Archaeology and geology major directs research on-site in Guatemala for summer internship
Ryann Taylor ’26, an archaeology and geology major and religious studies minor at The College of Wooster, spent the summer at the archaeological site of […]
Overview
What types of archaeology do archaeology majors study at The College of Wooster?
Wooster offers a robust curriculum in both anthropological (or prehistoric) archaeology and historical archaeology. The program is designed both for majors and those students with an interest in archaeology as a significant, but not a major, emphasis in their liberal arts education. Wooster graduates make significant contributions to the field of archaeology, working in archaeology jobs at the National Park Service, in academia and as museum curators. Fieldwork is a highlight for many students, and recent projects have taken faculty and students to North Carolina, Connecticut, Illinois, and other U.S. locations, as well as Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Cyprus, Italy, Romania, Israel, and Jordan.
Archaeology at The College of Wooster
As they identify unique achievements and recurrent patterns in past societies, Wooster archaeologists take courses in languages, linguistics, art, literature, religion, history, anthropology and economics. The physical sciences are also an emphasis, and students take courses in geology, chemistry, and biology. Wooster students in archaeology experience the whole range of the discipline, from classroom studies, to fieldwork and lab research, to a formal presentation of the results in Independent Study and at academic conferences.
Faculty & Staff
Ricardo Higelin Ponce de León
Assistant Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology
Olivia Navarro-Farr
Professor of Archaeology, Sociology, and Anthropology; Program Chair for Archaeology
Margaret Ng Wee-Siang
Associate Professor of History; Archaeology; Chinese Studies; Program Chair of East Asian Studies; Co-Liaison to the Public Health Pathway
Santha Schuch
Administrative Coordinator - Africana Studies, Archaeology, East Asian Studies, Middle Eastern & North African Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, South Asian Studies, Urban Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Josephine Shaya
Marian Senter Nixon Chair in Classical Civilization; Chair of Classical Studies
Latest Archaeology News
History and archaeology alumnus witnesses history through position with the National Park Service
Jacob Dinkelaker ’11 believes that knowledge of the past propels the future. As the program manager for interpretation, education, and volunteers at The White […]
Archaeology and religious studies major builds hands-on skills through studying Maya ceramics
Teagan Knutson ’25, an archaeology and religious studies major at The College of Wooster, found the footing to thrive at a career in archaeology […]
Archaeology major studies Maya artifacts in Guatemala alongside field experts
Sydney Berenson ’25, an archaeology major and Spanish & museum studies minor at The College of Wooster, was offered the opportunity to spend her […]
Major
The major in archaeology consists of 14 courses: eight in archaeological perspectives and methods (including three of Independent Study), plus six in one of the following areas of emphasis: anthropology, art, classical studies, history or geology.
View CoursesMinor
A minor in archaeology requires completion of six courses: two introductory courses on archaeology and the methods and theory of archaeology, followed by four courses from interdisciplinary options that include history, anthropology, sociology and Latin.
View CoursesIndependent Study
Independent Study (I.S.) at Wooster provides a chance for each student to pursue in depth an area of their own choosing, with the one-on-one guidance of a faculty member. Many archaeology students elect to do their I.S. projects on laboratory or field studies in which they have engaged. The Archaeology Department encourages students to present their I.S. work at regional or national professional meetings, such as the Central States Anthropological Society or the Society for American Archaeology, or at student colloquia on campus. Students find that I.S. prepares them well for graduate study.
Search the I.S. Database
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Alumni
Many students take courses in archaeology simply because of an interest in the subject, but some do so in preparation for careers in teaching, museum curatorship, or field archaeology. Some recent examples:
- One graduate is a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan, and participated in archaeological field research in Cyprus, Kosovo, and the U.S. while at Wooster. The student’s doctoral dissertation examines the political and religious landscape of Cyprus in the Iron Age.
- Another graduate works in the Cultural Resources department at a civil engineering firm in Columbus, Ohio and is on the board of the Clintonville Historical Society, through which she does community outreach regarding the history and archaeology of her neighborhood.
- Another Wooster graduate received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship that supported her first three years in the Ph.D program in Anthropology at the University of Michigan. She conducted excavations in the Yucatan region of Mexico for her doctoral dissertation research, and received her Ph.D. in 2019.
- Many Wooster graduates are employed as park rangers and in other similar positions at the National Park Service, including at Tonto National Monument in Arizona and the Natchez Trail Parkway in Mississippi. Wooster graduates are well known at highly regarded graduate programs in archeology, including University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Prize & Scholarship
The Vivian L. Holliday Prize
The Vivian L. Holliday Prize was established in 1999 in honor of Vivian L. Holliday, Dean of the Faculty from 1977-1985 and Aylesworth Professor, Classical Studies, History, and Archeology, emerita, from 1961 until her retirement in 1999. This prize is awarded annually to the senior whose work in Independent Study in history, classical studies, or archaeology has been judged most outstanding.
- Ellie Howel 2019-“Singing in the Margins: Manifestations of Professional Identity and Creative Agency in Viking Age Oval Brooches”
- Alina Karapandzich 2018-“Zero to Hero: Elite Burials and Hero Cults in Early Iron Age Greece and Cyprus”
- Hannah Matulek 2017. “Great Spirits of All Who Lived Before”: Exploring the Original People of the Americas Through the Examination of Paleoindian Skeletal Remains
- James Torpy 2015. Sacred and Mortuary Landscapes in Iron Age Cyprus: A GIS Analysis
- Stephanie Bosch 2014 – (Archaeology and Geology) “Lithic Raw Material Procurement at the Prehistoric Wansack Site (36ME61) in Mercer County, Pennsylvania: Evidence for Mobility and Trade Patterns from the Archaic to the Late Prehistoric in Elemental XRF Data