Through funding available from the Jon Morter Memorial Award, Heather Thomas (ANTH/ARCH ’15) participated in the Dixie Plantation Field School during Summer 2014. Read more about her experience below.
Last Summer I participated in the maymester field school held at Dixie Plantation. It was a truly life changing and, at times, beautiful experience. My participation in the field school last summer at Dixie has been monumental to my success in the field of Archaeology. What I learned in those few short weeks has changed many of my views on what I have been learning in the classroom throughout my time as an Anthropology/Archaeology major.
Through the field school at Dixie I was able to get a real “hands on” grasp of all the concepts that I had been taught in earlier Anthropology courses and in Introduction to Archaeology. During field school I got to go outside and turn up the soil with my own hands which was a very eye opening experience for me. During classes in the past my professors would show pictures of nameless archaeologists brushing away at artifacts in order to portray the proper technique; through field school I was the archaeologist and I got to watch as amazing things were taken out of the ground. I’ll admit that at the beginning of field school motions were unsure and probably not full of technique but by the end of the maymester course my motions not only became more precise but I also began to see why all of the technique I had only read about before was so important. Good technique in Archaeology is vital in order to perform excavations correctly and I do not think I would have taken this truth as seriously had I not attended field school last summer.
In addition to reinforcing my classroom learning field school also taught me to be a part of a team. Working with others is a vital skill that not only makes a person more employable but also more enjoyable to work with in general; through field school I definitely gained a strong sense of team work. At the beginning of the experience I was only familiar with one person and by the end of it I had bonded with nearly everyone. When you’re down in the trenches, as some say, you learn to work together toward a common goal. If everyone in a unit is not clear on the ultimate goal then the unit will not be excavate properly or it could take much longer than necessary. Through working in a group I learned how to voice my own opinions while still being respectful of the opinions of others. Field school helped me realize that everyone, at one time or another, should be both a leader and a follower as well. I know that these skills will become very important when I am applying for and performing at jobs in the future.
The field itself also must be discussed when thinking about the way I spent my summer. Dixie Plantation is an absolutely beautiful location and I am so glad I was privileged enough to be apart of a team that worked there. The weather was perfect for work, although a little hot on some days, and the excavation area was shaded by tall and beautiful trees. I know such conditions are not the normal for field work but actually going out into the field made me realize how much I really love working outdoors. I think it takes a certain personality to enjoy being outside with no facilities or no modern technology for most of the day and I really enjoyed my time away from the pressures of modern society; such as cell phones and the media. Working in the field with nothing but the sun above me and dirt below me was a very cleansing experience. I felt much more connected with the past than I ever had while reading pages from a textbook. It was very interesting thought to look at certain views and think people in the past saw it in a very similar way.
Field school has helped me to progress and discover the career paths I may want to pursue in the future. It has brought me closer to individuals that share my passion; especially professors who are currently involved in the field and such networking is imperative to be successful. My summer experience at Dixie also brought me closer to nature and closer to the people of the past; an experience that would be impossible to find in any other form. For these reasons and many others I am so grateful I got the opportunity to participate in the summer field school at the College of Charleston.
The Jon Morter Memorial Award supports participation of Anthropology majors interested in archaeology in the archaeological field school co-sponsored by the Anthropology program and the Charleston Museum or in another archaeological field school. If you would like to contribute to awards that support student opportunities such as Steven’s, please see our website athttp://sociology.cofc.edu/giving/index.php.