The Fall semester is about to begin, so this blog is coming back from the dead. Students in introductory archaeology (ANTH 100) will be posting their thoughts on the stereotypes and the realities of archaeological research. We will be using the textbook Archaeology Matters instead of Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries this semester so the focus is more on social justice archaeology than pseudo-archaeology.

What isn’t changing is how their blog posts will be graded. I will be looking for relatively short posts (400-500 words or 4-minutes of audio or video) that are engaging (not dry technical writing). The posts must play of a concept that was part of the course material for that week but must also be original (don’t just reiterate the class material). All non-video posts should be accompanied by two images or one embedded video. Links must be included for any source material. (I have included links to the two textbooks I mentioned earlier.) And yes, spelling and grammar count.

Students are encouraged to use the course assistant to get feedback on their posts before submitting them here. Be sure to start the assignment early to give her time to read it and provide feedback.

Anyone who isn’t sure what what makes a good archaeology blog post should read some of the posts in this blog, my Port Tobacco project blog, or the Day of Archaeology blog. If you are bored by a post it isn’t a good one. Find one that is interesting and figure out what made it that way. I know of one student who has experience blogging about archaeology. He may be willing to talk to you about it.

Good luck and have fun!