Geoarchaeology - Hamilton College Clinton

Geoarchaeology from Hamilton College Clinton is a Campus Bachelor Geology degree that prepares you for a Science career. GEOARCHAEOLOGY AT HAMILTON REPRESENTS A NEW GENERATION of innovative, interdisciplinary study in the earth sciences . Using geologic methods and principles to enhance our ability to interpret and understand the archaeologic record, geoarchaeology is a major field that has undergone tremendous growth in recent decades. The Hamilton program is a research-oriented bridge between the Geosciences Department and the Archaeology Program operated within the Anthropology Department. It combines the extensive resources of these two disciplines to provide specialized training to undergraduates that is typically available only to graduate students in large, research-oriented institutions. The Geoarchaeology Program combines a broad course sequence in anthropology, geosciences and supporting fields with specialized coursework and a senior project. The focus is on such topics as geochronology, stratigraphic succession, paleoenvironmental reconstruction and landscape evolution. Hamilton is rare among undergraduate institutions in offering a geoarchaeology major, which is made possible by the breadth of expertise among faculty members in both the Geosciences and Archaeology programs. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES Field studies through the College's summer programs in geosciences and archaeology offer students a remarkable range of opportunities to develop research skills and integrate classroom learning. In recent work, students have traced stone tools to their geologic sources, explored how and when sites were occupied in light of landform evolution, and determined how processes of disturbance affect archaeological deposits. Such studies often lead to collaborative papers and presentations in which students and faculty members publish their research in scholarly journals and speak at conferences. THE SENIOR PROGRAM The Senior Program serves as an integrating and culminating experience for geoarchaeology majors in which they employ the knowledge and methods gained in the first three years of study. At the center of the program is the senior project, a two-semester independent-study effort carried out under the close guidance of the faculty and concluding with a public presentation. RESOURCES The program's home in the state-of-the-art Science Center offers an array of tools and facilities that rival those of top graduate-level research institutions. Among them: a sedimentology lab with particle size analyzer (laser optics) and magnetic susceptibility system; oceanographic instrumentation including a conductivity, temperature and transmissivity recorder; geochemistry facilities including X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrumentation and total organic carbon analyzer; rock cutting and thin-section equipment; a complement of petrographic microscopes with photographic capabilities; hydrogeology equipment including a digital current meter, flow cells, groundwater sampling equipment, field chemical analysis system, well-testing equipment and a groundwater flow meter; and a computer array including Macintosh and IBM/NEC machines with a host of software and a digitizing table. View more details on Hamilton College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Geology courses.