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2006 Summer NSF Course Description

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Participants will conduct original research, share in a fieldtrip program visiting numerous museums and research institutions, and will participate in a lecture program discussing biological anthropology, history, archaeology, classics, theology, and Near Eastern studies.  Students will develop a suite of methodological skills in the natural and social sciences, delve into the pertinent literature using several world-class libraries, develop skills for collaborative research, and discover the importance of a holistic approach to a fuller understanding of life in the past.

Research:A specific area of inquiry will be targeted for each summer program.  For the Summer 2006 season, students will work as a team on a joint project surveying paleopathology, collecting data with a partner on a particular dimension of that foci (bone chemistry, metric and non-metric traits, etc).   These projects will build upon data already amassed, permitting the summer team to significantly contribute to an aspect of the overall biocultural model.  Students will be encouraged to continue their projects for presentation at professional meetings, at the discretion of the faculty and staff of the summer program.

For the project, students will have access to the library resources of the Byzantine Jerusalem laboratory as well as the data collected from previous years.  Students will have access to all the libraries on the University of Notre Dame campus, including the world-class Byzantine library holding the Anastos Collection [Medieval Institute].

Field Trips:  Participants will take a field trip at least once a week to museums, research institutions, and  related cultural events.  The preliminary schedule includes visits to the Near Eastern collections at the Field Museum in Chicago and the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, and a visit to the Anatomy & Cell Biology laboratories at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Lecture Series: During the six week field season, participants will receive daily instruction by Dr. Sheridan on the research foci, and training in the osteological methods necessary for data collection.  Each week, an interdisciplinary team of scholars from a variety of institutions will speak to the class, providing an example of the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to reconstructing the past.  Please go to the faculty page to read more about the speakers.
 

Grades: The semester will begin with a review of Byzantine history for the site and region.  Two weeks of lectures will be devoted to teaching the methods of Human Osteology which will allow students to identify bone fragments and assess age, sex, stature, diet, and disease stress in human skeletal remains.  Participants will then begin to collect the data for their research, while additional topics related to biocultural reconstruction are covered by the professor as well as a variety of guest lecturers.  Weekly field trips will punctuate the lecture series, exposing students to a wide variety of adaptive strategies used during the Byzantine period. The semester will conclude with student presentations of their research.

Grades will be assigned based on:

35% -- Research Project and Presentation
25% -- Lab Exercises and Practical
15% -- Ethics Component
25% -- Very active participation in all activites

All students will likewise be asked to complete a detailed anonymous course evaluation at the end of the course to facilitate future growth of the program.

Costs: The program will provide a travel stipend to the University of Notre Dame campus, double-occupancy housing in an on-campus dorm, a food allowance, text books, field trip transportation and entrance fees, a lecture program, research supplies, a xeroxing budget, and free library and email access on campus.

Application: All students must apply using the forms provided on this website.  The deadline for RECEIPT of the application is March 15, 2006.   No late applications will be accepted.  Forms can be downloaded as a PDF file and must be completed in full.

Proof of current insurance is required with application.  Emergency contact information is likewise required, including names, phone numbers (home and work), and, if available, email addresses for at least two individuals.  An offical transcript and two (2) letters of recommendation from faculty are also required.  It is the sole responsibility of the student to ensure that all supporting materials arrive by the deadline date.  Applications missing any portion of this required documention will be excluded from consideration for a Summer Fellowship.

Selection Process: Successful finalists will be notified by mid-April.  Ten fellowships will be awarded, providing one week for official acceptance/declination by the awardee.

Upon receipt of official acceptance, awardees will receive materials pertaining to the course including the syllabus, calander of events, a reading list,  and housing/dining information.  Participants will also be provided with a reading packet  with background information on the collection, site, region, and topic of focus when they arrive on campus.

This program is possible through the generous support of numerous departments and institutes at the University of Notre Dame, donations by several endowed chairs at Notre Dame, and the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

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