Yesterday, I was very excited to tune into the livestream of Steve Jobs and Apple’s Music Day. Not because I’m a huge music fan (which I am), or because I really wanted to know who the musical guest was going to be (Coldplay. Nice.), but because I’m an archaeologist.

Wait, wuh?

That’s right, the introduction of a new lineup of ipods had me excited, because there was the possibility that the new iPod Touch would be the tool that would make the type of digitally engaged archaeology (and any other form of digital community engagement) that I have been championing for a a while now readily available. And Mr. Jobs didn’t disappoint.

For those of you who don’t know, for the past couple of years I have been live tweeting archaeological excavations for the MSU Campus Archaeology Program (@capmsu). These tweets take place in the field, and include photos of our discoveries, discussions about our field methods, and the ability to answer questions from the public who sit in the comfort of their homes, offices, or wherever and join us on our excavations virtually. They are also forwarded to our Facebook and Flickr accounts. This has greatly expanded the traditional scope of public archaeology: what used to require a visit to the archaeological site doesn’t anymore. People from all over the world can take part, and they can engage directly with archaeologists while they’re excavating.

However, the entire project had one major drawback: it required a smartphone and access to a network. This meant that if you’re an archaeologist who just has a regular cell phone, the process won’t work. Campus Archaeology ran into this problem when I stopped being the Campus Archaeologist. My predecessor doesn’t own a smartphone, and asking him to pony up the cash to purchase one, and lock himself into a new contract with a company he might not want to be a part of, isn’t exactly fair (particularly since we’re graduate students). Not to mention, most archaeology programs are on a budget, and getting a company phone so that you can tweet typically isn’t worked into the budget.

Enter the new iPod Touch. I have been eyeing the Touch for a while now as a possible substitute: there is no phone, and therefore no contract, but it has the ability to get wireless internet. What it didn’t have before was pretty simple: it had no camera.

But now it does.

The new iPod Touch is really, almost entirely, an iPhone without a phone. It can take photos and video, find your location, even do FaceTime, the virtual video chat. There are a number of possibilities for public engagement with these elements.

Photos: well, this is obvious if you’ve followed any of our tweets: you can take pictures of what’s going on, tweet them, share them on Facebook, upload them to Flickr, and start a conversation about what you’re finding with the public.

Video: the truth of the matter is that video is going to be one of the new elements of record keeping in archaeology. Now that it is incredibly accessible, small, and easy to do, archaeologists can record difficult excavation techniques, demonstrate techniques to the public, or do quick in the field video blogs about what has been happening in the field. Perfect for both the public side and the research side of archaeology.

FaceTime: I haven’t had a chance to fiddle with FaceTime, so I’m not entirely certain what it’s possibilities are. With that said, I’m envisioning live chats from the field with different community groups, classrooms of students, or other archaeologists called in for a consultation. More on this sometime in the future.

Location-Aware: With the increasing possibilities surrounding location-based interactive  social networking, the opportunities for public engagement using Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, Gowalla, and, eventually, PlaceThings will allow the iPod Touch to be used to enter in new, culturally relevant hotspots that wouldn’t exist otherwise. For example, Campus Archaeology has entered a few spots on Foursquare that were sites of buildings that don’t exist anymore (above ground, anyway). These then pop up as Tips, so that people near by can learn more about them. Of course, you have to be mindful of looting, so choose your spots carefully.

In all, their are a number of possibilities for using the Touch for public engagement, the most important being that it is much more flexible than the iPhone or any other smartphone in regards to affordability. I am certain that there are probably a number of applications for data collection and basic field notes, map drawing, etc., but I just wanted to focus on public engagement here. Of course, there is the potential drawback of needing a wireless signal, so this might not be ideal for all archaeological situations. That said, wireless will only become more available, particularly with the introduction of items like the Virgin Mobile Novatel MiFi, a portable wireless hotspot you can carry in your pocket. In all, the iPod Touch is a perfect edition to a 21st century archaeology tool-kit, and will greatly improve the ability for archaeologists to engage with the public.

What other options do you think might be available with the iPod Touch? If you have any suggestions of where else this technology could be used by archaeologists or others, please, let me know!

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I have a productivity plan. A way to get things done that I need to get done. It involves a Sunday night ritual where I go over my To-Do list, examine my weekly calendar, schedule appointments, pay the bills, look at my weekly expenses, and water the plants. It is a plan that, of course, involves numerous software applications and iphone doohickys, influenced by GTD, Clockwork Muse, The Creative Habit, and Inbox Zero. It’s tried and tested. When the plan is moving, it’s great. I get things done. I’m on top of the world. However, it has one fatal flaw.

I’m involved.

In order for this productivity plan to work, I have to sit down and implement it. I have to make the active decision to turn off the TV, lock my office door, sit down, and put things into gear. I’ve noticed that, as time moves on, I go from weekly to bi-weekly. Sometimes a weekend trip means I miss a week, and then it becomes once a month. Next thing I know, I realize I haven’t looked at my To Do list in months.

Typically these moments occur near the end of a semester, when I’m rushing to get projects done: There are only a couple things to do, and they are big, obvious, and due soon. I manage to convince myself that looking at my To Do list isn’t going to change anything, that big thing is still due, and it takes priority over everything else.  So I push the smaller things out of my mind, and forget about it. This summer, the Campus Archaeology Field School took precedent; I was barely in front of a computer for the month. And now, the stress and hubbub of moving across country has taken its toll on getting things straight. While packing, however, it occurred to me that I hadn’t sat down and taken stock of what I have to get done this coming semester.

So, this means that this week, now that I’ve settled in Williamsburg, I need to start planning. Of course, it helps that a new phase of work and life is beginning: that’s always a good time to refresh, reevaluate, and get started in new routines. It’s one of the reasons why I love being on an academic schedule; every two or three months the semester ends, and you can pick up and begin your routines from a fresh starting point. Often this gives me a chance to try a new piece of technology, or adopt a different productivity thing I read about somewhere. It also lets me ditch old ideas that haven’t worked.

This fall, however, the things I have to complete (ahem, my dissertation), are a little bit different than those things I’ve been completing over the past few years. There is no classwork due, and no regular desk/office/field job, and no boss to report to on a daily basis. I am in charge of my own time, making my own deadlines, and setting my own goals. I have to make sure that my days are spent working on my dissertation and other research. The people I report to won’t be across the hall, they’ll be across the country. This means that there are no daily reminders about what I should be working on. I’m simply cast out into sea and expected to return regularly with a chapter. This wouldn’t be a problem if, as I mentioned before, I wasn’t involved.

So, this means I’m going to have double my efforts to stay on task; I’m going to have to be my own boss. The weekly refresh may have to move to a different day or time, so that it isn’t so easily interrupted by weekend activities. Otherwise, I am just going to have to do a better, more consistent job of staying on task and sticking to the plan. We’ll see how it goes…

Do you have any tips or pointers? How do you stay on task? Also, I’m looking for any book recommendations about how best to approach this dissertation…please leave some suggestions in the comments!

Image borrowed from PhD Comics!

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I have spent most of my life in East Lansing, Michigan. I grew up here, I attend elementary, middle, high and graduate school here, my family lives here. The time I didn’t spend here was down the street, attending Kalamazoo College. I have made what I consider to be a pretty fantastic life here. This August, however, I’ll be leaving.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to many of you…I’ve been planning on moving to the Chesapeake for a while now, since that is where my dissertation research is located. Now that my proposal has been defended, I can begin the stage in my research where being close to my data is important. What has been up in the air has been the location, as it has revolved around where Ashleigh (@AshHeck), my partner in crime and life, found a new job. A few weeks ago, she was offered a fantastic job at William and Mary, working in their Career Services office, sending us to Williamsburg. We couldn’t have asked for a better spot, as it has plenty to offer both of us.

Needless to say, this is a difficult move for me. I will be leaving behind a family that lives down the street, a community of friends that I will miss seeing every day, a city that is finally pulling together and moving forward behind the strong will of so many great people, and a university that I have only recently been able to fully appreciate for all that it is, and all the amazing opportunities it has afforded me. I have little doubt that living in East Lansing and Lansing, being exposed to Michigan State’s education, and the relationships that I have made along the way, has shaped who I am as a person, and who I will become as a professional. Leaving that behind is a difficult thing to do.

With that said, Williamsburg will provide new opportunities, new challenges, new people, and a new setting. I am excited for the possibilities for both Ashleigh and I professionally. Thanks to generous funding from Historic St. Mary’s City and the MSU Campus Archaeology Program, I will be able to dedicate most of my time to working on my dissertation, and will be located only three hours from my research site and data, housed Historic St. Mary’s City. I am still working on what my schedule will look like, but it will certainly put me in St. Mary’s City, Maryland quite often. William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg will provide a large community of archaeologists to work with, a fabulous campus to explore, and a town that has embraced and celebrates its past fervently. Ashleigh has what looks to be a fantastic job with great opportunities for her as well. We will also be closer to extended family, who live in Maryland, and will have chance to see them more often.

So, in all, I am full of different emotions about this transition. I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m sad. I will be moved for good by August 15th, with Ashleigh leaving to start her new job at the beginning of August. So our near future is full of packing, wrapping up things at work, all while stuffing our faces with as many Jersey Giants, Peanut Barrel Olive Burgers, and Golden Harvest breakfast burritos a possible. Of course, I will be back often to visit family and my dissertation committee, and I will be sure to let people know ahead of time.

Thanks for everything, please stay in touch, and please, please, please come and visit. There’s lots to do in Williamsburg.

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I have been using Digital Social Media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr to show real-time posts to the fans of Campus Archaeology while we are excavating in the field. These messages are all attached to an image, so making sure the image is visible on all three of these media are important. Until recently, this has required me to use multiple iPhone apps, going through a number of steps, and to use a number of web tools in order to make things look integrated for our users. This was a hassle on my end, as many of these tools were too unreliable, required too many keystrokes, or didn’t provide high quality posts on all the platforms. Additionally, it took time away from me supervising the work being done in the field.

FINALLY, I have discovered a way to simultaneously post to Twitter, a Facebook PAGE, and Flickr with only typing one post, and to make each of those posts show up looking as if they were originally posted from that social media site. It requires three tools, one iPhone app and two web-based twitter clients that do all the work behind the scenes. For me, I only have to take one picture and attach it to one tweet, and it gets posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. Here are the tools.

gdzl.la: The first step, after you have signed up for a Twitter account, started a Facebook Page, and opened a Flickr account, is to visit gdzl.la. This tool is a Twitter photo client, and connects your Twitter photos to your Flickr account. Essentially, this gets rid of the need for TweetPhoto, or any of those other sites, and makes Flickr the primary storage home for these photos. This means that, if people want to, they can react and respond to these photos in Flickr, and also look at all of your other photos from Flickr.

Tweetie 2/Twitter for iPhone: gdzl.la has one drawback: at the moment it only works with Tweetie 2 (which has recently been purchased by Twitter and will soon be free and called “Twitter for iPhone”). I believe this is because Tweetie 2 is the only Twitter app that allows you to enter a custom primary image client. I could be wrong. This is extra unfortunate, because it also restricts the usage of gdzl.la to the iPhone. So, unless something changes, this iPhone app is a necessary component for this workflow to work properly (please, if there are other phones or apps this will work with, let me know in the comments and I’ll add it here).

UPDATE: gdzl.la himself made a comment about this topic down below, so keep on reading!

At any rate, with Tweetie 2 and gdzl.la, every photo I take from the field and post to Twitter automatically gets posted to Flickr, with the Twitter message serving as the photo title.

tweetpo.st: I just found tweetpo.st. It is another web based client that reposts your Twitter posts to your Facebook Profile. However, this goes many steps beyond what a lot of clients are capable of doing. For starters, it can link a Twitter account to a Facebook Page, something I have had a lot of trouble finding. Secondly, instead of simply rebroadcasting the tweet, along with the url in the text, tweetpo.st recognizes the url link, finds an image from it, and posts it as if you had “attached” a link to a regular Facebook Status. For those of you concerned about quality posts on Facebook, or who want a Facebook page that is full of images and videos instead of status messages with URLs in them, this is an exciting and hard to find feature. Additionally, tweetpo.st is making an effort to replace “@” Twitter messages with their equivalent “@” Facebook name. I’m not sure how this works, exactly, but the potential is pretty exciting. Another nice feature is that you can have as many pairs of Twitter accounts and Facebook accounts paired up, in case you are running a number of accounts.

So, here is how it works when these are all put together:

1. take a picture with Twitter for iPhone/Tweetie 2.
2. type your tweet.
3. Send.
4. gdzl.la sends the photo to flickr.
5. tweetpo.st send the photo and message to your Facebook Page.

This is going to save me a number of keystrokes, lots of time while I’m in the field, and will make the experience for our Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter communities better on all fronts.

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I went to the Great Lakes #ThatCamp with the intention of talking about using digital social media as a means of real-time community engagement, and hoping that I would get ideas from others about how they were using sites like Twitter or Facebook to engage communities in exciting ways, particularly in regard to real-time engagement. I was surprised by the outcomes. It seemed that most of the people at #ThatCamp were using these media to push content they had already created elsewhere: Twitter and Facebook were places to advertise upcoming events or blog posts. Although this a fine way to use it, it doesn’t capitalize on the unique features of digital social media, features that I think can play a strong role in community engagement.

Digital Social Media, particularly Twitter, provides a unique opportunity for scholars to break down a divide that has existed for a long time between the academia and the community. A number of scholars already do community engaged research, where they integrate the community in the entire process of their research. I recently attended a talk by Alan Leshner, the Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he made some important points about the importance for community engagement with science. In particular, he stressed the necessity of engagement so that the public understands not only what the results of our research is, but how those results are reached. This means that we as scholars and researchers need to be explicit with the public about how we do our research, how we collect data, and how we determine its usefulness. We must be transparent about how we produce knowledge. You must only follow a little bit of the “debate” about global climate change to understand how this disconnect can have dramatic effects in this realm.

Additionally, one of the parts I was able to take away from #ThatCamp was the interest that the public demonstrated in the process of doing research, not just the final product. This call was coming from people who worked in museums, one of the traditional spaces reserved for community engagement with scholarly research. This and the talk by Dr. Leshner suggest that scholars have an ethical obligation to provide more transparency and engagement regarding their research, and that the public has an interest in learning about how this research is done.

Digital Social Media, particularly social networking sites such as Twitter, provides a wonderful opportunity for these obligations to be met. First, provide the opportunity for a large community to be reached immediately. Researchers can communicate with people all over the world, as long as they have a cell phone or computer. In essence, this relationship can develop a new, digital community, that has a deep loyalty to a program or project. Second, the interaction is two-way, meaning that not only can researchers broadcast information, but consumers can ask questions about it and receive answers to their queries. Third, the posting can happen in real-time, meaning that scholars and the community can go about the process of doing research together, although remotely.

This last point is the most important, because it means that researchers have a vehicle to discuss the process of their research with the community. The Campus Archaeology Program, for example, sends tweets from the field during excavations. We discuss what we’re doing, why we make the decisions we do, how our research is constrained, and how we draw the conclusions that we do. This does two things: first, it educates the community about how our research is done, and second, it engages them in the actual process of doing the research. They get to discover artifacts and features at the same time that we do, and learn about how those discoveries contribute to forming knowledge about past human behavior.

The same could be said for all other disciplines. Most of us work in spaces that are unfriendly to the public, such as laboratories or archives. We tend to be anti-social beings, who assume that most people won’t be interested in our research until it is in a museum or on a bookshelf, a final product ready to be consumed. What we need to begin realizing is that this isn’t the only exciting part about what we do. It’s the actual process of discovery that is the most powerful. The added bonus is that by making this process public, we are able to also educate about how knowledge is formed, how science and scholarship is done, and how results are determined.

What are your thoughts? Are you using digital social media in these engaging ways? What other benefits do you see from this type of engagement? Drawbacks?

image created using @capmsu’s followers at TwitterMosaic.

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One of the sessions at Great Lakes ThatCamp was on Digital Archaeology. What was great about this session was the mix of archaeologists and people from other disciplines, particularly those who work in museums, who often have to take what we find and figure out how to present it to the public in interesting ways. The unfortunate part about this is that they are completely dependent on what material we give them: they essentially receive data that we have collected for our own research purposes, not for public presentation.

What was interesting about this session was that we were told that what the public is most interested in is less the object, and more the process of doing archaeology. Where did they excavate? How do they excavate? Who is excavating? What goes into doing an excavation? How are these objects found? These are experiences that are the most difficult to replicate, because the nature of archaeological methods are destructive: by removing artifacts from the ground we remove them from their historical context, thereby destroying it. We can’t do it again. The same goes for the process of removal: once an artifact is out of the ground, it can’t be removed again. So repeating the process archaeological methods is near impossible.

Archaeologists have countered the destructive nature of our methods by becoming methodical and obsessive record  keepers. Each archaeologist keeps a field journal. Things are painstakingly measured and mapped. Soil colors and samples are taken. Artifacts are bagged and tagged according to what depth they were removed. Everything is photographed. This way, when we analyze the data, we are able to recreate as much of the archaeological context as we can.

Archaeologists also record about how they are excavating things. Writing down what process things are being excavated is important because that effects the type or the quality of data that is removed from the ground. For example, many sites excavate with screens of a 1/4 inch. This needs to be recorded because it will explain why certain artifacts weren’t found: they would have fallen through the screen. This is important for archaeologists to note because it can effect the analysis. However, this type of record keeping is not done for the public: it’s done for the archaeologist.

If we want to be able to present the process of archaeological excavations after the excavations are complete, we need to start collecting information that will aid in this presentation. This might mean sitting down with the museum you are working with ahead of time to work out what information might be best. It might mean purchasing small video cameras to be used in the field, so that excavation methods can be recorded. Interviews with people on the team should be recorded, so that the methods can be explained. Blogging with the public in mind is another way to provide public-oriented field notes. At Campus Archaeology (@capmsu), we have been using Twitter and Facebook to tweet live from the field, a process which also provides a backlog of what is happening when. What this does, however, is change the way archaeologists need to think about the excavations: they need to approach it with both the analysis and the public in mind.

The most exciting part about archaeology is the moment of discovery. There is no better feeling than finding something that hasn’t been touched in hundreds of years. By keeping a record of the process of discovery while in the field, each visitor to a museum will be able to take part in that moment, and hopefully share a little bit in the power that comes with it. Hopefully, we will be able to do more to ensure that this moment is preserved and shared.

What are your thoughts? Can you think of other elements of excavations that can be captured? Other means to record them?

Photo used with permission from the MSU Campus Archaeology Program

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This weekend, Michigan State played host to the Great Lakes THATCamp (@GLTHATCamp), an “un-conference” in humanities and technology. This was my first experience at a THATCamp or un-conference, and it was definitely a successful format that took some getting used to. Once I did, however, things went smoothly (Visit the original THATCamp page here). The process is as follows: to attend, you have to bring an idea, which is submitted a month or two ahead of time. 75 people are accepted, and they post their ideas to a blog to get things started. Other attendees comment on the posts, and get the discussion started. The first hour of the actual conference is dedicated all the attendees talking about possible sessions, scheduling them in rooms, and appointing facilitators. This was all put on a Google Spreadsheet, so that everyone could see it and add to it throughout the weekend.

Sessions were similarly informal: the topic was stated, people usually started by saying something like, “I’m here because of this and that reason”, and then conversation started. Questions were posed, problems solved, new ideas brought to the table and collaborations formed. While this was happening, I’d say about 75% of the attendees were on Twitter, posting links, quoting things that were said, and asking additional questions. People followed from “outside” the Camp, making suggestions, adding content, or asking questions. It was incredibly dynamic, both online and in the sessions, and made me truly value the possibilities of how different media could be used at a un- or non-un conference.

From the perspective of an archaeologist, it was an interesting experience. The overlap with humanists certainly lies in areas such as public history, public engagement, museums, and cultural heritage. Archaeologists have been using technology for a long time, so that overlap is fairly evident. These sessions did encourage me to think harder about applications of digital technology beyond data analysis, and into public engagement, in both similar and new ways. Certainly, my personal work and my work at Campus Archaeology (@capmsu) will benefit greatly. Also, there were sessions on technology and teaching, which is helpful for anyone who has to stand in front of a classroom. What the conference did so well was foster ideas. I will be putting up posts as I get time that are influenced by the things discussed in these sessions, as opposed to trying to talk about them all here. Stay tuned!

I’d like to congratulate the organizers, particularly Ethan Watrall (@captain_primate), for their hard work. It was a wonderful success. Anything that generates ideas and pushes people to think and interact in new ways is always a good thing, and should always be repeated.

There are ThatCamp’s being held across the country, so I would strongly encourage you all to look one up. The hash tag is #ThatCamp, for you Twitterers out there.

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Okay, before I begin, I didn’t attend Ignite 3.0. I did make it to 2.0, so I know what it’s about: I support it whole heartedly. It is part of this larger movement, I’ll call it the #LoveLansing movement, that we have been engaging in the past couple of years. This group of people who love tweetups, happy hour, and breakfast. Who champion community, smart ideas, and supporting local business. Ignite is made up of this community, and today, Ignite got some bad press.

We all read John Schneider’s blog post about Ignite Lansing 3.0. We all agree that John Schneider didn’t get it, and he didn’t get it in a very nice way. We also know that what happens at Ignite (and after Ignite) is incredibly important, and good, for a number of reasons (see above link and comments…thanks @aribadler for a great post). But this is a big moment for our community of #LoveLansing-ers. It’s big because the noise we’ve been making is starting to be heard. John Schneider came to see what the commotion was about, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, he didn’t get it. We can poo-poo him as some old fuddy-duddy who doesn’t get it and won’t get it. Or, we can ask ourselves a much more important, reflexive, and  constructive question:

Why didn’t he get it?

What is it about our community that John Schneider missed? What wasn’t made clear to him? And even more importantly, how do we make it clear next time? These are important questions because, in Lansing, John Schneider is someone you want on your side, because people in Lansing have been reading his column every morning for a long, long time. They trust him and his opinion, and this movement should want their trust as well, because it’s trying to revive a city. And a city is hard to revive when the majority of people in and around the city think our bright idea is a 5-minute presentation, and miss the fact that the bright idea was the whole event itself: the process of a community doing, creating, and sharing something together.

So, we have two choices: blow off John Schneider and dismiss him as a boomer who “just doesn’t understand”, or call him up. Personally invite him to the next one. Give him an inside pass so he can watch (and report on) the whole process from start to finish. Tell him when the next TweetUp is, or breakfast club. Why not ask him to be part of the planning committee for the next Ignite? Engage with him and the community he represents. Learn from him what sort of message will ignite their fire, and bring their ideas to Lansing, so that we can all be a part of this movement together.

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Over the past two and a half years, I have worked in the Department of Student Life at Michigan State University, helping to coordinate the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Prevention Program. Although my time spent working with the office diminished from 25 to 10 to 5 hours a week, I have learned a great deal from this position that I would not have learned otherwise. Additionally, my girlfriend is also a student affairs professional, leading to many a conversation about what Student Affairs is and does. I have been, I feel, well exposed. Or at least, more exposed than most anthropology graduate students.

Needless to say, the culture in a student affairs office is dramatically different from that in my office in the Department of Anthropology. A lot of this has to do with the intent of the department: Student Life adopts a student-first orientation, where the single priority is students, particularly their “life outside of the classroom” (a phrase I hate, but people seem to keep using). An academic department such as Anthropology views their discipline first, and students are viewed as one of the priorities through that lens: how do we use anthropology to teach students about the world and how to view it critically? I think that what I have learned at Student Life will (and has been) valuable to my work as a member of an academic department for two reasons: first, it exposes me to a student-first perspective, and second, it provides me with in-depth knowledge about what student affairs programming exists and how I can use it to enhance what I do.

Disclaimer: I’m not suggesting that many faculty or student affairs professionals aren’t capable, or don’t already do, what I’m about to talk about. Many of them do. I’m simply writing about how my exposure to Student Affairs has led me to these realizations about how I hope to approach my professional life. Carry on.

When I walk in the doors at 101 Student Services, I’m responsible for looking at every idea from the perspective of the student. This means I have to look at our programming to figure out how it is relevant to a 19 year old student in 2010. How will this program benefit the student? How will get them there? How will the program get across its message in an effective, relevant way? In order to do this, you have to “know” the student body. You have to know how they work, what they do, what music they listen to, what music they don’t listen to, and so on. You also have to know about where students are developmentally, what skills they have, what they don’t have, why they do what they do. This is part of the student-first perspective. This perspective allows you to keep in touch with what students are thinking, how they perceive the world, and how they are struggling to function within it.

The importance for faculty and administrators in academic departments, then, seems obvious. Instead of asking how can we teach students through anthropology, we can ask how can we teach anthropology to students in ways they will find relevant to their lives and perspectives? How can our teaching help them develop into better people? Instead of focusing on what questions a student missed in office hours, a student perspective might lead to a discussion about studying habits, or what other elements of student’s life might be impacting their learning. Understanding what a student’s life is like will help me make a student’s education more valuable to them.

Working in Student Affairs has done another thing for me that is also important: it has opened my eyes to the number of things that are happening outside of academic departments. Even more important, it has become clear to me that these are not things that are happening separate of academia, they are happening along side it, and would be better if they were working with academia. Additionally, they offer things for our students that would make academic departments and classes work better. And when these collaborations do happen, it will be a great benefit for the partnership when I’m able to utilize a student-first perspective, in addition to an anthropology-first perspective (and for the student affairs side to do the same). Being able to make connections between academic and student affairs programming will help me a great deal in these situations.

Certainly, these are not the only things that I have learned from this experience, but I think they are the most important. There are plenty of other ways for faculty members to gain this perspective. What are some other important cross-over skills that you think I may have benefited from? On the flip side, do you think Student Affairs may have benefited from my perspective as a researcher? As an anthropologist?

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The role of the advisor is just that, to give advice. My advisor, Kenneth Lewis, came through big time last week during an impromptu meeting we had last week about my dissertation research questions (still being worked on, but I’ll post them once they’re completed). I had a feeling it was going to be an important conversation as it was happening, and thankfully I hit the record button on my iPhone half way through. I have since revisited the discussion a couple of times.

What he asked me revolved around the focus of my dissertation: was I looking at a methodology or process? Obviously, these are both important elements of a research design: you need a model that describes a process of human cultural behavior, and you need a methodology by which to test that model. Both are critical to a research design. But what he wanted to know was which one of these parts will I be emphasizing; which one will be the “new” thing I’m contributing. Of course, it could be both, but that could potentially reinvent the wheel, and in this case, it would be.

Many archaeologists have done analysis and tests of how you can identify the negotiation of power on a plantation. Delle looked at space (Delle 1998), Orser examined ceramic values (Orser 1988), and so on. There is no reason for me to focus my attention on developing new ways to show this negotiation through the material record: it has already been done, and I can use these methods again. A methodologically focused research design would have done something like identifying negotiations of power through a certain artifact, let’s say, marbles, and developing a methodology that would allow that to be done.

What hasn’t been done, however, is to examine the process of the transition from slavery to freedom in border state plantations, particularly in Maryland, and how power was renegotiated between the planters and laborers after the Civil War. This is what my main contribution will be: to see how this occurs, and how it is different or similar to the processes that have taken place in other places. My research, therefore, is focused on questions that are asked of the process, not of the methodology. I will be using methods already adopted by other archaeologists to test a processual model that I have developed using the specific historical context of the area I am investigating.

This was extremely helpful way of compartmentalizing the sections of my research design, and helped me describe what it is I am hoping to contribute with this research. Hopefully, it may also help some of you out there who are working on proposals themselves…

Delle, James A.

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