Study Tour of Archeological Interpretation > 1. Introduction
Introduction
![[photo] Two archeologists use trowels to excavate.](images/HOCOdiggers.jpg)
Archeologists working at Hopewell Culture NHP. NPS photo.
Study Tour of Archeological Interpretation is part of the Interpreting Archeology series, which provides training and guidance to archeologists and interpreters on collaborative approaches to interpreting archeological resources.
Participants will tour an on-site and/or a virtual interpretive product to assess its effectiveness.
Goals
Participants will:
- Apply the concepts from Archeology for Interpreters and Interpretation for Archeologists.
- Visit a site to assess its interpretation of archeological resources.
- Complete a worksheet of questions.
Audience
Study Tour is for anyone who investigates, interprets, preserves, and shares with the public information regarding archeological resources.
Archeologists and interpreters are encouraged to coordinate their study tours and visit sites together.
Prerequisites
Before undertaking Study Tour, we strongly recommended completing either Archeology for Interpreters or Interpretation for Archeologists, because the activities in Study Tour apply the concepts in those guides.
Note to instructors
The Study Tour can be adapted to classroom instruction for credit.
In the Self-Guided Tour section, organize a class field trip to a place or a series of places. Students can use the worksheet to jot down their thoughts. Use the worksheet questions to structure a follow-up discussion.
In the Use What You Know section, students may submit a Voice from the Field example. It can be a final product of the course.
Use For Your Consideration questions for assessment purposes. Have students write out their answers to demonstrate their review of all the sections and grasp of the material.
We recommend that you ask participants to join in discussions electronically or in-person. A listserv, blog, wiki, email, or in-person discussions all offer opportunities for participants to talk about the guide, ask each other (and you) for advice, and go over problems as a group. You can also use these discussions to talk about the questions included in each part of this guide, or have the questions be submitted in writing for review.
For your consideration
- What do you hope to gain from this course?