Field Schools

Students work on excavation of a skeletal cast as part of the forensic field school — Students engage in a field exercise for a forensic field recovery. Please note the skeletal remains depicted in this photo are plastic models

Forensic Anthropology Field School 2025 (ANT 4523/ANG 5821L, Forensic Field Recovery)

The Forensic Anthropology Field School will be held on the UWF Pensacola campus. The major goal of the 5-week field school is to train students in standard forensic methods for the discovery, documentation, and recovery of human skeletal remains. Students will learn to apply basic methods of archaeological mapping and excavation to simulated forensic scenes involving both surface-scattered and buried skeletal remains. They will also learn to distinguish human from non-human remains and gain experience with explicitly forensic procedures of evidence recovery, such as evidence documentation and collection, site security, and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for different simulated scenarios.

Dates: 12 May-13 June 2025

Schedule: M-F 8-4 pm

Application Deadline: 21 March 2025 (online); Acceptance Notification: 4 April 2025 (via email)

Credit: The course is offered for 3 credit hours. Tuition follows the rates summarized on the UWF tuition page.

Accommodations: Living arrangements will be the responsibility of the student. If you are not local to the Pensacola area (or require on-campus housing for any other reason), on-campus housing can be arranged once acceptance into the course is confirmed. For a general idea of costs, see information from UWF Housing and Residence Life.

Food: Students will provide their own water, lunches, and snacks during the course.

Transportation: All activities will occur on the UWF campus. Transportation to and from the on-campus sites will be the responsibility of the student.

Additional Costs and Other Information: Students will be required to purchase a dig kit (trowel, brushes, tapes, etc.); we will provide a list of items to purchase (estimated cost = $50). There are no prerequisites for the Forensic Anthropology Field School. Experience in forensic anthropology, biological anthropology, human osteology, bioarchaeology, and/or archaeological methods and principles preferred but not essential.

For further information about the Forensic Anthropology Field School, contact Dr. Allysha Winburn (awinburn@uwf.edu)

Archaeology Students conducting field work at the Luna Settlement site as part of the 2016 field work — Students engage in archaeological field work

Terrestrial, Maritime, and Combined Field Schools 2025 (ANT 4824, ANT4835, ANG 6824)

Terrestrial Archaeological Field School

The 2025 UWF terrestrial archaeological field school will take place May 19-June 27, and will divide its time between excavations at the 16^th-century settlement of Tristán de Luna y Arellano in suburban Pensacola overlooking Pensacola Bay, and at the 18^th-century site of Mission San Joseph de Escambe, an Apalachee village located alongside the floodplain of the Escambia River near Molino. Both sites have been the subject of excavations by UWF archaeologists over the past two decades, and fieldwork will build on earlier excavations to learn more about both Spanish and Native American life in West Florida during the Spanish colonial era. Students will receive training and experience in archaeological excavation in both sandy and clayey soils, including flat-shoveling and troweling, sifting, water-screening, field recordation (including forms and individual field books), scale mapping and photography of plan views and profiles, and mapping with a total station.

Maritime & Combined Field Schools

Activities will include remote sensing survey using magnetometer and side scan sonar equipment; site testing in Pensacola Bay, Blackwater Bay, and Blackwater River; hull recording; and underwater photography. Site assessments and dives on known historic wrecks located in the area will also be undertaken. Fieldwork will be supplemented by lectures and discussions on themes ranging from the colonization of northwest Florida, maritime landscapes and economic maritime connections in the Gulf region. When not diving, students will perform topside duties such as dive tending and support, artifact recording, and database entry. Students may also be called on to participate in the conservation and laboratory analysis of recovered material. Terrestrial activities will include the establishment of site control grids, setting up excavation units, basic excavation techniques, use of hand tools, screen techniques, and field documentation.

Dates: 19 May-27 June 2025

Application Deadline: 31 March 2025 (online)