 - July 22; Monday through Friday

Important Dates

Forensic Anthropology Field School Application Deadline: March 31, 2011
Forensic Anthropology Field School Acceptance Notification: April 6, 2011 (via email)
Archaeology Field Schools Application Deadline: April 8, 2011
Archaeology Field Schools Acceptance Notification: April 22, 2011 (via email)

Forensic Anthropology Field School

(ANT 4523, Forensic Field Methods)
The Forensic Anthropology field school will be held on the UWF Pensacola campus. The major goal of the field school is to train students in standard methods of forensic search, recording, and recovery of human skeletal remains from surface and buried contexts. Students will spend approximately one week in the classroom learning to distinguish human bone from faunal remains, basic mapping procedures, evidence collection, and other skills which they will apply in the following two weeks to two simulated forensic scenes, one involving a surface scatter of remains, and the other a buried skeleton. The final two weeks of the field school will be spent in test excavations at St. Michael's Cemetery in downtown Pensacola.

For further information about the forensic anthropology field school, contact Dr. Joanne Curtin (850-474-2795; jcurtin@uwf.edu).

Combined Maritime/Terrestrial Field School

(ANT 4121, Combined Archaeological Field Methods)
UWF will be conducting a combined terrestrial and maritime archaeology field methods course during the summer of 2011. In the combined field school, qualified students will split their summer, half taking the maritime component during either the first five weeks or the second five weeks of the course. For the maritime component, students will participate in underwater archaeological investigations in Pensacola Bay and surrounding waters. This summer's activities include excavations on a vessel dating to the Tristan de Luna expedition of 1559; hull recording of a small sailing vessel in the Blackwater River; remote sensing survey using magnetometer, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom sonar equipment; as well as site assessments and dives on known historic wrecks and maritime sites located in the area. Fieldwork will be supplemented by lectures and discussions on themes ranging from the colonization of northwest Florida to maritime landscapes and economic maritime connections in the Gulf region. When not diving, students will perform topside duties such as dive tending and support, artifact recording, and database entry. Students will also participate in the conservation and laboratory analysis of recovered material.

For further information about the maritime field school, contact Dr. John Bratten (850-474-2706, jbratten@uwf.edu) or Greg Cook (850-857-6321, gcook1@uwf.edu)

Arcadia Mill Terrestrial Field School

(ANT 4824, Terrestrial Archaeological Field Methods)
The 2011 Archaeological Field School at Arcadia Mill marks the third year of focused research on the residential areas of the antebellum water-powered complex. This ethnically diverse industrial community, populated by an enslaved African-American labor force, Anglo-American workers, and an elite class of management/owners, presents an unprecedented opportunity to examine the archaeology of slavery, social structure and community organization within an industrial context. Building on the 2009 and 2010 Arcadia field schools, in which a residential area of the community was archaeologically identified, participants in 2011 field school will continue to conduct excavations of architectural and refuse deposits. Field school students will learn the basic skills of archaeological survey and excavation and field laboratory methods, with instruction on survey instruments, grid layout and use, unit and feature excavation, field journals and records, drawing plans and profiles, archaeological photography, site mapping. An on-site field laboratory will introduce the fundamentals of processing recovered artifacts and managing field records.

For further information about the Arcadia terrestrial field school, contact John Phillips (850-857-6328, jphillip@uwf.edu).

Colonial Frontiers Terrestrial Field School

(ANT 4824, Terrestrial Archaeological Field Methods)
The 2011 Pensacola Colonial Frontiers field school will take place at the archaeological site of Mission San Joseph de Escambe (c1741-1761) in Molino, Florida. The third year of fieldwork at the mission site will include test and block excavations designed to explore several mission-period structures, including the presumed Spanish cavalry barracks built in 1760 (more than 13 meters long), the possible Franciscan convento (rebuilt at least three times), and another area with cob pits and postholes possibly associated with an Apalachee Indian residence. Excavations may also explore several prehistoric occupations that overlap the later mission site. During the summer, field school students will be exposed to a broad range of archaeological field techniques, ranging from excavation and surveying to scale drawing and record-keeping.

For further information about the Colonial Frontiers terrestrial field school, contact Dr. John Worth (850-857-6204, jworth@uwf.edu).

UWF Campus Survey Terrestrial Field School

(ANT 4824, Terrestrial Archaeological Field Methods)
A new section of UWF's 2011 archaeological field school will focus on CRM-style survey and testing projects on the UWF campus. This is a new project that will explore areas of campus currently being considered for future development. We will be examining the research potential of sites we know to be in these areas, and possibly finding new sites along the way. Fieldwork will consist of Phase I surveys as typically performed by cultural resource management companies throughout the United States. Archaeological sites will also be subjected to Phase II testing programs to evaluate the significance of cultural deposits relative to National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) criteria. The course is organized to benefit those students who are choosing the joint terrestrial/maritime field school, in that a complete survey and testing project will be conducted during each half of the semester. Students are of course welcome to stay with this project for the entire summer. As per all of UWF's archaeological field schools, students will learn about and directly experience a variety of relevant archaeological field techniques and principles, from shovel testing and test unit excavation, to mapping, proper documentation of the work, and research development.

For more information about the UWF Campus Survey terrestrial field school, please contact Dr. Ramie Gougeon (850-474-2831, rgougeon@uwf.edu)