Continuing Education


What does student loan bubble mean for archaeology?

Small liberal arts colleges are starting to lose the battle against the “educational-industrial complex.” This month, two colleges in the eastern United States—Sweet Briar College and Tennessee Temple University—announced they will close their doors this year (2015). Insurmountable financial challenges and declining enrollment were cited as the reason for the […]

What does the student loan bubble mean for cultural resource management archaeology?

Ever wonder why volunteer or graduate school is considered experience for cultural resource management archaeology?

Is education and #freearchaeology really a substitute for actual archaeology experience?

We’ve all seen the following clauses in a job description: — A combination of education and experience which includes College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education. — The work experience must have included archeology field experience, which may […]


It’s not just archaeology. Most students don’t learn what they need in college.

A few months ago, I penned a (un)popular blog post titled “When archaeology field techs have to teach PhDs how to do archaeology”. Some people thought it was great. Many did not. Fortunately, I haven’t been kicked out of graduate school over it. The basic premise was: Universities are not […]

How can universities prepare students for cultural resource management archaeology careers?

Discussions of whiteness in colleges are important to eliminating structural racism

Why is it a big deal when universities discuss whiteness?

Last week, Fox News helped my dissertation research immensely. I learned about five books that I definitely need to read based on their coverage of a course at Arizona State University titled “U.S. Race Theory and the Problem of Whiteness.” The course is taught by Professor Lee Bebout who has […]


Are archaeologists racist?: Part I 2

WARNING: This blog post is probably going to make you very emotional. The principal emotion you are likely to experience is anger. Before you start rampaging in the comments box, please, read the entire article. Then, take three deep breaths and think about where this anger is coming from. Then, […]

How does structural racism effect cultural resource management?

Diaspora was a central topic at #SHA2015

Archaeology, Structural Racism, and the Seahawks: Musings on #SHA2015 2

“Peripheries and Boundaries” was the theme of this year’s Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) Conference in Seattle. Many of the symposia focused on the issues that arise when people and archaeologists focus on spaces in flux including diaspora, racialization, power differentials, and identity. Along with the question “Will the Seahawks […]


The adjunct crisis and archaeology

Depending on your sources, between 49 and 66% of all college professors are adjuncts. Full-time, untenured faculty composes 19 percent of professors, which means, at most, only a third of professors are on the tenure track. As a PhD student, I’ve been steadily encouraged to keep up hope about becoming […]

At least half of university professors are overworked adjuncts

Paychecks will do much to increase minorities in archaeology

How to get more minorities involved in archaeology

I’m writing this blog post from the Denver International Airport, en route back to Tucson after spending a fruitful July working on archaeological excavations in Glacier National Park. This project came close on the heels of a fruitful dissertation research trip to Boise, Idaho. Needless to say, this summer has […]