Bettina Arnold - Archaeological Professionalism Syllabus

Anthropology 641
Archaeological Professionalism

Spring 2000

And then, during my second semester

Instructor: Bettina Arnold
Office & Hours: : Bolton 746 TTh Noon-1pm W 1-2pm or by appointment x4583
e-mail: barnold@uwm.edu

Required Texts:
Robert L. Peters Getting What You Came For 1997 edition. New York: Noonday
April Vahle Hamel The Graduate School Funding Handbook 1995 edition. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
Additional readings will be available in the Anthropology Reading Room 7th Floor Bolton

Course Description:
This course is for students who are currently in a graduate program in archaeology or are considering entering such a program, either here at UWM or elsewhere. It is intended to provide a roadmap and survival guide for the world of professional archaeology, in its various manifestations. Whether you choose as your eventual venue to work in CRM archaeology, the museum, or the university setting, the skills you will need will include grant-writing, the presentation of research results in oral and written form, and the publication of research in the form of reports, articles, or books. However, each of these areas of professional archaeological activity also has its own culture, with its own specific requirements for successful participation. Negotiating the intricacies of the terrain of each of these cultures is greatly aided by advance knowledge of the expectations and procedures associated with membership. This course will attempt to prepare you, through practical applications and discussion, for success in any of the three possible professional archaeological "cultures". Although the academic trajectory will be emphasized, reference will be made to the other two contexts within which archaeological research is conducted.

Course Format:
The course will consist primarily of discussion and student critiques of each other's work, with intermittent expositions by the instructor, usually when a new topic is introduced, and at the beginning of each class. The emphasis is on the sharing and pooling of knowledge - each member of the class will be bringing a different set of experiences and perspectives to the table. Active participation both in class and in the written assignments are required, and the goal should be for each student to produce a set of funding proposals and research topic outlines that will become the foundation for actual work after the class is over. Each student should establish a notebook, preferably in loose-leaf binder form, and bring this to class each week.

Grading:
5 pts.	Curriculum Vitae
30 pts.	a. "SAA Paper" Abstract b. Oral Presentation of "SAA Paper" c. Cover letter to journal submitting paper for publication
20 pts.	a. Symposium Proposal: Abstract, List of Contributors b. Edited volume of symposium proposal: Abstract, Table of Contents, Introduction, Bibliography
20 pts.	Grant Proposal: Field Excavation or Research project
20 pts.	a. Thesis Proposal b. Book Prospectus based on thesis: Abstract, Table of Contents, Introduction, Chapter Summaries, Bibliography c. Cover letter to publisher submitting thesis for publication
5 pts.	Job Letter
Extra Credit 3 Points:	Attendance at 3 job talks in Anthropology Spring 2000.

Students will also be responsible for one oral presentation based on reading which will be assigned in addition to the required reading (under Supplemental Readings) for that week (10% of course grade).
Attendance and participation constitute 10% of the final grade.

Class Schedule:

	Week 1 Introduction: What's It All About, Archy? Peters Chapters 1-3
	Week 2 Career Issues and Strategies in Archaeology: Have Plan, Will Graduate CVs; resumes; recording your professional progress Peters Chapters 5, 10-11 CV due!
	Weeks 3 & 4 Presenting Your Research I: How to Get to Carnegie Hall Conference papers: abstracts, keeping within time limits, visual aids Peters Chapter 20 Reading Room Folder Paper Abstracts Due Week 3!
	Week 5 & 6 Presenting Your Research II: Getting into Print Conference papers: Submitting work to a journal; cover letters Reading Room Folder Papers presented in class Weeks 5 & 6! Cover letter to journal due Week 6!
	Week 7 The Symposium/Conference Session: The More, the Merrier Organizing a session; logistics; publishing the session; what to expect Symposium Proposal and edited volume proposal due!
	Week 8 Funding: Show Me the Money Part I Finding sources; writing successful proposals for fieldwork Hamel Chapters 1-2
	Week 9 MARCH 19-26 SPRING BREAK!
	Week 10 Funding: Show Me the Money Part II Finding sources; writing successful proposals for research Hamel Chapters 4-5 Grant proposal due!
	Week 11 The Thesis Part I: No Pain, No Gain Committees; organization; funding Peters Chapters 10, 11, 15 Hamel Chapter 6
	Week 12 The Thesis Part II: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer Pitfalls; coping strategies; structure Peters Chapter 12, 16, 17, 18 Reading Room Folder Thesis Proposal Due!
	Week 13 Publication Strategies: Selling Your Baby Book prospectus; cover letter; choosing the right press Reading Room Folder Book prospectus and cover letter due!
	Week 14 Job Search: Selling Yourself CVs; cover letters; job talks Peters Chapter 24 Hamel Chapter 7 Reading Room Folder
	Week 15 Job Search: Great Expectations Mock interviews; teaching philosophies; designing courses Job letter due!
	Week 16 Life on the Other Side: Getting Tenure Climate faced by minorities (including women); pitfalls; strategies; career paths outside academia Reading Room Folder

Please review attached sheet of University Policies!

© 2000 Bettina Arnold, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Design: Homer Hruby, Last Updated: January 24, 2000