Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Linking Rural And Urban Circular Economies Through Reuse And Repair, Brieanne Berry, Cindy Isenhour

Anthropology Student Scholarship

Increasing resource scarcity and what has been called “the end of cheap nature” are prompting policymakers and scholars to foster more circular economies to reduce waste and lengthen the lifespan of material goods. Our essay critically examines the political and economic relationships between urban and rural geographies in the context of secondhand economies. Practices of bartering, swapping, selling, and repairing used goods have long been important to rural people and places, but the increasing commodification of discards risks upending rural livelihoods and ways of being as goods move toward urban centers. We explore the relationship between rural and urban reuse …

The Realities Of Fieldwork: Embedding Professional Practice - A Case Study From Palaeoanthropology, Kris Kovarovic

Journal of Archaeology and Education

Programs in palaeoanthropology (the study of human evolution) do not often provide professional fieldwork training. Palaeoanthropology students are thus at risk of being unaware of the professional practices and responsibilities that come with a career in this subject area. Here I describe palaeoanthropology in the context of aligned field sciences, and make the case for requiring pre-fieldwork preparation through the implementation and evaluation of a seminar focusing on professional practice in palaeoanthropological fieldwork. The seminar was delivered to a small cohort of Masters of Science students at Durham University, UK. I qualitatively evaluate the seminar via semi-structured interviews, exploring how …

The Need For Discipline-Based Education Research In Archaeology, Carol E. Colaninno

Journal of Archaeology and Education

Over the last few decades, scholars have recognized the importance of discipline-based education research (DBER). As outlined by the National Research Council of the National Academies, DBER aims to 1) understand how students learn discipline concepts, practices, and ways of thinking; 2) understand how students develop expertise; 3) identify and measure learning objectives and forms of instruction that advance students towards those objectives; 4) contribute knowledge that can transform instruction; and 5) identify approaches to make education broad and inclusive. Physicists, chemists, engineers, biologists, astronomers, and geoscientists have been among the first to adopt DBER. Given research that demonstrates the …

Going Beyond Cookie Cutter Outreach: A Climate Change Film Series And Dialogue, Jennifer Bonnet, Cindy Isenhour

Library Staff Publications

In the fall of 2013, the University of Maine approved a new major, the Human Dimensions of Climate Change. Coursework aimed to address critical interdisciplinary concerns about human impacts on the environment. To provide a cocurricular opportunity for students to explore this topic, which was also relevant to larger community interests and campus research agendas, an anthropology professor and her liaison librarian partnered to create the Human Dimensions of Climate Change Film Series + Dialogue. This series is now in its sixth iteration.

Anthropology Department Annual Newsletter, Department Of Anthropology

General University of Maine Publications

Anthropology is the study of humans. Anthropologists study the entire spectrum of human existence from 6.5 million years ago when the first hominid set foot on the African continent, the process of human evolution, domestication of plants and animals, development of civilization, migration to the ends of the earth, and the present day diversity of cultures, religions, economies, and kinship systems seen around the world. Anthropology provides a well-rounded, generalist education that enhances wide career choices and provides students with the ability to critically evaluate theories, options, and actions that affect humankind.

Mya Arenaria And Oxygen Isotopes: An Analysis To Suggest Season Of Occupation At Holmes Point East (62-6), Holmes Point West (62-8), And Joves Cove (44-13), Maine, Emily Blackwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ratio of oxygen isotopes (ẟ18O) derived from archaeological bivalves can be used to suggest whether a site was occupied seasonally or year-round. To address the question of seasonality at three archaeological shell midden sites along the coast of Maine, modern samples of the soft-shelled clam, Mya arenaria, were collected from tidal mudflats associated with each site once a month for one year. An average of six modern shells per month were analyzed with their resulting ẟ18O values used to establish monthly ranges to which the archaeological samples of Mya arenaria were assigned; association of the archaeological shells to a …

Multi-Level Governance Of Climate Change Adaptation: United Nations Negotiations And Adaptation Project Implementation In Nicaragua And Samoa, Anna E. Mcginn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement reaffirmed, with certainty, that the international community would continue its efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts opening a new era of international cooperation on climate change. This thesis explores how both negotiations around climate change adaptation and adaptation project implementation have evolved in this post-Paris Agreement era (from adoption in December 2015 to present). Using the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Adaptation Fund as the central lens, the chapters explore international negotiations around the Fund as well as two Adaptation Fund funded …

Climate Resilient Development And Discourse In The Peruvian Highlands, Jamie A. Haverkamp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation strives to rethink apolitical and ahistorical efforts for adapting to climate change in terms of a political struggle for survival in times of radical global environmental change. Drawing on ethnographic and participatory fieldwork with agro-pastoralists of the Peruvian Andes, government officials and international NGO actors, this dissertation follows emergent climate-resilient discourse of rapid glacier retreat as it travels from global origins and articulates with local culture and indigenous ecologies in the Cordillera Blanca. Through this research, I offer a critical interpretive analysis of modern, capitalist and rationalist ways of knowing and planning for climate change, finding that such …

Teaching With Technology: Digital Tools For Archaeological Education, Caroline Gardiner

Journal of Archaeology and Education

Recent technological advances have greatly altered how scholars record, study, and educate the public about cultural resources. Data can now be instantly recorded, analyzed, and widely shared. Digital tools can help create multimedia, interactive products that have contributed greatly to education and outreach initiatives worldwide.

Both the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) are dedicated to studying, preserving, and educating the public about cultural resources. A recent internship project between these two institutions produced online lesson plans that educated students about cultural materials and the various methodologies scholars use to study them within archaeology, …

Service Learning In Archaeology And Its Impact On Perceptions Of Cultural Heritage And Historic Preservation, Kyle P. Freund, Laura K. Clark, Kevin Gidusko

Journal of Archaeology and Education

This paper focuses on a for-credit cemetery recording class taught at Indian River State College (IRSC) and on the impact of the project on student perceptions of cultural heritage and historic preservation. One of the goals in creating this service learning course was to promote student awareness of the destructive risks that many historic cemeteries face and to impart the importance of stewardship over the archaeological record. To assess the effectiveness of the course in meeting this goal, a series of five interviews with students enrolled in the class were conducted to get participants to discuss their motivations and perceptions …

Climate-Driven Migration: Prioritizing Cultural Resources Threatened By Secondary Impacts Of Climate Change, Frankie St. Amand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological sites suffer increasingly destructive primary impacts of climate-driven natural hazards, including sea level rise, flooding, and erosion. Action is generally limited to mitigation and salvage of immediately threatened sites, with little attention or forethought given to secondary effects, such as destruction of interior archaeological resources by inland migration of affected populations. The United Nations predicts a growing trend in resettlement of climate-affected communities from areas where in-situ infrastructure adaptations are not economically feasible, legal, or physically possible. While adapting existing urban infrastructure (e.g., abating combined sewage overflows) is a viable option in the primary impact zone (e.g. coastal areas …

The Alma College Archaeological Project: Toward A Community-Based Pedagogy, Kristin Landau

Journal of Archaeology and Education

The turn toward community-based research in archaeology is “transforming” the discipline. No longer can we show up with screens and trowels wielding government permits and expect to start digging. Community-based archaeological projects may never even get to the excavation phase if local collaborators are uninterested or have other priorities. Now that collaboration with local populations has become standard archaeological practice, it is imperative to begin incorporating community engagement into traditional field schools. Today’s archaeology requires grassroots organizing, cultural awareness, and sensitive listening skills, in addition to digging square holes and drawing tree roots to scale. In this paper, I incorporate …

2019 Film Series: Human Dimensions Of Climate Change, Jennifer Bonnet, Cindy Isenhour

Library Staff Publications

In the spring of 2019, Jen Bonnet and Cindy Isenhour coordinated the sixth annual Human Dimensions of Climate Change film series, sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, the Climate Change Institute, Fogler Library, and the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. Each week for three weeks a different film was shown, followed by a discussion with campus scholars. A library exhibit accompanied the series and highlighted a wide range of resources related to the topic. This poster represents the series, and was designed by Brad Beauregard.

Migrant Farm Work In The State Of Maine: Meeting The Community Needs Of Maine's Working Immigrant Population, Olivia Ruhlin

Honors College

The purpose of this thesis is to create a greater awareness about the community of migrant farm workers who have either settled in Maine’s Downeast regions, or travel to Maine seasonally for work. I have aimed to focus my research on developing answers to the following questions: why do people choose to migrate? What do Maine’s agricultural industries have to offer for a migrant farm worker? What challenges do they face? What challenges do the community of immigrants who choose to stay in Maine face? Are these communities underprivileged, and if so, what organizations are working to facilitate better opportunities …

Beyond The Sugar Shack: How Non-Financial Forms Of Capital Are Conceptualized By Small- And Medium-Scale Maine Maple Syrup Producers, Skye Siladi

Honors College

Why do people farm? The answers are increasingly unclear given the heightened pressure of agricultural consolidation on small family farms. When profit margins are thin or even non-existent it is necessary to look at how other factors influence this group of people – particularly the social and cultural ties within and amongst communities that inspire people to remain in a profession which is not particularly lucrative This paper explores conceptualizations of social, cultural, and natural wealth as rationales for continuing in agricultural work, by focusing on maple syrup producers in Maine. At the small and medium-scale, maple syrup production cannot …

Putting Archaeology And Anthropology Into Schools: A 2019 Update, Colleen P. Popson, Ruth O. Selig

Journal of Archaeology and Education

Our 2012 article, “Putting Anthropology Into Schools,” argued that integrating anthropology and archaeology into K-12 schools must involve teacher preparation, state certification requirements, and in-service training. National anthropology and archaeology organizations’ decades-long push for the integration of their disciplines into schools was outlined but assessed as relatively limited compared to successful efforts in psychology, sociology, and economics. Some progress did occur, traced primarily to the National Science Foundation and other funders, alongside committed individuals with well-developed curriculum materials. Our 2019 publication includes the original article followed by an UPDATE outlining developments since 2012. Reports from the National Academies and the …

Archaeology In The Classroom At A New England Prep School, Ryan Wheeler

Journal of Archaeology and Education

In 1901 Robert S. Peabody lamented the lack of instruction in archaeology at his high school alma mater Phillips Academy, a prestigious New England boarding school. To rectify the situation, he used family funds and artifacts amassed by his personal curator Warren K. Moorehead to establish a Department of Archaeology at the school. A building was constructed and Moorehead and Peabody’s son, Charles, set about teaching classes. The pattern established by Moorehead and Peabody, however, was disrupted in 1914 when the school refocused the program exclusively on research. Classes were offered periodically over the next decades, and some students were …

Incorporating Field Excavations In Introduction To Archaeology, Rebecca M. Dean

Journal of Archaeology and Education

Most archaeology students first experience field work during a field school aimed at upper-division undergraduate majors. An excavation component in an Introduction to Archaeology class, however, can create an unequaled educational experience for students at all levels of experience and interest in archaeology. Excavations help students to master basic field methods, understand the nature of archaeological inference, recognize the strengths and limitations of archaeological data, grapple with archaeological ethics, and foster a sense of archaeological stewardship. This paper explores the outcomes of providing a field experience in the introductory class at the University of Minnesota Morris, the liberal arts campus …

Rummaging Through The Attic Of New England, Brieanne Berry, Jennifer Bonnet, Cindy Isenhour

Anthropology Student Scholarship

The concept of the circular economy has taken off, gaining momentum along with concerns about resource depletion, waste, and the impending ‘end of cheap nature’ (Moore 2014). Environmentalists and industrialists alike have promoted the benefits of reuse as a means toward improved efficiency and reduced resource pressure. Some have called for a new ‘culture of reuse’ (Botsman and Rogers 2010; Stokes et al. 2014). It is in this context that we explore repair, resale, and reuse as practices with deep historical precedent and contemporary continuity. Are there lessons to be learned from places that are already home to circular economies …

On Materiality And Meaning: Ethnographic Engagements With Reuse, Repair & Care, Cindy Isenhour, Joshua Reno

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

The reimagination and revaluation of discarded goods, through repair and reuse is, for many, a quotidian and mundane element of everyday life. These practices are the historical precedent and continue to be the stuff of common sense for a significant portion of human society. And yet, reuse, repair and other elements of a ‘circular economy’ have recently emerged as a significant focus in environmental and economic policy. Proponents claim that reuse practices represent a potentially radical alternative to mainstream consumer culture and a form of carework that generates new social possibilities and personal affects. This essay explores the myriad dimensions …