Institute for Archaeology

Making Contact

California State University Monterey Bay

The campus is located on the former Fort Ord military complex in Seaside, California. Situated as it is on the on the historic Monterey Bay, the campus and community provide a picturesque setting for the study of prehistoric and historical archaeology. The Institute of Archaeology has focused much recent work on the excavation of the main courtyard of Old Mission San Juan Bautista, which is located approximately one half hour's driving time north/northeast of Seaside, California. See directional maps to the Old Mission at: http://archaeology.monterey.edu/Maps/CampusToMission.html.

· 100 Campus Center, Seaside, California 93955-8001

Institute for Archaeology

· Office Location: Building 17

· Lab Location: Building 110

· Information: 831-582-3890

· Director R. Mendoza: 831-582-3760

· Fax: 831-582-3566

· Email: ruben_mendoza@monterey.edu

· Website: http://archaeology.monterey.edu

Program Overview

Mission

The primary initiative of the Institute for Archaeology is to develop a fully integrated curriculum centered on archaeological science, technology, and visualization. This Institute's curriculum encompasses the social, geo-spatial, virtual, environmental, and archaeological sciences. Project-based and both lab and fieldwork oriented, the Institute explores and engages the development of:

· Online and multimedia instructional courseware

· Archaeology and museum collections database applications

· Virtual museum development and virtual reality (VR) modeling of archaeological sites and materials

· An ongoing program of archaeological research and material culture studies

· Museum design, development, and public programming for the Old Mission and community of San Juan Bautista and other project sites on the California Central Coast

· Archaeology and museum anthropology applications in Service Learning

Academic Philosophy

Virtual archaeology conjoins archaeology with the realms of electronic information technology, multimedia, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It brings these powerful new technologies to the forefront of scientific interpretation, reconstruction, and the modeling of past worlds. The Institute for Archaeology is committed to the development of an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum that includes project-based learning, instructional technology development, and service learning applications in archaeology.

Institute Contributions

Curriculum

The newness of both CSUMB and the Institute, not to mention the embryonic development of virtual archaeology itself, are reflected in the current Institute curriculum that initiates an applied approach combining virtual archaeology and area studies. The multidisciplinary faculty of SBS and other campus and off-campus associates and course offerings round out the curriculum. The Institute offers learning experiences in archaeology and other social science research methods, museum anthropology, social history, VRML-based multimedia and software development, GIS, and telecommunications.

Projects and Programs

The Institute for Archaeology provisions project-based learning, applied research, lab and field-based opportunities, and training in the art and science of archaeology and museum studies. The Institute is home to several ongoing projects and lab programs that include:

· Alta California Mission Research Project

· Museum Education Project

· Community Futures Lab

· Ancient Technologies and Cultures Lab

· Modern Material Cultures Lab

· Virtual Museums Lab

See SBSC Program Description at: http://www.monterey.edu/academic/descriptions/sbs.html

astv@archaeology.monterey.edu