Posted 2:55 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015
A new department on campus is opening as the only one of its kind across the country.
A new department on campus is opening as the only one of its kind across the country.
The Department of Archaeology and Anthropology is unique in the U.S., says Department Chair and Archaeology Professor Timothy McAndrews. “While most other archaeology programs are housed within anthropology or archaeology departments, our new department reflects the extremely strong tradition of archaeology here at UWL while emphasizing the importance in the curriculum of our parent discipline, anthropology,” he says.
The department celebrates with an open house from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, in the Archaeology Center and Laboratories on campus. Participants will be able to tour the laboratory and see artifacts recovered during recent area archaeological digs. The event is free.
UWL began offering the archaeology major in 1992. The program has been housed with the Sociology-Archaeology Department. With recent growth, faculty decided to split into two departments to more effectively focus on each discipline’s programmatic and curricular goals and student needs.
McAndrews says the Archaeology & Anthropology Department’s dedication to give students an understanding of the world from an evolution and global cross-cultural perspective makes it stand out.
“Our curriculum is infused with international, cross-cultural content,” explains McAndrews. “We are among the most active departments on campus in offering international opportunities.”
UWL students can take part in archaeological field schools in the South American Andes, Tanzania and Egypt, as well as ethnographic field experiences in Bolivia and the Dominican Republic. They can study in London and York, England; Ireland; and Peru. The department also has faculty engaged in archaeological and ethnographic research not only in the U.S., but also in the Andes, Egypt, Hispañola, Kenya, Tanzania, Eastern Europe and Hmong America. This varied and active faculty research provides students a tremendous array of undergraduate research opportunities that prepare them for all kinds of career opportunities when they graduate, says McAndrews.
Demand for the archaeology major at UWL remains high among students studying archaeology, usually fluctuating between 90 and 120 majors annually. There is a higher percentage of out-of-state students in archaeology than most, if not all majors on campus, says McAndrews.
Another reason for that high interest in archaeology is the establishment and growth of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center since the early 1980s, says McAndrews.
“MVAC is a major part of the success of our academic programs,” he notes. “MVAC provides our students with levels of experience unmatched by any other archaeology program in the country.”
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
- Formed in 2015
- Eight full-time faculty members; seven affiliated faculty members
- Approximately 100 students majoring in archaeology
- Two minors: anthropology and archaeology studies
- The UWL archaeological studies major is one of the few comprehensive undergraduate degree programs in archaeology in the U.S. and the only one in the Midwest. It’s unique because it is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary major that integrates the sub-disciplines of anthropology with an emphasis on the most advanced archaeological methodologies and a wide array of area studies.