Experiential Learning

Ethnoarchaeology on Old Providence and Santa Catalina Islands, Colombia.

2024 Summer Field School

In 1883, Robert Luis Stephenson published Treasure Island, a book about pirate adventures and hidden treasure, which was inspired by the author’s visit to Old Providence and Santa Catalina Islands because they were home to the infamous privateer Henry Morgan and his crew in 1666.

The Islands, located 130 miles of the coast of Nicaragua and around 8.5 square miles in size, have been a center of global trade and military action between the English, Spanish, and pirates since 1629, when the Islands were first settled by English Puritan colonists. The Islands are still occupied by the descendants of the English Puritan colonists, enslaved Africans, and self-emancipated Africans, who established a free-colony on the southside of Old Providence in the 1600s; and who now identify collectively as Raizal.

Although the seduction of pirate treasure is alluring, the real treasure of these Islands is the history of the Raizal and their unique culture. Of particular importance, is how the Raizal utilized the natural environment to survive…to make shelter, to produce food, and to secretly move around the islands freely during the colonial era when many of the inhabitants were slaves in the colonial system and movement was largely controlled by colonial masters.

During summer field research on the Islands, students will have the opportunity to 1) participate in archaeological excavations and ethnographic interviews focused on life on the Islands, over time, and documenting the unique English Criol language spoken in the San Andrés Archipelago, 2) perform various types of survey (conductivity/magnetic susceptibility, GPS, metal detecting, shovel test pits, and surface collection, and 3) learn about processing materials from the field to storage to the final report.

In their downtime and days off, students can enjoy the many things Old Providence and Santa Catalina have to offer…from SCUBA and snorkeling or relaxing on the beach, to horseback riding and hiking, to shopping or having a coffee and dessert in-town.

USC student funding is available through SURF & SHURE

For more information please visit IFR Global

ANTH 393: Directed Internship

Students enrolled in ANTH 393 “Directed Internship” may contribute to workplaces of all kinds, including corporations and businesses, schools and educational programs, artists and arts organizations, nonprofit organizations, activist or advocacy groups, academic or private sector research projects or initiatives, social welfare organizations, government agencies, etc.

Q. How do I enroll?

Find an organization with which to volunteer or intern. Start looking the semester before you want to take ANTH 393!

We can help – contact anth-DUS@dornsife.usc.edu, for a mentoring appointment.

Q. What do I do once I’ve found an internship?

Complete the Internship Agreement Form including tasks/responsibilities and work hours. You must return this form, signed by both you and your internship supervisor, to anth-DUS@dornsife.usc.edu to receive D-Clearance to enroll in the course.

Q. What are the course requirements?

1. Complete internship work hours and tasks as agreed in your Internship Agreement Form.
2. Meet regularly with your Academic Instructor and complete journal assignments as assigned, roughly once every 3-4 weeks.
3. Complete at least one interview with a colleague or client. This will be the basis for the Ethnographic Interview Paper (5 pages).
4. Complete a final research paper of the required length (see below) that investigates a topic related to your internship experience. This paper may incorporate independent ethnographic research, such as interviews or observations, but must build in a substantive way on original scholarly research in Anthropology.

Q. How will I be graded?

• Work evaluation provided by your internship supervisor: 50%
• Academic instructor meetings (3 minimum) and Journal assignments (as assigned): 15%
• Ethnographic Interview Paper: 10%
• Final Research Paper: 25%

Q. What does my internship supervisor need to know?

• Internship hours completed before or after the start and end of the USC semester cannot be counted toward course credit!
• The internship supervisor will approve your timesheets, and provide a final evaluation (50% of your grade) at the end of the internship.
• Research assignments for the course are completed largely outside of internship hours, unless otherwise desired by the internship sponsor.
• Work responsibilities and schedule are determined by the student and internship supervisor, prior to the start of the internship.

Note: The number of hours worked per week is in practice flexible, provided the student completes the agreed total number of cumulative work hours by the last day of classes for the semester. Work hours must be confirmed by the internship supervisor.

Questions?