Advocational Archaeologist Education Program

Mission Statement

Acknowledging that Utah's cultural resources will benefit from a more educated and trained public, the Utah Advocational Archaeologist Education Program (UAAEP) seeks to provide education and training in Utah archaeology to avocational archaeologists. Participants will receive a general archaeological background, specific experience as desired within program guidelines, and opportunities to assist professional archaeologists in the preservation and development of Utah's cultural resources within the parameters of existing laws.

This program is sponsored by the Utah Statewide Archaeological Society (USAS), the Utah Professional Archaeological Council (UPAC) and the Utah State Historical Society. Margene Hackney, a former USAS President and retired school teacher from Price, Utah along with Ron Rood, Utah Assistant State Archaeologist, are preparing the curriculum. The curriculum has four levels of education.

Level 1 - An introduction to anthropology, archaeology, and the prehistory of Utah.

Level 2 - Site recording, documentation, preservation and site stewardship.
(in preparation)

Level 3 - Individual research projects done under the direction of a professional archaeologist.

Level 4 - Publication of research in a professional journal such as Utah Archaeology.

Levels 1 and 2 will be approximately 30 hours in length and will have a mixture of lecture, hands-on activities, individual assignments, videos, and tours. Levels 1 and 2 will be taught by professional archaeologists or USAS members who have completed the curriculum.

There will be a cost for the course, however, costs have not been finalized. Each student will receive a handbook.

In addition, individual workshops covering a variety of topics are being offered throughout the year. In June, 1998 over 30 people attended a workshop on flintknapping. A workshop entitled "Cooking With Hot Rocks" was presented in September 1998. A faunal analysis workshop was held on January 1999 in Provo. Historic artifact and glass identification workshop was held during the USAS Annual Meeting in June 1999 with 26 members attending. Other planned workshops include the following titles:

Rock Art Photography
Site Stewardship
Perishable Artifact Analysis
Anasazi Ceramics
Fremont Ceramics
Bone Tool Analysis
Site Photography
Teaching Archaeology to School Kids
Osteology
Archaeological Stabilization
Historic Site Identification and Recording
Ceramic Vessel Reconstruction
Museum Display Methods
Advanced Site Mapping

For more information on UAAEP, please contact Ron Rood at 801-533-3564.