INFORMATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CONSIDERING DIRECT ENTRY INTO ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
What is Archaeology?
Well, it is not the study of dinosaurs – that is palaeontology! Archaeology is the study of the human past. Archaeologists examine and try to reconstruct the past lifeways and behaviour of people who lived many thousands of years ago or within the past 100 years. The Archaeology Department at the University of Calgary also offers degrees with a focus on physical anthropology. Physical anthropologists study human remains for evidence of disease, age, gender, diet and other traces of the human past found in skeletal material and relate this to culture and behaviour. Included in physical anthropology are paleoanthropology and bioanthropology. Palaeoanthropologists study the fossil remains of human ancestors and reconstruct their behaviour. Bioanthropologists study adaptation and variation in living humans.
The Department of Archaeology at the University of Calgary is unique in North America. It is one of only four universities offering a degree in Archaeology (at other universities archaeology is offered within anthropology departments). We have a world view and members of the faculty are currently working in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Oceania, Africa, and Arabia.
While fieldwork is an important component of the archaeological process, most of the evidence mentioned above comes from work in the lab. The program at Calgary is designed to provide students with experience in analytical techniques as well as fieldwork and the background to past cultures needed to become a professional archaeologist.
Programs in the Archaeology Department
Prospective students should be aware that there are a number of program options within the department. These include Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Honours Bachelor of Arts, and Honours Bachelor of Science. The above degrees also can be awarded with a focus on physical anthropology. As well as standard university degrees the Archaeology Department offers a Co-operative Education Program, which gives students both academic and career related employment experience.
We offer field schools in Antigua, Belize, and Calgary (at Fish Creek Park). In addition to excavation techniques, students learn the basics of putting together a project, doing the relevant lab analysis and library research. Anyone interested in fieldwork is encouraged to take part in the Public Archaeology Program offered in conjunction with our field school at Fish Creek Park. This runs from May - August. Opportunities for lab work are available throughout the year.
Co-op Program
The Archaeological Co-operative Education program is an academic option that provides students with the opportunity to enhance their education by acquiring career related work experience before graduation. Students gain practical experience in a variety of archaeological fields, develop a network of contacts, and obtain a better understanding of careers options in archaeology. This program allows students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills developed in the classroom in a practical work environment, enhancing both the academic and employment portions of their University career. Students in the Co-operative Education program complete the normal academic curriculum while integrating a number of work terms into their program. Work terms and study sessions are full time and all students receive a salary while on a work term.
Field Schools
Currently, a field school (Archaeology 306) is not required for a degree in archaeology. However, it is highly recommended that students take a field school. The Department of Archaeology regularly offers two field schools. Students may also take field schools offered by other institutions around the world for credit at the University of Calgary. Students considering this option must consult with the Archaeology Undergraduate Advisor before enrolling.
Antigua Archaeological Field School
This program introduces students to field methods and techniques in archaeology through the process of mapping and excavation of a pre-Columbian Ceramic Age site (c. A.D. 200) on the island of Antigua, located in the Northern Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. Students will gain experience in the processing and cataloguing of faunal, lithic, ceramic and other artifact types, as well as the preparation of site reports. Opportunities also exist for the excavation of historic sites on the Island.
Fish Creek Provincial Park Field School
Fish Creek Provincial Park is the largest urban park in Canada. The park has a long and rich human history with over seventy identified archaeological sites. During the each term, students will work at the John Glenn Building (site of the earliest European settlement in the Calgary area), EfPm-27, an 8,000 year-old multi-component bison kill site, and other local sites performing the survey, excavation, and recording tasks of archaeological field research. Participants in the Field School will have the opportunity to work in a variety of site contexts and will explore the known range of human history in southern Alberta.
Program for Public Archaeology
This program is designed to promote community involvement in the conduct of archaeological research. Participants assist professional archaeologists and university students with excavation, recording of information, site interpretation, and cataloguing of artifacts. The Program operates on a year-round basis with community members working in the laboratory with students and faculty during the winter and excavating during the warmer months.
A grade school outreach program helps children become involved in archaeology when our coordinator visits classrooms; school groups can arrange to tour our interpretive centre and archaeological sites at Fish Creek Provincial Park. Teachers participate in our workshops, learning many ways to integrate archaeology into the curriculum. Workshops in the summer include hands-on excavation as well as lesson plans and ideas about the relevancy of archaeology for teaching everything from history to math to science.
If you have found a site or an artifact and want to get more information, assistance is available through our ‘Eyes on Archaeology’ program. Call the Fish Creek Interpretive Centre at 271-6333.
The inclusion of peoples from surrounding Native communities is becoming an important part of the Program for Public Archaeology. Incorporating their history and beliefs by participating in traditional ceremonies is helping archaeologists and the rest of the community to better understand the lives of Alberta's earliest residents.
High School Requirements:
There are no high school courses required for admission to the Department of Archaeology other than those required for admission to the Faculty of Social Sciences. Prospective students should direct their high school coursework towards the sciences or arts depending on which direction they would like to see their archaeology degree proceed.
As archaeology uses techniques and information from a wide variety of disciplines, it is best to have a broad knowledge base. Social Studies 30 or 33 are highly recommended, while History 30 and Geography 30 are recommended where available. For those considering degrees with a focus on physical anthropology, it should be noted that Biology 231 is a requirement and that there are high school prerequisites for the course. These prerequisites are Biology 30 and Chemistry 30.
Recommended First Year Courses:
All students should take Archaeology 201 and 203 in their first year, as these two courses are prerequisites for many senior level courses in the department. It is not recommended that students take Archaeology 201 and 203 in the same term. Those considering a focus on physical anthropology should also take Biology 231.
Several junior level courses in other departments are required for students considering any of the Honours programs in Archaeology. Most of these may be taken in a student’s first year and are listed below.
Geology 201 and 203; or Geography 201 and 307
Linguistics 201 and 203; or Computer Science 203 and 231; or two courses in any language other than English (not necessarily 200 level).
For the Honours programs a course in statistics is required. There are a variety of courses available to fulfill this requirement. Some but not all choices are at the 200 level.
For the Co-operative Program, at the time of their first Co-operative Education placements, all students must have successfully completed at least eight and normally no more than fourteen full-course equivalents appropriate to their degree program (including one full-course equivalent in Archaeology at the 200 level and at least two of Archeology 306, 311, 375, 413, 415, 417, 471).
Employment Opportunities:
Many students go on to obtain graduate degrees within the fields of archaeology and anthropology and finally on to academic teaching and research positions. However, as archaeology is a broad based field of study, oriented to problem solving and combining the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences, many go on to work in other fields. These fields include: law, environmental assessment, international development, education, computer science, and tourism development. Other graduates find employment with archaeological consulting firms. Most of this employment is in Western Canada but some is abroad.
Undergraduate Advisor:
Warren Wilson; please send inquiries to arky@ucalgary.ca
Department of Archaeology Home Page:
www.arky.ucalgary.ca/
Co-operative Education Home Page:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/careers/employers/coopinternship