Archaeology Field School

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2027 Archaeology Field School Experience

Summer 2027 June 28 – August 12, MTU's Summer Track B.

Become part of our immersive, hands-on introduction to the practice of archaeology in the field! We will explore the archaeology of ancient and historical copper mining in the Lake Superior basin, a region with a deep history of human occupation and use of copper, the first metal to be exploited by humans. Students will learn the fundamentals of archaeological site survey, documentation, remote sensing techniques, excavation, testing, and field lab analysis while working in a backcountry setting. Our partnerships with the Delaware Mine and heritage sites on the Keweenaw Peninsula will also provide you with opportunities to share your discoveries with the public! 

Michigan Tech’s 2027 Archaeology Field School will take place at several sites on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.

10,000 Years of Metalwork

Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula contains the world’s largest know deposit of elementally pure or ‘native’ copper. From one of the world’s earliest extractive regions into a globally significant mining district during the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, the Keweenaw is a beautiful, rugged peninsula jutting into Lake Superior. This historic mining landscape, often referred to as the Copper Country, has since become a popular outdoor and heritage tourism destination.

Starting with the Delaware Mine site, we will excavate and document supporting workshops-- blacksmith, machine, and carpentry shops—helping our partners understanding the transformation of skilled and artisanal labor in industrial workplaces. Besides fieldwork students will visit historical shops around the Keweenaw, along with operating artisanal, industrial, and high-tech metalwork facilities.

Alongside these investigations, students will help document the most ancient of metalworking landscapes. Learning glacial geomorphology and landscape history with remote sensing and geospatial tools, students will help map the relationships between changing post-glacial lake levels, shorelines, and the earliest period of settlement through the Keweenaw Peninsula. Emerging science shows the Native Americans of this period developed North America’s first metallurgical practices (perhaps the earliest in the world!)

All this exploration and discovery takes place in collaboration with the Keweenaw’s heritage organizations, giving students the opportunity to partner with science and history communicators and tell stories about what they've learned. The fieldwork will support geoheritage planning, community memory, and storytelling for locals and guests.

Students may enroll for 3-6 undergraduate credits, or a Graduate enrollment option. Both options include both courses described below, at varying credit levels. (Check the Costs, Course Credits, and Logistics section below for further details)

General Enrollment (6 Credits)
SS 3210 – Field Archaeology, 3-6 credits. This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to archaeological field methods, topics covered will include instrumental survey, pedestrian survey, GIS studies, shovel testing, excavation, proper completion of field forms and notes, and experimental archaeology. Additional museum and site visits will also be a part of the course. For MTU students, this course fulfills General Education and Essential Education degree requirements (HASS, Experience).

SS 3990 – Public Archaeology, 3 credits. (You must also be in enrolled in SS 3210) This course will explore the ways in which archaeology is presented to the public. Being primarily based at a major public site, Delaware Mine, will allow for a hands-on component, weekly field trips to other historic and archaeological sites will broaden the experience for the students. For MTU students, this course fulfills General Education and Essential Education requirements (HASS, SHAPE).

Graduate Student Enrollment Option
SS 5700— (variable credits) For graduate students, Archaeological Field Methods provides graduate-level training in archaeological field methods, providing opportunities for more in-depth engagement with the project, including supervisory and leadership roles, as well as graduate-level instruction.

Credits and Tuition

Regular MTU tuition rates apply for all enrollment options; for more information, contact the MTU Financial Aid Office at 906-487-2622 or finaid@mtu.edu.

Successful undergraduate applicants may choose from a 6-credit option. If you need to maintain full-time enrollment in the summer or wish to add additional credits, please contact the program director scarlett@mtu.edu) to discuss alternative enrollment options. 

Students applying from outside MTU will, upon acceptance of their application and payment of program deposit, first register as a non-degree-seeking student at MTU. Make sure to check with your academic advisor at your home university to ensure your field school credits will successfully transfer upon program completion.

Graduate student applicants will typically register for 3 or 6 credits of SS 5700. However, this is a variable credit course (3-8 credits).

We will work with you to meet the academic requirements of your home institution – please reach out to the program leader (Dr. Tim Scarlett) if you need to discuss this further.

Program Fee

In addition to tuition, the program charges a $1,850 program fee to cover logistics and instructional costs. Upon acceptance of your application, you will be charged a non-refundable $500 deposit to hold your enrollment slot. This deposit will count towards your $1,850 program fee.

The program fee covers the following:

• Lodging when working on the Keweenaw Peninsula
• All meals during workdays
• Daily transportation when required as well as transportation for field trips and other official program activities.
• Training materials
• Required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Museum visit fees

Logistics

You will be responsible for travel to our lodgings in the Keweenaw by the program start date. Free parking for personal vehicles will be available for the duration of the program. For students planning to travel by air, Houghton County Memorial Airport (CMX) is located within 7 miles of our lodging and within 9 miles of the MTU campus. All flights to CMX connect through Chicago O’Hare (ORD). If you plan to travel by air, please notify the program leader (Dr. Tim Scarlett) when you apply so that we can arrange pick-up upon your arrival.

During the Summer Field School, students will learn a wide range of archaeological field methods and gain proficiency using standard archaeological equipment and tools. Examples of what team members learn include the following:

• Consulting documents, maps, aerial photos, remote sensing data, and oral history during excavation and survey on land and water
• Use traditional and new mapping technologies, such as Global Position Systems (GPS), remote sensing, and other instruments for GIS-based analysis
• Standard excavation techniques and methods
• Ethically driven decision making about artifact collection, cleaning, identification, analyses, and conservation, considering industrial, terrestrial, and maritime archaeological sites
• Live and work collectively as part of a team
• Work with site visitors to educate the public about archaeology

For Current Michigan Tech Students

Students wishing to enroll in this faculty-led study abroad program must first contact the program leader to express interest.

Upon Application you will be required to sign a contract stating your intention to participate and to pay a non-refundable program deposit of $500 to the Michigan Tech Student Financial Services Center located on the first floor of the Administration Building.

In order to participate in this study away program you must be a student in "good academic standing."

For Domestic Undergraduate Students Enrolled in Outside Universities

To register for the program as a guest student, complete the following steps:

• Contact the Program Leader (Dr. Tim Scarlett) expressing your interest and for assistance with the application process.
• Complete the Field School Application Form.

• Visit the registrar at your home university and request a guest student application form. Using your own university's form streamlines the credit transfer process.
• Work with your academic advisor at home institution to confirm that the course credits will transfer / meet your degree program requirements.
• You may need to take the form to your university's registrar, and they will certify your application and forward the form to Michigan Tech's undergraduate admissions office; confirm this step with the registrar. You may be required to pay a $30 application fee. Tech's admissions office will submit the form to the registrar's office. If you have questions about registering for this course, email Tech's registrar's office or call 906-487-2319.

• You will then sign a contract stating your intention to participate and to pay a non-refundable program deposit of $500 to the Michigan Tech Student Financial Services Center located on the first floor of the Administration Building (payment also accepted by mail via check).

For Current Michigan Tech Graduate Students

Contact the Program Leader (Dr Tim Scarlett) expressing your interest, and complete the Field School Application Form.

For Domestic Graduate Students Enrolled in Other Universities

Follow the instructions given above for undergraduates enrolled in other universities. Make sure you identify yourself as a graduate student when applying for guest student status.

For International Student Applicants

International students could participate on a tourist visa (90 day maximum stay), since the Field Archaeology course only lasts for six weeks.

• Contact the Program Leader (Dr. Tim Scarlett) expressing your interest and for assistance with the application process.

• Complete the Field School Application Form.
• You should contact your home university's international studies coordinator or Michigan Tech's International Programs and Services office.

Michigan Tech has a number of international cooperative and exchange agreements that can facilitate guest students from around the world. We encourage prospective students to email International Programs and Services for advice.

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