REU Site: The Bronze Age Koros Off-Tell Archaeological (BAKOTA) Field School: Undergraduate Training in Fieldwork and Independent Research Reporting in European Archaeology

Quinnipiac University, Hamden CT

Investigators

Abstract

This project is supported under the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program, which is an NSF-wide program although each Directorate administers its own REU Site competition. This program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in an effort to introduce them to scientific research so as to encourage their continued engagement in the nation's scientific research and development enterprise. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects designed especially for the purpose. The REU program is a major contributor to the NSF's goal of developing a diverse, internationally competitive, and globally-engaged science and engineering workforce. The Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) sciences Directorate awarded this REU Site grant to Quinnipiac University for the BAKOTA REU Site field-school to offer a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment for students from underrepresented groups and under-resourced institutions to receive training in scientific research and publication. Working with Hungarian students and colleagues, American students receive the theoretical background, hands-on experience and the careful attention of individual mentors required for mastering the increasingly specialized STEM methods leading archaeological research. Each summer, ten undergraduate students are engaged in 1) working next to Hungarian students while they receive instruction in survey and excavation techniques, record keeping and data management, and artifact analysis, 2) participating in seminars and workshops taught by experts on archaeological method and theory and the cultural history of Eastern Europe, 3) visiting museums and archaeological sites, 4) planning and completing an independent research project with a faculty mentor, and 5) living in the small town of Vésztõ and learning about life in Hungary from the villagers, Hungarian students, and visiting project participants. Students are guided (via formal instruction and informal mentoring) from dependent to independent thinkers who have the skill sets to make their own unique contributions to the research team. Students present their work at a national conference, in academic journals, and on the project website (http://bakota.net). By engaging students who would not otherwise participate in high-level research, the BAKOTA field-school opens the door to further student inquiry in science, and supports collaborations that will impact the students throughout their academic and professional careers. The international experience of the project requires a culturally sensitive atmosphere and results in participants who promote a more tolerant, educated, and collaborative society. In this REU Site project, undergraduate students become contributing members of an archaeological project centered on understanding the rise of social inequality in European prehistory. A number of significant social transformations occur in the Bronze Age, including agricultural intensification, population increases, and an explosion in trade. The location of the field-school in eastern Hungary has evidence for many forms of social complexity, but unlike neighboring areas, it did not undergo massive changes in social stratification. Despite an increasing population and intensified agricultural production, no hierarchy or monopoly over bronze manufacturing emerged. This makes eastern Hungary a fascinating place to study social change. By comparing the trajectory of Bronze Age peoples of the Carpathian Basin to those of stratified societies elsewhere in the world, we engage the large anthropological debates focused on understanding the foundations and development of social inequality. The Bronze Age Körös Off-Tell Archaeological (BAKOTA) REU Site field-school has three years of funding for a summer field school at the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1500 BC) cemetery and settlement of Békés 103, located in southeastern Hungary. Professional development mentoring takes place before the program starts, throughout the research season, and post-project. Participants also receive training in ethical and equitable fieldwork codes of conduct, including Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) and sexual harassment awareness. NSF's International Science and Engineering (ISE) program has co-funded this project.