Archaeological Fieldwork at UTM (ANT318H5)

students outside at archaeological dig sites and inside a lab examining small pottery artifacts

2024 fieldwork dates are now posted and the application form is open. The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 11:59pm.

Course details and application information

NEW: Visit the Schreiber Wood Archaeology page to view field school research activities and media coverage.

 


Description

The objective of the UTM Archaeological Fieldwork course (ANT318H5) is to give students a basic grounding in the techniques and methods employed by archaeologists to extract data from an archaeological site and to process these data in the laboratory.

Because archaeological data collection is time-consuming and requires learning a number of different techniques, the first part of the course will consist of two weeks (80 hours) of field instruction, usually during the last two weeks of August.

Instruction during the field session in August deals with:

  • excavation practices
  • data recording
  • flotation
  • mapping
  • photography

The fall term is devoted to weekly four-hour laboratory sessions that focus on washing and cataloguing the artifacts excavated during the summer.

View the course description in the UTM Academic Calendar

 


Location

The August fieldwork generally takes place at a site within commuting distance of the UTM campus or on the UTM campus. Students are individually responsible for transportation; a car pool will be organized from the UTM campus if an off-campus site is selected. 

The Fall term lab classes take place on the U of T Mississauga campus.

 


Dates and course delivery timeline

  • This course is typically offered every year.
  • Students must be available for both the August fieldwork and the laboratory classes in the Fall term. 
  • Participation in August fieldwork is a mandatory part of the course.

2024

  • 2024 fieldwork dates are Monday, August 19 to Friday, August 30, 2024.
  • Fieldwork takes place from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
  • Weekly four-hour laboratory classes are held during the fall term. The fall schedule will be posted on the Timetable Builder.

Applicants must read the policy below regarding enrolment in other "S" Term courses with final or deferred exams scheduled during the fieldwork portion of ANT318H5.

 


Policy regarding enrolment in other "S" Term courses with final or deferred exams scheduled during the fieldwork portion of ANT318H5

Students who have a final or deferred exam scheduled during the fieldwork portion of ANT318H5:

  1. must inform BOTH the ANT318H5 course instructor AND the Departmental Assistant at secretary.utmanthro@utoronto.ca by email
  2. may leave the field school for the duration of their exam only
  3. are not permitted to take time away from the field school to study for their exam
  4. must make up that missed time later in the semester with other tasks

 


Fees and supplies to be purchased

  • Students are only charged Fall Registration for the course; there are no summer tuition charges.
  • The non-refundable ancillary fee of $35.00 CAD for all students who enroll in UTM Anthropology field school courses may apply. The ancillary fee covers the cost of minor field school supplies. All excavation equipment will be supplied.
  • There is some personal equipment that you will need in order to participate (more details on these items will be provided to students enrolled in the course):
    • Long pants and long-sleeve shirts
    • Hat
    • Hiking shoes or boots
    • Gloves
    • Safety glasses
    • Sunscreen
    • Insect repellant
    • A light rain poncho, or rain jacket and pants
    • Water: You must bring at least one water bottle with you every day.
    • Pens/Pencils
    • Trowel (optional)
 

Eligibility and prerequisites

Enrollment in ANT318H5 is by department approval only, and the department will enroll you into the course if your application is approved. If you wish to request approval to enroll, you must submit the application form by the deadline date (see application and enrolment process, below).

Prerequisites:

  • ANT200H5 and ANT201H5  (or equivalent)
  • Note that having both pre-requisites does not mean you will be approved.

Selection criteria could include, but is not exclusive to:

  1. Total number of credits completed (should have completed at least 2 years of university i.e. 8.0 credits minimum).
  2. Type of courses completed (Note that there are no other “required” ANT course other than the pre-requisite courses, but having other ANT courses and doing well in them could be advantageous to your application.)
  3. cGPA and/or average of ANT courses and/or satisfactory grades in the pre-requisite ANT courses and/or other relevant ANT courses which you may have completed.
  4. Academic standing/history (if applicable), e.g. academic integrity issues could disadvantage your application.

Approval is not guaranteed. It will depend on the applicant pool and space availability. From year to year, assessment is based on a number of factors depending on who applies and what their academic standings look like compared to yours (i.e. there is no minimum average cut off).

Notes:

  1. Because there is group work involved, especially during the August excavation period, it is important that the approved students have a strong academic foundation to work well with other students in the group (i.e. understand the content required for the whole group to succeed academically).
  2. Students may apply for ANT418H5 (the advanced version of the ANT318H5) if they have previously completed ANT318 (or an equivalent).

 


Application and enrolment process

Step 1:

The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 31, 2024 at 11:59pm.

Request departmental approval to enrol in the course by submitting this application form (when open):

Submit the application form

Step 2:

Check your @mail.utoronto.ca email account for the results of your application (emails are usually sent towards the end of April or early May).

Step 3:

If you receive departmental approval to enrol in this course, you must reply to the department via email, confirming if you wish to enrol in the course. If you confirm you wish to enrol, the department will enrol you in the course when enrolment opens on ACORN. 

 


Questions?

If you have any questions about the Archaeological Fieldwork Field School or the application process please contact the Departmental Assistant at secretary.utmanthro@utoronto.ca.

toy artifacts on display

On display: children's toy artifacts from Schreiber Wood archaeological site

Visit the the UTM Library entrance to view a display of children's toy artifacts that were excavated right here on campus! Click the link to learn more about the Mystery of Mount Woodham at UTM.