About Dirt

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Hi!

My name is Terry Peterkin Brock, and I’m a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at Michigan State University. I have a particular interest in Historical Archaeology, and am conducting research at Historic St. Mary’s City in Southern Maryland. I live in Williamsburg, Virginia. I have a lot of homes.

This blog serves a number of purposes, and I write about a number of different things. I try to stick to a few basic topics however:

  • My current  research and interests, which include my dissertation project on slavery in America, the importance of community engaged research as it pertains to cultural heritage.
  • My process of developing a professional identity as I progress through graduate school as a professional archaeologist, cultural heritage professional, teacher, and leader.
  • New tools, software, and hardware that help me become a better professional and conduct my research. I have a particular interest in social media and macintosh computers, so expect a bent in that direction.
  • Gender violence and sexual assault prevention. I know this doesn’t seem to fit the mold, but it’s a topic that permeates our world, and I have worked throughout my life to prevent it.

Please subscribe to this blog by clicking on this link, and give me a follow on any number of social media sites in the sidebar. I am very active on Twitter, and would love to see you there. Give me a follow and send me a message!

Why Blog?

I consider blogging to be an important part of what I do as a professional archaeologist. This is a way for me to engage the wider world in my research, network with other archaeologists, and give a behind the scenes look at how archaeology, community engagement, and becoming a professional in the field is done (for better or worse). Of course, I blog about a number of things, some archaeology related, others not. No matter what, the idea is to start dialogue about these topics. So please, use the comment field to respond to anything I post, and the various social media buttons to share it around. I consider blogging to be a big responsibility, and I am always seeking input and new ideas about how to do it better and more effectively.

I do have links to affiliates on this blog. Please visit this page to learn more.

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About the Author

Terry is an archaeologist who lives in Virginia with his fiancee and is writing his PhD at Michigan State University. In his spare time, he writes for Gradhacker, an Inside Higher Ed Blog, and tweets @brockter. His favorite thing he's ever written is Swimming Buddies and a Pipe Cleaner Necklace.