Past Events

Consultation Partnerships: Lessons Learned at DoD [Foundational Skills]

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Consultation Partnerships: Lessons Learned at DoD [Foundational Skills]

When: February 06, 2025 2:00-3:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Certification: RPA-Certified


Pricing

Individual Registration: Free to SAA members; $69 for non-members

Group Registration: Free to SAA members; $89 for non-members


Laurie W. Rush, PhD, RPA, Cultural Resources Program Manager and Native American Affairs Liaison, Department of the Army, Fort Drum, New York

Dr. Rush has a BA from Indiana University Bloomington, an MA and PhD from Northwestern University, and is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Her research specialty is Native Americans of the Great Lakes, and she is an Army Archaeologist who serves as Cultural Resources Manager and Native American Affairs Coordinator for the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum. Dr. Rush is a Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution, a University of Pennsylvania Consulting Scholar, and Secretary of
the US Committee of the Blue Shield. She initiated the consultation program at Fort Drum, NY over 20 years ago and is proud of the partnerships the Installation has established with the Oneida Indian Nation, the Onondaga Nation, and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

After consulting with Native American Tribes from coast to coast, the US Department of Defense developed the American Indian and Alaska Native Policy in 1998. This consultation policy takes the form of official guidance, but when read carefully, you will find a road map for establishing meaningful partnerships between US government agencies and the other sovereign nations of North America. This course will offer step-by-step instructions for building consultation partnerships based on the policy, with additional details about lessons learned over the course of the last 20 years from establishing government to government and staff to staff partnerships at a US Army installation.

  1. Understand how to initiate and implement a meaningful consultation program for your agency.
  2. Understand the two levels of consultation relationships – government to government vs staff to staff.
  3. Understand the importance of context for effective meetings.
  4. Understand the goals for establishing meaningful consultation partnerships.
  5. Opportunities to benefit from lessons learned.

Introductory Sedimentology for Archaeology [Foundational Skills]

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Introductory Sedimentology for Archaeology [Foundational Skills]

When: January 23, 2025 3:00-4:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Certification: RPA-Certified


Pricing

Individual Registration: Individual Registration: Free to SAA members; $69 for non-members

Group Registration: Group Registration: Free to SAA members; $89 for non-members


Dr. Ervan Garrison, PhD, RPA, University of Georgia

Dr. Garrison has recently retired from the University of Georgia where he taught geology and archaeology for 32 years. Archaeological sedimentology played a central role in his teaching and research, which encompassed the study of both terrestrial and lacustrine/marine sediments. From 1990 to 1992 he worked as a Marine Archaeologist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and served as research faculty at Texas A&M University from 1979 to 1989. Dr. Garrison received his PhD. from the University of Missouri and both his B.S. and M.A. from the University of Arkansas.

 

A significant portion of any archaeological site is often in the dirt, aka “sediments.” Even until the mid-to-late 20th century, sediments were simply discarded and ignored at many excavations. Sediment analysis, or sedimentology, is largely the province of geoarchaeology. In many European geoarchaeological programs it is the central focus. In U.S. and Canadian geoarchaeological programs sediments are important but not the only focus – stable isotopes, eDNA, etc. – are key elements of study as well the petrographic characterization of lithic materials. This seminar will focus exclusively on the “dirt” and how best to use it for archaeological ends. Color, texture, parent material, micro-and- macro inclusions will be discussed as well as important instrumental methods that assist in our understanding of sediments.


1. Learn what sediments are and how they differ yet make up all soils.

2. Learn the basic steps in the characterization and study of sediments.

3. Appreciate the necessity of sedimentological study in archaeology, writ large.


The Craft of Public Writing: How to Share Archaeology with Nonspecialists [Foundational Skills]

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The Craft of Public Writing: How to Share Archaeology with Nonspecialists [Foundational Skills]

When: December 17, 2024 2:00-3:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Certification: None


Pricing

Individual Registration: Free to SAA members; $69 for non-members

Group Registration: Free to SAA members; $89 for non-members


Bridget A. Alex, PhD, SAPIENS Magazine

Dr. Alex is the archaeology and biological anthropology editor for SAPIENS, a digital magazine produced by anthropologists for the public. As a freelance writer, she has published more than 140 popular science stories for outlets including Discover, Science, Archaeology, Atlas Obscura, and Smithsonian. Bridget has taught anthropology and science communication at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena City College, and Harvard University. 

Dr. Alex earned her Ph.D. in archaeology and human evolutionary biology from Harvard. Supported by the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Program, and other awards, her research focused on the spread of Homo sapiens and extinction of other humans, such as Neanderthals, over the past 200,000 years. More broadly, she used biogeochemical methods like radiocarbon dating to reconstruct the chronology and biogeography of past human groups. This methodological expertise allowed her to work and publish on diverse archaeological contexts including Paleolithic Eurasia, Stone Age Africa, Iron Age Near East, Moche South America, and Teotihuacan-era Mesoamerica.

Great research is not enough. Archaeologists must effectively communicate their work to non-archaeologists, including scholars in other fields, funding agencies, journalists, and diverse publics. However, few archaeologists are trained to write for non-specialists. This seminar will provide a foundation for researchers who want to write or create content for diverse audiences. After reviewing the challenges and opportunities of public communication, the seminar will deliver technical and artistic guidance on the craft of public writing. The session will discuss story structure, audience characterization, and the qualities of engaging, accessible prose. By analyzing exemplary models from public-facing pieces, the instructor will distill elements that make pop-science writing effective and sometimes beautiful. Participants will develop their public writing skills and learn the steps to publishing with popular media outlets. They will also compose (and come away with) short descriptions of research ready to share with public audiences.

  1. Review potential risks and rewards of public communication
  2. Discuss elements of public writing, including structure, story-telling, and accessibility
  3. Summarize the process of writing for popular media outlets from pitch to publication

From Principles to Practice: Ethical Foundations and Training in Archaeology [Deeper Digs]

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From Principles to Practice: Ethical Foundations and Training in Archaeology [Deeper Digs]

When: December 04, 2024 2:00-4:00 PM ET

Duration: 2 hours

Certification: RPA-certified


Pricing

Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members

Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members


Katherine L. Chiou, PhD, RPA, University of Alabama

Katherine (Katie) Chiou is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alabama. Her research spans foodways past and present, social inequality, plant domestication, applied ethics, and responsible conduct of research. Her current ethics project, funded by the NSF Ethical and Responsible Research Program, probes the effectiveness of case-study-based training in developing ethical decision-making competencies and works to diversify ethics education. Since 2017, she has served on the SAA Committee on Ethics, organizing the SAA Ethics Bowl. She also serves as the current Chair of the RPA Ethics Committee.
This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of archaeological ethics and practical training in ethical reasoning. Participants will explore the historical context and core principles of current examples of codes of archaeological ethics, receive an overview of core themes, analyze case studies, and develop strategies for cultivating ethical cultures in their professional practice. The workshop aims to equip archaeologists with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate ethical dilemmas and uphold the highest standards of integrity in their work.
  1. Understand the historical development and core principles of archaeological ethics.
  2. Develop skills in ethical reasoning and decision-making through scenario analysis and case studies.
  3. Cultivate strategies for promoting ethical cultures within professional archaeological practice.

Indigenous Archaeology in Practice [Foundational Skills]

Registration Closed!

Indigenous Archaeology in Practice [Foundational Skills]

When: November 22, 2024 1:00-2:00 PM ET

Duration: 1 hour

Certification: RPA-certified


Pricing

Individual Registration: Free to SAA members; $69 for non-members

Group Registration: Free to SAA members; $89 for non-members


John A. Torres, RPA, M.A., Mt. San Jacinto College

John A. Torres has been a professional anthropologist and archaeologist for over 30 years. The bulk of his research has been in Southern California, the Great Basin and the American Southwest. Professor Torres is of Chicano and Navajo descent and is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Since his return to Southern California in 2014 he has been teaching in the Inland Empire and is currently full-time Associate Professor of Anthropology and Indigenous Archaeology at Mt. San Jacinto College. He is also the Supervisory Archaeologist for the Kizh Nation, Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians.
When NAGPRA was enacted it empowered tribes to claim their ancestors and cultural patrimony. It also pushed forward, a movement and Indigenous Archaeology took shape. It has been with us for nearly 30 years now, but with a few exceptions, the total control of our resources never really came to fruition. An amendment to the California Environmental Quality Act, Assembly Bill 52, has taken empowering tribes to a new level and it has lead to a rebirth of that original movement. Along with biologists, geologists, archaeologists, paleontologists, etc., tribes are now at the table while creating mitigation plans to impacted
resources. These new Tribal Cultural Resources not only include, archaeological sites, features and objects, but also tribal stories, landscapes, medicine collection areas, hills, caves, waterways, etc. The impact has not only added to the interpretation of archaeological data, but some tribes have created their own CRM enterprises to collect, analyze, and curate the material culture of their ancestors directly. This program will explore how this reborn paradigm has impacted archaeology, tribe vs archaeologist relations and the resources themselves.
  1. Recognize what Indigenous Archaeology is.
  2. Identify potential conflicts between archaeological methods and Indigenous cosmologies.
  3. Formulate ways that Indigenous knowledge can better our interpretation of the archaeological record.