The University of Delaware
Anthropology Newsletter 
Fall 1996 
Volume 1, Number 1

A signup schedule for advisement is posted on the bulletin board outside my office door (310 Ewing). Each advisee is allocated one half hour -- if you are certain that you will need more time than that you are invited to sign up for two adjacent half hour periods. Advisees are asked to sign up 24 hours in advance of their appointments in order to assure that the advisor will be present. Students planning to satisfy a tutorial requirement are asked to notify me even if they do not intend otherwise to seek advisement. This can be done by leaving a message at my office or in the department office.

Majors who have completed most of the department requirements are reminded of the possibility of taking ANTH 475, the teaching of anthropology, within the context of one of the department's 100 level (occasionally 200 level) introductory courses. Permission of the teacher is required and, except in unusual circumstances, the applicant should have maintained a GPA above 3.00 in order to qualify. Most members of the faculty are pleased to consider such applications.

Students occasionally ask -- understandably -- which of the courses offered by the department satisfy the requirements for social and cultural (12 credits), biological (6 credits), and archaeology (6 credits). While we will be posting this information on the Webpage, it is included here in the event you want to retain a paper copy:

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL COURSES: ANTH 101, 205, 216, 222, 225, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 239, 251, 255, 259, 260, 261, 265, 325, 327, 330, 333, 337, 338, 360, 363, 368, 370, 375, 377, 451, 457, 465.

ARCHAEOLOGY: ANTH 103, 104 (if not used for biological; may not be taken if 102 and/or 103 have been taken), 105, 216, 269, 275, 278, 320, 322, 323, 324, 340, 342, 345, 379, 410, 424, 428, 463.

BIOLOGICAL: ANTH 102, 104 (if not used for archaeology; may not be taken if 102 and/or 103 have been taken), 202, 300, 305, 401, 402, 404.

Read about what "real" social/cultural anthropologists are doing.

Tired of reading about what "other" people were researching, and wanting some hands-on experience that would enhance my majors, I decided to take my undergraduate education into my own hands. The result? An incredible seven month experience in Senegal, West Africa through the University of Minnesota Studies in International Development Program. I had the chance to intern in a family planning clinic; live with three wonderful families (3 dads, and 9 mothers included) in three completely different locations; learn Wolof, a native tongue; travel throughout Senegal and observe AIDS and family planning awareness programs; conduct research on gender and family planning attitudes: and even visit one of Prof. Weil's villages in the Gambia!

There are many questions undergraduates face and I did not believe I could answer them at the U of D: "What do I want to do when I 'grow up'?" "What do I like doing?" "What are my capabilities?" And, "what are my limits?" Studying abroad gives you the chance to answer some of these questions before you have to make big decisions about your life.

Most importantly studying abroad is about gaining a new perspective on your American lifestyle and assumptions. And it offers a particularly useful opportunity for those with international interests who wish to go beyond simply "knowing." Studying international issues in a domestic institution can be distant and somewhat abstract. You can get "A"s on your anthropology exams and "know" a lot, but it is a very different thing to "understand" something. There is something incredibly magical when elements in a university course suddenly come alive in the lush green terrain of a Salvadoran resettlement village or in the powerful beats of a drum and the rhythmic steps of Senegalese women dancing.

Building upon U of D classes, studying abroad is about making the abstract more real and teaching you lessons you could never dream of learning in a typical lecture-style classroom. Not all of us can or want to study abroad, but if you have even just an inkling of an interest, I say: GO FOR IT!

There are many programs out there, and depending on where you want to go and what sort of experience you wish to have, you can narrow them down. If you are interested in an intensely independent, hands-on, immersion experience, focusing on development issues such as: environmental studies, women in development, education, social services, public health, agriculture and small business development, the Minnesota Studies in International Development Program may be for you. (Countries: Kenya, Senegal, Ecuador, India)

The Global Campus
University of Minnesota
106-M Nicholson Hall
216 Pillsbury Drive SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0138
(612) 625-3379

Anna White
thelorax@udel.edu
(please contact me if you have any questions!)

In the first two years of fieldwork, teams of University students, area high school students, and volunteers began exploring the nature of the archaeological remains surviving on the Read property. Excavations focused on the yard of a late 17th-century house that burned in 1824; two decades later, the family residing in the surviving, ca. 1800, house laid out a formal garden over the remains of the old house and yard. The excavations revealed that layer upon layer of archaeological deposits extend at least four feet deep in this area. These layers contain material dating from well before the Dutch first arrived at New Amstel (later New Castle) in the 1650s through the present. They contain especially well-preserved evidence of the early house and its yard, the occupants' possessions and daily lives, and the later gardening activities. The archaeology has also generated much public interest. In 1995 and 1996, more than 800 visitors viewed the excavations and lab during daily tours and special Beneath our Feet archaeology days at the site.

The 1997 program will run Tuesdays - Saturdays, 17 June - 26 July. In addition to training a new corps of University students, the program will again feature an archaeological camp for high school students and a daily program of tours. The Beneath our Feet tour will be held on Saturday, 19 July. Excavations will focus on two areas of the property -- the mid-19th-century formal garden cum late 17th-century house yard, and the central and back portions of the property occupying higher ground above the Delaware River.

New Castle's archaeological remains, historical buildings and landscapes, original documents, material objects, and people's memories of the community's history offer a spectacular opportunity. Together, they provide the means for you, New Castle's residents -- guardians of the city's material history -- and the general public to learn about archaeology and participate in "writing" history.

If you are interested in helping to piece together the intricate stories of New Castle's people, their history, and their culture through the diverse methods of historical archaeology, contact Dr. Lu Ann De Cunzo, Department of Anthropology, 831- 1854, decunzo@udel.edu. As a member of the Unearthing New Castle's History team, you will receive training and experience in historical archaeological field and lab techniques, documentary and material culture research, exhibit design, and public interpretation. Applications for summer positions -- paid, volunteer, for academic credit, part-time, full- time -- are available. Anthropology Department alumni of the program include A. J. Brandt, Keri Brondo, Ian Janssen, Carrie Krop, Timothy Layton, Nedda Moqtaderi, Sarah Tischer, and Andrea Wolff.

Visit the Homepage of Dr. DeCunzo's excavations at the Read house
 

UNEARTHING NEW CASTLE'S PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE READ HOUSE APPLICATION FOR SUMMER 1997 Name:__________________________________________________________________________ Address (Academic Year)________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number:__________________________________________________________________ Email:_________________________________________________________________________ Major___________________________________________ Class of _____________________ Anthropology and American History courses taken: (please give titles)  _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Grade Point Average:_______ Grade Point Average, Anthropology/History:_________ Faculty Reference, University of Delaware:_____________________________________ Special Experience and Skills (include research experience, archaeological  experience, computer skills, drawing, mapping, and photography experience,  exhibit design, public speaking experience, etc.) Reference, re: above  experience:  _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Applying for: (check all that are appropriate) ______Full-time (Tuesdays - Saturdays, 8:30 - 4:30, 17 June - 26 July 1997)  ______Part-time (specify--e.g., 8:30 - 12:00; or Tuesdays - Thursdays;                   or 17 June - 12 July)  ______Paid          ______Volunteer          ______Academic Credit  Special Concerns or Needs:_____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Please complete and return, ALONG WITH A STATEMENT EXPLAINING YOUR INTEREST IN THE PROJECT, on or before 15 FEBRUARY 1997 to: Dr. Lu Ann De Cunzo  Department of Anthropology University of Delaware Newark, DE 19716.  (302) 831-1854  decunzo@udel.edu

The project is located in the relatively isolated woodlands of the Capitan Mountains near Lincoln, New Mexico, at about 5,900 feet elevation (hot during the day but cool at night). In this area, people of the Jornada Mogollon culture developed farming communities in the early centuries AD, establishing the eastern frontier of a village farming pattern of life that became widespread in the prehistoric Southwestern United States. The development of these villages involved a complex interplay of an increasingly agricultural economy, more sedentary lifeway and shifting social patterns, as inter-family relations were modified to accommodate the needs of long-term village membership.

This excavation examines one of these early farming villages to investigate this interplay of factors. My past work at the site has revealed a complex accumulation of large round semi- subterranean houses, storage pits, and associated trash deposits rich in food remains and other domestic debris. This previous work was limited in its areal coverage, with excavation restricted to portions of two houses and several storage pits. The three upcoming seasons are designed to greatly expand the excavated area of the site, to allow the excavation of entire houses and of the outdoor work areas surrounding them. In addition, we will investigate the changes in the life of the villagers over the course of the several centuries during which the site was occupied.

The project includes funds for room (as noted above, housing will be primitive) and board in New Mexico, but no pay. Crew members will share cooking, housework, and laboratory chores. No past archaeological experience is required; the most important qualifications are enthusiasm for hard work under rigorous conditions, and a desire to learn about archaeology. Several weekend fieldtrips to other Southwestern archaeological sites will be available. Transportation to New Mexico may be available for a few University of Delaware students, though students with a car who can drive to the field area are welcome to do so. Crew can also be picked up and dropped off at the airport in Albuquerque (though airfare must be paid by students who fly). All students must provide their own health care coverage.

Students interested in getting additional information about the project should contact me in person at my office (room 335 Ewing), by phone (831-3695) or by e-mail (rocek@udel.edu). I am collecting applications from students interested in working in New Mexico this summer; opportunities for experience with laboratory analyses back in Delaware during the academic year are also available.

[For some general information about the archeaeology of New Mexico, a nice web source is Southwestern Archaeology - New Mexico].

Photomosaic showing excavation of a portion of a house during the 1989 field season. The house is round, and a portion of the arc of its wall is visible in the right foreground of the photograph (curving back and to the left). A hearth, located at the center of the house circle, lies under the square of white plastic behind the student working in the foreground. A partially excavated underground storage pit is visible in the right foreground, outside the house wall.
 

APPLICATION FOR UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE SUMMER ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION IN NEW MEXICO, 1997 Contact information for Rocek -- office: 335 Ewing Hall, phone: (302) 831-3695; fax: (302) 831- 4002; e-mail: rocek@udel.edu.  Mailing address:  Thomas R. Rocek Department of Anthropology University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 19716 Name:     _____________________________________________________________________ Phone:    _____________________________________________________________________ E-mail or _____________________________________________________________________ other     _____________________________________________________________________ contact   _____________________________________________________________________ info.:    _____________________________________________________________________ Major/    _____________________________________________________________________ minor:    _____________________________________________________________________ Special   _____________________________________________________________________ skills:   _____________________________________________________________________           _____________________________________________________________________ Grade point average: ____________________________ Names and contact information   _______________________________________________ for two people who can comment  _______________________________________________ on your work.                   _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________                                 _______________________________________________ What would your transportation needs be? _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Why do you want to work on this project? Please write on an additional page.

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Last Updated: 9/30/97
URL of this document: http://www.udel.edu/anthro/newslet/newslet1/v1n1.htm