DEVELOPING LAB ACTIVITIES TO TEACH GEOPHYSICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY GEOARCHAEOLOGY COURSE

As a result of ongoing research collaboration involving geology and archaeology faculty and students, we have developed an intermediate-level undergraduate course in geoarchaeology. The first offering of the course in fall 2005 enrolled 35 students, primarily non-science majors. Despite the relatively large class size and limited science background of the students, the instructors, a sedimentary geologist and a field archaeologist, attempted to familiarize students with geochemical and geophysical instrumentation and data analysis techniques. Praise for the course goals from the students, coupled with only mixed success in teaching scientific analysis techniques, led us to develop several lab modules for the course that incorporate ground-penetrating radar (GPR) field surveys, x-ray diffractometry (XRD), and graphical and statistical analysis of elemental abundance data from artifacts. While the limited scientific background of the target audience is a disadvantage, we see an advantage in that the techniques we introduce can be used to help answer straightforward archaeological questions, e.g., Where did material for this artifact originate? Is there a structure buried at this site? Such questions will engage students in these activities and motivate them to learn what information the analytical techniques can (and cannot) provide.

Three lab modules are being developed: 1) Students will pulverize an artifact sample, conduct a powder XRD analysis, and interpret the data to answer a mineralogical provenance question. 2) Students will measure and stake out a survey grid using total station and handheld GPS units, and then run GPR transects across a known subsurface anomaly. Students will then be given GPR data from additional, off-site surveys to plot and interpret. 3) Spreadsheet files containing geochemical composition data from artifacts and potential source materials will be provided; students will graphically and statistically explore these data, to again address an artifact provenance question. Through these activities we hope to encourage all students in the course to use scientific approaches and techniques to address a range of questions. This course development project was supported in part by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to improve college science education.