COURSE OBJECTIVES & STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
The following objectives will be achieved through readings, discussions, hands-on collections work, and field trips:
• Learn the principles of curation, and the policies and procedures that lead to an effective collections management program.
• Develop the skills to accomplish the diverse tasks associated with curation (database development, cataloguing, identification of artifacts and linkage with associated data).
• Become familiar with the ethical issues surrounding the care and management of archaeological collections.
COURSE DESIGN
The class will concentrate on the curation of archaeological collections and will include visits to Museum collections in Nebraska. We will also engage in the curation and analysis of archaeological collections from historic-era sites, from excavations conducted on our own campus and the city of Lincoln. The recovered collections of artifacts provide great opportunities for learning how to catalogue and analyze historical artifacts. Our class will work with some of this material, develop research questions and work to address these questions.