Instructor: Dr. Lisa J. Lucero, PI, VOPA Project (ljlucero@illinois.edu)

Teaching Assistant: Yifan Wang (yifanw19@illinois.edu)

The 2025 Valley of Peace Archaeology (VOPA) field school (May 15-June 26) the endangered Rivera site c. 4 km from downtown Belmopan, the capital of Belize, in collaboration with the Belize Institute of Archaeology (IA). This project is a unique opportunity to collaborate with IA archaeologists to focus on the most at-risk structures to test excavate once we have mapped the site and used the drone to map surrounding settlement not covered by modern settlement.  Students will learn excavation and field lab methods in this six-week, six-credit program, as well as visit one of the largest ancient Maya cities, Tikal in Guatemala.

Interested in applying? Visit the program Study Abroad page for more information. 

Please contact Dr. Lisa J. Lucero, PI (ljlucero@illinois.edu) or the course TA: Yifan Wang (yifanw19@illinois.edu) with further questions. 

This course is a summer archaeological field school, a hands-on learning experience in archaeology. The class introduces archaeological field techniques and outlines a critical understanding of the methods and approaches by which archaeology and heritage are interpreted. Through exercises and participation in an archaeological research project, students will be introduced to the methods of archaeological survey, excavation, data and materials recovery, recording, and processing.

Students will be encouraged to critically examine how archaeological knowledge is constructed and expressed. Because the class is held in a remote location, students are also required to learn to live and work together as a group while they contribute to the success of a long-term archaeological research project. 

Location: Sapelo Island, Georgia

• Survey and excavate multiple sites on the Georgia Coast
• Study how past peoples lived life and practiced community in the coastal environment
• Investigate how Ancestral Muskogean peoples connected with and created landscapes through memory and material culture

Duration:

• Summer Session 2 (May 25 - June 28, 2025)

You Will Learn:

• Excavation
• Topographic Mapping
• Shallow Geophysical Survey, such as Ground Penetrating Radar
• Research Design and Implementation
• Artifact Processing, Identification, and other Laboratory Methods

• Download the syllabus for this course or check out the course flyer.
• Interested students need to fill the application form, sign the disclaimer and email it to Dr. Ritchison before March 31st.

• Cost: 6 Credit Hours + $2,500 Course Fee
• Check the Registrar's website for tuition rates.
• For funding opportunities, see Liebman Engaged Anthropology Award.