nautical anthropology

[daniel f aleman]

Layne,

Well, academics are the way they are. For an entry candidate, one needs a marketable skill (diving, boat handling, writing, languages, mathamatics, computers, etc.) or one needs to get his own money. Universities and institutes want professors with publishable research and grant histories, so they need assistants and MA candidates... gotta' start somewhere.

 

[LVX]

gotta' start somewhere.

You are exactly right here. I just want to make sure the person asking the question has a realistic idea for what they are wanting to get in to.

 

[MentalMarine]

I think what I will do for now is get the minor, I have looked up some research positions available with the anthropolgy department. If I am still hooked after working in research I will pursue it further. This will also give me time to figure out what I want out it as well.

 

[panhandvr]

you cant go wrong with the anthro degree ,. as american archaeology is anthro based. FSU no longer has a program , the only one is AM . UWF has the best field school's. BUt be ready to work dirt as well as most of the jobs are terrestrial. And if you come to UWF you will get to work on historical wrecks

 

[covediver]

For what it is worth...also check out the program at East Carolina University, while it is not a archaeology program per-se, their grads have been doing quite well lately in that field. Flinders University in Australia once had an on-line certificate course. Do not know if they still do.

NOAA is always hiring people to be cultural resource coordinators in national marine sanctuaries. That job has no positive education requirement, which means an undergraduate or advanced marine anthro degree is not required. Obviously, you need some kind of track record but...

I was lucky, I fell into a job with NPS doing a shipwreck assessment. Only lasted 18 months, but it was pretty good. I then worked as a social scientist for an ocean agency. My job included keeping a shipwreck database and checking assessments as to whether or not an offshore construction project would affect submerged cultural resources. I merely dabble in that now, but it was fun while I did it. A friend of mine works as an anthropologist for the feds. Fully half his job is working with marine cultural resources.

So those shipwreck assessments that I reviewed had to be written by someone. They were generally consulting archaeologists who use students to do most of the archival research/field work.

I guess what I am trying to say is that just because you do not have a position title that says "Marine Archaeologist" doesn't mean that you can't earn at least part of your living doing just that.

By the way, a friend of mine works doing shipwreck surveys and analysis full time. As a freshman, a rather prominent terrestrial archaeologist and well known academic dismissed his goal of being a marine archaeologist with a wave of his hand and a curt "there are no jobs in that field..." Thank goodness my buddy did not listen to them.

Everyone tells me that having a field school is pretty much a prerequisite to establishing your credibility as a job candidate. I have no way of verifying the accuracy of this statement.

Good luck

 

[panhandvr]

East Carolina grads are getting a lot of jobs, and you're right its actually a history degree the only time this could be a problem is getting into TAM PHD program. Which in itself is just a conservation degree not nautical archaeology.
I worked with Flinders this summer and their Dept Head Mark Staniforth is a great guy , but their school is underfunded and a sattelite school for a bigger Aussie school . I want to say Victoria. They have a master cerificate however that is not the same as our masters , they do have a traditional masters and the bonus it only takes a year and a half . Of which 6 months are just for thesis writing . Really enticing but talkin to several people in the field it seems as though foreign degrees are looked down upon especially in regards to academics positions.
Fieldschool is extremely helpful. Especially so for me as I want to work with the survey equipment. ie sidescan sub bottom and mag.
When you worked for NPS was it through a firm who was contracted by them? Sounds like fun Im helping with the Pcola Bay survey.

 

[LVX]

East Carolina grads are getting a lot of jobs, and you're right its actually a history degree the only time this could be a problem is getting into TAM PHD program. Which in itself is just a conservation degree not nautical archaeology.
I worked with Flinders this summer and their Dept Head Mark Staniforth is a great guy , but their school is underfunded and a sattelite school for a bigger Aussie school . I want to say Victoria. They have a master cerificate however that is not the same as our masters , they do have a traditional masters and the bonus it only takes a year and a half . Of which 6 months are just for thesis writing . Really enticing but talkin to several people in the field it seems as though foreign degrees are looked down upon especially in regards to academics positions.
Fieldschool is extremely helpful. Especially so for me as I want to work with the survey equipment. ie sidescan sub bottom and mag.
When you worked for NPS was it through a firm who was contracted by them? Sounds like fun Im helping with the Pcola Bay survey.

Some of your information is not correct. I received a MA from TAM in nautical archaeology. It is not a conservation degree at all. It is a Nautical Archaeology degree. I only took one conservation course while I was there. Most of my classes were in regards to cultural resource management and ship construction as well as many on cultural implications in regards to ship construction. Not sure where you got your info. Also, when I was there, Mark Staniforth had come over for a semester as a guest lecturer.

Make sure you know what you are talking about before you give advice...

Also, A&M has many field schools around the world. So there is plenty of opportunities for that type of experience. What you don't get at A&M is any experience with remote sensing equipment. ECU is much better at this than A&M. The Nautical Program at A&M does not teach that, I had to take classes through the Marine Geophysics dept to learn how to operate and interrupt remote sensing data. Then I volunteered with the State of Texas State Marine Archaeologist's dept to continue to learn actual survey techniques.

 

[panhandvr]

Sorry if you read it wrong, but what my post says is that the PHD from T AM is in conservation. They do have the MA in nautical . T AM does not offer there own field schools. If so please direct me to their field school page. The field schools they participate in are actually headed by other organizations. ie PAST and Flinders. So, I do know what I am talking about as I have been talking to some archaeologist trying to decide on a MA program.If you have any advice I would appreciate your input as well. Personally I have been leaning towards T AM. Do you think doing a MA and PHD at the same school is a good idea? I have a double major in History and Anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology would I be ok going to ECU and recieving their Maritime history MA degree with the AMH course headings? Could one go to T AM and get a PHD in Anthro or is that possible due to having a MA in history?
Also UWF has all the remote sensing equipment and they have a GIS program too. (bonus!). They do have their own fieldschools and allow undergrads to attend so this would be a great option for someone starting down this career path,.Included in their fieldschool and throughout the year is the utilization of the remote sensing equipment.
Now ROV operation is something I am interested in . Where might one go for this training ?
Anyway thanks for your time, and lighten up. Life is too short

 

[LVX]

Sorry if you read it wrong, but what my post says is that the PHD from T AM is in conservation. They do have the MA in nautical .

Well, if I am now reading you clearly, forgive me if I still am not but are you saying at A&M, you can't get a PhD from the Nautical Archaeology program with any other specialty than conservation? If so, that is not true either. The program is the Nautical Archaeology and is part of the Anthropology Department and your PhD specialty specifically from the Nautical Archaeology program can be related to a variety of topics.

Trade, piracy, and naval warfare in the central Mediterranean: the maritime history and archaeology of Malta
The Continental Gondola Philadelphia
The Pepper Wreck: A Portuguese Indiaman at the Mouth of the Tagus River
The Lake Champlain Sailing Canal BoatBlood and Water; The Archaeological Excavation and Historical Analysis of the Wreck of the Industry, A North-American Transport Sloop Chartered by the British Army at the End of the Seven Years War: British Colonial Navigation and Trade to Supply Spanish Florida in the Eighteenth Century

T AM does not offer there own field schools. If so please direct me to their field school page. The field schools they participate in are actually headed by other organizations. ie PAST and Flinders. So, I do know what I am talking about as I have been talking to some archaeologist trying to decide on a MA program.

The Nautical Archaeology Program is a part of the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University. The program was established in 1976. Students and faculty conduct underwater archaeological research in conjunction with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology in various regions of the world, delving into time periods from prehistory to the recent past, and working with a plethora of societies and cultures. Students attending the program work in the classroom as well as in the field, and are encouraged to pursue individual projects that will help direct nautical archaeology's future. I personally have worked on 4 INA/ Nautical Archaeology field project - Eygpt, Morocco, St. Vincent and here in Texas.

If you have any advice I would appreciate your input as well. Personally I have been leaning towards T AM. Do you think doing a MA and PHD at the same school is a good idea?

I almost went back to get my PhD at A&M but decided not to. I was really not that sure how much more I would learn. Having gone to school there for 4 years, I had all the courses I could really take. Going on for my PhD I would have gone to some of the same courses only focusing on more specific details. I instead decided to go a different direction completely.

I have a double major in History and Anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology would I be ok going to ECU and recieving their Maritime history MA degree with the AMH course headings? Could one go to T AM and get a PHD in Anthro or is that possible due to having a MA in history?

ECU is a great program and depending on what you want to do with your MA or PhD when you get out, it could be a better choice. It just depends. If you want to actually work in cultural resource management or environmental engineering, I would chose ECU. If you want to be a professor and run your own digs and hob nob with culturals, than A&M might be a better option.

Just to be clear,

Also UWF has all the remote sensing equipment and they have a GIS program too. (bonus!). They do have their own fieldschools and allow undergrads to attend so this would be a great option for someone starting down this career path,.Included in their fieldschool and throughout the year is the utilization of the remote sensing equipment.
Now ROV operation is something I am interested in . Where might one go for this training ?

If you really want to work in the field, getting remote-sensing training and experience as well as GIS experience, maybe even ROV training, would be really helpful...

Anyway thanks for your time, and lighten up. Life is too short

No problem, I didn't know I was getting annoyed.

I hope that helps....

 

[panhandvr]

yes, actually helps a lot. So, their PHD is an anthro degree with directed study? Thanks for clearing that up for me. I I am familiar with INA but I ask how does one get to work their fieldschool and who teaches ROV . Thanks again for your time