Society Activities

Texas Archeology Academy

Texas Archeology Academies 2011

The March 11 - 13 Archeology 101 Academy was a great success. Classroom instruction (led by Harry Shafer) and other orientation (a tour led by Susan Snow) was held in the San Antonio area at Mission San Jose on Friday evening and Saturday, with Sunday fieldwork at Rancho de las Cabras near Floresville led by PI Marybeth Tomka.  Academy facilitators Gerri and Howard Crockett have written an article on the Academy; you can read all about it here.  There are also pictures by Carolyn Gritzmaker to illustrate the activities Sunday morning at Las Cabras.

Unfortunately, the Geoarcheology Academy, to be held in the San Angelo area on April 2-3, had to be cancelled.  For those of you who wish to acquire some geoarcheology knowledge, the Academy Committee is hoping to reschedule that topic in the next year or two, particularly since the March 2010 Geoarcheology Academy at Fort Hood was quite popular.  Keep an eye out as information for the 2012 Academies is posted about the time of the 2011 Annual Meeting in Fort Worth this fall.

Archeology 101

Report and Photos from Archeology 101

Registration Deadline for Archeology 101: is passed.

Archeology 101: Recognizing and Documenting Archeological Sites will be held this upcoming spring, March 11-13, in San Antonio.  This academy will include classroom and field portions taught by Dr. Harry Shafer and Marybeth Tomka.

The Archeology 101 Academy will introduce basic archeological procedures, techniques for recovery of data, and methods for preserving valuable archeological resources.  The focus of this academy is “What do archeologists do and why do they do it?”  Instruction includes identifying archeological sites, mapping visible remains, analyzing evidence, reporting finds, and protecting our heritage from destruction.  Dr. Harry Shafer will present the classroom portion of the Academy at the Harris House at Mission San Jose, and Marybeth Tomka will instruct attendees through the field work at Rancho de las Cabras.  Venues are in and around San Antonio, and the Academy will take place the weekend of March 11-13th.

Geoarcheology: Recognizing and Evaluating the Archeological Potential of the Landscape

Registration Deadline for Geoarcheology: IS PASSED!.

Geoarcheology: Recognizing and Evaluating the Archeological Potential of the Landscape will be held in San Angelo over the weekend of April 2-3.  Dr. Charles Frederick and Karl Kibler will teach classroom and field components of this academy.

Get ready to trek into the Edwards Plateau-Rolling Plains ecotone with Charles Frederick and Karl Kibler as they teach you how landscape settings influence site context, visibility and preservation in Geoarcheology: Recognizing and Evaluating the Archeological Potential of the Landscape.  Hands on exercises, as well as classroom instruction, will offer participants the opportunity to see what can be learned from the geography of Texas.  Though venues have yet to be confirmed, this Academy will be held in and around San Angelo the weekend of April 1-3rd.

All workshops are intended for anyone interested in archeological topics.  Avocational archeologists experience new dimensions of expertise; professional archeologists benefit from review; undergraduates, graduate students and educators may receive credit for the classes.  The goal of Texas Archeology Academies is to show how archeology is done and why we do it.

Registration Information

Fees for attending each academy are $95 for members and $155 (including membership dues) for Individual non-members.  All fees are listed below. Lunches will be provided during each session.  You can register by mail with the registration form provided in the newsletter or with a printout of the online PDF; you can also register online.  All credit card registrations should be done online.

Continuing Professional Education

Teachers will receive credit for class and field trip hours.  TAS is a provider of professional development through SBEC.

Scholarships

If support is sufficient, two Collegiate Scholarships will be given for each Academy, each year.  If not already a Texas Archeological Society member, the scholarship recipient will be registered as a TAS student member for the current year, and will receive the Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society and Texas Archeology newsletter.  Academy registration will be covered; this includes a CD version of the manual, lunches and snacks during Academy sessions, and any materials needed.  The scholarship recipient will also receive an allowance of $100 to assist with transportation and lodging costs.  The deadline to apply for Collegiate Scholarships is one month before each Academy. Dates for spring Academies will be posted on the web site by the preceding November for the spring Academy sessions.  More Collegiate Scholarship information.  Apply for a collegiate scholarship online.

Two additional scholarships will be awarded each year by the Diversity Committee.  The deadline to apply is one month before each Academy.