Discovery Research design
Throughout the semester you have been thinking about the discoveries of others. What do you want to discover? This activity provides you with an opportunity to develop your plan to make an important (or at least interesting) archaeological discovery. What will your legacy be?
You will write-up your plan using the format of an archaeological "research design." Modern archaeologists almost always develop a research design before they find anything. The audience for your plan includes organizations that have money to give for archaeological discoveries (e.g., National Science Foundation, National Geographic). If they think you understand what you're getting in to, have the necessary knowledge to be successful, and they are convinced that finding what you are seeking is important, they will be more likely to fund your request. Your report must be structured with the following seven sections (use these headings in your paper).
1. Introduction (1-2 paragraphs)
2. Significance (1-2 paragraphs)
3. Background research (1-2 pages)
4. Proposed archaeological and/or excavation work (1-2 pages)
5. Time and materials budget (1 page)
6. Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)
7. References Cited (1-2 pages)
Page length: 5 to 8 pages of double-spaced text. The proposal should not exceed 10 pages including maps, figures, and your references cited list. Please submit as a Microsoft Word document.
Due date: 15 April 2016, 1 pm. See the late submission policy here.
Resources:
These resources are for the production of proposals that are at a more advanced level than those expected for this class. However, the information, examples, and discussion of a research design can be helpful as you design your own plan:
California Office of Historic Preservation, Guidelines for Archaeological Research Designs
National Science Foundation, Graduate Fellowship Proposals, See section II.2. Sections of the Proposal
National Geographic, Committee for Research and Exploration: What We Fund
Discovery ideas:
Here is a plea for help to discover sites used by the Coronado's expedition through the Southwest.
A valuable resource on early American exploration and settlement (consider the value of discovering some of the sites)
An example of finding a desert camp of Lawrence of Arabia
Evaluation criteria (tentative):
18 to 20 points: All seven sections are present and identifiable. Each section contains exactly the information required. The proposal is understandable and "makes sense" and contains minimal to no grammatical and spelling errors. The proposal contains an insightful and plausible plan and is a pleasure to read. A strong understanding of archaeological methods, appropriate to the instruction and readings provided, is demonstrated.
16 to 17.9 points: All seven sections are present and identifiable. Each section contains most of the information required. The proposal is understandable and "makes sense" but contains some grammatical and spelling errors that cause confusion. The proposal contains a plausible plan and is a pleasure to read. A good understanding of archaeological methods, appropriate to the instruction and readings provided, is demonstrated.
14 to 15.9 points: All of the seven sections are present and identifiable but some sections do not address the required information. The study is difficult to understand due to grammatical and/or spelling errors. An adequate understanding of archaeological methods, appropriate to the instruction and readings provided, is demonstrated.
0 to 13.9 points. Most of the seven sections are present and identifiable and some of the required information is present. The proposal is difficult to understand due to grammatical and/or spelling errors and/or the proposal is implausible and does not demonstrate sufficient understanding of archaeological methods. Little understanding of archaeological methods is demonstrated.
You will write-up your plan using the format of an archaeological "research design." Modern archaeologists almost always develop a research design before they find anything. The audience for your plan includes organizations that have money to give for archaeological discoveries (e.g., National Science Foundation, National Geographic). If they think you understand what you're getting in to, have the necessary knowledge to be successful, and they are convinced that finding what you are seeking is important, they will be more likely to fund your request. Your report must be structured with the following seven sections (use these headings in your paper).
1. Introduction (1-2 paragraphs)
- Provide some general information to geographically and intellectually situate your proposed research and discovery. Excite your reader about the possibilities.
- Identify and clearly state a research question. Don't hesitate to use easy to follow sentences, such as: "This proposal is a request to fund an expedition/excavation/analysis/experiment to find (better understand) x in region y."
- Identify and clearly state your hypothesis. Your hypothesis is what you expect to find or find out.
2. Significance (1-2 paragraphs)
- This section answers the question, "who cares?" Please argue the importance of pursuing the discovery (or site or suite of artifacts) and why and how the new understanding gained from the discovery will be important.
- As archaeologists we often must argue the public benefits of our work. Discuss who will benefit from your work.
3. Background research (1-2 pages)
- Please provide the reader with sufficient background information to understand what you are proposing. This might include a brief description of a culture-history, a summary of previous excavation at the site (if applicable), and what you hope to find if you excavate a site. A map must be included identifying the location of the proposed excavation or survey.
- A background section also demonstrates to the reader your understanding of the region and establishes your credibility. Peer-reviewed or other scientifically credible sources must be relied on rather than anonymously authored sources (e.g., Wikipedia).
4. Proposed archaeological and/or excavation work (1-2 pages)
- Describe, in an organized manner, the archaeological work you are proposing. This work could be excavation, artifact analysis, survey, analysis of museum collections, reconnaissance, etc. Use the Bahn text to identify archaeological methods appropriate for your research question.
- Situate the proposed work in the context of other work that has been conducted in the area and/or that addresses a similar research problem.
5. Time and materials budget (1 page)
- Provide a rough line-item budget for materials, equipment, labor, and time. Build a table to present your text and numbers and note the number of people x number of days, etc. See The Leakey Foundation sample budget here (click link).
- Provide a short narrative summary of the budget.
6. Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)
- Summarize your request to remind the reader of all the pieces and especially the reasons why the work you propose should be funded.
7. References Cited (1-2 pages)
- Please note that whenever you use the ideas or words of others in your paper, you must place a citation to that author/source next to the use of those ideas, etc. Otherwise, you will be committing plagiarism (a violation of the University's Honor Code). Our library has an excellent tutorial on citing your sources and I encourage you to review it: click here. In-text citations should be (Author last name year:page number). Any consistent and legitimate citation format is acceptable. Peer-reviewed citations are the most credible.
Page length: 5 to 8 pages of double-spaced text. The proposal should not exceed 10 pages including maps, figures, and your references cited list. Please submit as a Microsoft Word document.
Due date: 15 April 2016, 1 pm. See the late submission policy here.
Resources:
These resources are for the production of proposals that are at a more advanced level than those expected for this class. However, the information, examples, and discussion of a research design can be helpful as you design your own plan:
California Office of Historic Preservation, Guidelines for Archaeological Research Designs
National Science Foundation, Graduate Fellowship Proposals, See section II.2. Sections of the Proposal
National Geographic, Committee for Research and Exploration: What We Fund
Discovery ideas:
Here is a plea for help to discover sites used by the Coronado's expedition through the Southwest.
A valuable resource on early American exploration and settlement (consider the value of discovering some of the sites)
An example of finding a desert camp of Lawrence of Arabia
Evaluation criteria (tentative):
18 to 20 points: All seven sections are present and identifiable. Each section contains exactly the information required. The proposal is understandable and "makes sense" and contains minimal to no grammatical and spelling errors. The proposal contains an insightful and plausible plan and is a pleasure to read. A strong understanding of archaeological methods, appropriate to the instruction and readings provided, is demonstrated.
16 to 17.9 points: All seven sections are present and identifiable. Each section contains most of the information required. The proposal is understandable and "makes sense" but contains some grammatical and spelling errors that cause confusion. The proposal contains a plausible plan and is a pleasure to read. A good understanding of archaeological methods, appropriate to the instruction and readings provided, is demonstrated.
14 to 15.9 points: All of the seven sections are present and identifiable but some sections do not address the required information. The study is difficult to understand due to grammatical and/or spelling errors. An adequate understanding of archaeological methods, appropriate to the instruction and readings provided, is demonstrated.
0 to 13.9 points. Most of the seven sections are present and identifiable and some of the required information is present. The proposal is difficult to understand due to grammatical and/or spelling errors and/or the proposal is implausible and does not demonstrate sufficient understanding of archaeological methods. Little understanding of archaeological methods is demonstrated.