Sift through the past
Studying archaeology, you’ll explore the relationship between humans and their material culture, throughout time and around the world. You’ll explore the ways our cultures, languages, environments and biology shape the technologies we create, and change our relationships to those creations.
99% of our species’ history predates writing. In order to understand where we came from, archaeologists look to the materials we’ve left behind to learn from that history and inform our present and future decisions. Much of that is happening here in the Southwest, and while FLC is located in an area rich with archaeological opportunity, our classes include topics rooted in both the New World and the Old World, giving you the opportunity to follow your curiosity, and informing perspectives from far and wide.
Cultural resource management (CRM) is a very popular application of anthropology that keeps archaeologists in high demand. CRM practitioners work to preserve the non-renewable cultural resources that teach us about ourselves and provide valuable insights into how best to move forward as a species.
Archaeologists also make significant contributions to communities and individuals through heritage preservation and museum studies, celebrating the unique cultures of the world as well as our shared humanity.
Participate in archaeological fieldwork at prehistoric sites in the Southwest with Fort Lewis College’s summer archaeological field school. You’ll engage in all aspects of fieldwork from survey to excavation to artifact analysis while learning to use the latest technologies in archaeological fieldwork. You may also enroll in archaeological laboratory techniques and historical research methods classes to gain hands-on experience in the analysis and management of archaeological data. In addition to the department's teaching collections, you’ll also have access to archaeological collections curated by the Center of Southwest Studies.