UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY CLASS EXPLORES GREAT BASIN SITES
Imagine a life in which all ridges, rivers and valleys throughout a large area are as familiar as you own back yard.
That’s what a group of Utah State University students tried to imagine and assimilate recently in a field trip taking them to important sites showing geological history and early human occupation in northwestern Utah and eastern Nevada. During the archaeological field trip the students physically experienced the vast differences in the array of locations used by native North American groups. The field trip was a course taught by Steve Simms, professor of anthropology at Utah State and recognized authority on the Great Basin.
The course is designed to fully illustrate concepts taught in the classroom but in a direct, hands-on manner in the field and at specific sites. The 21 students who participated in the course ranged from freshmen to a teaching and lab assistant. This range of students and experience added to the learning environment ~ students with more experience and background were able to answer questions posed by other students. This student interaction and learning contributed to the experience, said Simms.
This type of learning requires dedication by the professor as well as the students. The process creates a highly innovative, dynamic learning environment, but it also entails extra work that falls outside the usual classroom experience on campus, said Buck Benson, a teaching assistant for the trip. His contributions to the trip included gathering field supplies, driving and supervising students and returning all safely. Leading discussions and conversations, he emphasized the educational elements of the trip. And according to more than one surprised student, he conducted several in-the-field pop quizzes.
“The benefits are unbelievable when these seemingly abstract concepts learned in classroom settings have real presence,” said Ann Stuart.
In the classroom, students learn of the different levels of ancient Lake Bonneville. Stuart said seeing the actual ancient lake levels helped bring the concepts into focus.
Extending learning beyond the classroom is what the course is about, Simms said. Evening chats around the fire ranged from the mundane to questions about what was learned on the trip. Campfire questions also led to discussions and learning opportunities the next day.
Students camped during the three-day experience. The first night out, Simms asked students to gather firewood and stack it near the fire. Students returned with arms filled with wood, but Simms sent them back to gather more. Eventually, the stack of wood grew to an impressive height ~ much more than would be needed to keep the camp fire burning.
On the last day of the trip the wood pile exercise came sharply into focus. Upon observing a 200-year old antelope and horse trap, the question was posed: how long do you think it took to build this trap? After some discussion about the time and resources required, it was agreed that a lot of wood would be needed. Then, the camp fire wood pile was pointed out ~ with a group effort, a large quantity of wood had been collected in a short period of time. The original trap was constructed as a group effort and took less time than a modern observer would imagine.
The traps provided one example of how native populations lived in harmony with the environment. These populations moved to the centers of exploitable resources ~ in this case antelope and horses. Other cases included Lakeside Cave, where grasshoppers were gathered, and Danger Cave, where pickleweed seeds were gathered. The items were gathered as a food source and as a group activity. Resources are gathered at peak times, stored and then used during leaner times.
The three-day field trip is one element of the anthropology program at Utah State, Simms said. It is a direct, hands-on experience that incorporates classroom learning and field work. Over the years many students have participated, and many have gone on to careers in associated fields.
Jason Bright received his bachelor‚s degree in 1977. After taking a year off he completed a master‚s degree. He has established a company, Mountain States Archaeology, based in Salt Lake. The company does contract work for agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, doing assessments of the land. He became interested in the field of archaeology as a freshman, and said he met Simms and “the rest is history.” As a student, Bright took this course.
During the recent trip, various areas were explored and ancient environments and geological features were studied. Students learned how these areas were used by the original populations, and what can be learned from the traces left by these populations.
“This was a great learning experience,” said Briged Turner. “We learned how to deal with people in group situations, and we couldn‚t go home at the end of the day. We learned how to get along and how to work together as a group to get projects done.”
Following the field trip Turner returned to campus and gave a mini-presentation about the trip to her world archaeology class, starting with “They knew it all,” a phrase she appropriated from Simms.
Earlier one of the students in the field posed the question, “How did these people know where to go, what to look for and what to do?”
“They knew it all,” Simms responded.
For more information on anthropology and archaeology programs at Utah State University, see the Web site at http://www.usu.edu/sswa/anthro.htm.