Intro to Archaeology/Prehistory

ANT 103 – Intro to Archaeology/Prehistory taught by Professor Mark W. Allen

In this course I will be learning how in the United States and many other parts of the world, archaeology is one of the four major sub-fields of anthropology. It involves the study of the human past (both distant and not so distant), largely through the study of material cultural remains and their context. This course first briefly explores the basic methods of archaeological fieldwork, research goals, and introduces students to the basics of archaeological theory. The course then turns to a global survey of human cultural and technological development from early humans to the rise of urban states and world civilizations. The course will also address some of the ethical and professional concerns and issues facing archaeology today.

How will this tie in with my senior project? Forensic anthropology requires many of the basic attributes and expertise of many of the anthropology subcategories in order to be able to critically think and acquire all of the evidence necessary to solve a crime. Not only is forensic anthropology dealing with the skeletal remains, but the soil they were found, natural components, items found with, as well as insect remnants.

So far what I can connect with my senior project and this class is how the Neantherthal's skull greatly differs with that of a Homo sapean's skull and how it will be able to help give important details that are found in investigations such as: is this human? Professor Allen makes the "dirty work" of the anthropological standpoint seem rather fun and enjoyable experience if you have an incredible amount of patience and have an eye of detail to be able to use in the workforce.


Professor Allen will be focusing in making sure we learn/know the following:

1. How archaeology (in the United States and other countries) is a branch of anthropology that deals with cultures of the past. 
2. The basic methods, theories, and goals of archaeological research. 
3. Describe the nature of cultural developments in most parts of the world, as learned through archaeological research. 
4. Appreciate the ethical questions and other current issues facing archaeology.

I know that this class will be a relatively helpful resource for my senior presentation for being the roots of forensic anthropology.

Blog 4: Presentation Reflection

1.  In what way did the first interview affect your presentation?  Please explain, be specific and use an example.

My interview with Ashlee Enriquez was very inspiring and informational because she shows a great passion in forensic science. Since I was a relatively young Forensic Science Academy Club member, she was open to help me succeed in any means necessary and by forwarding me useful information on forensic anthropology as well as inspiring me to pursue my career. It's not everyday where you see a high school senior who has career path that has been developed four years ago! During my interview Ms. Enriquez stressed the importance of how my career is both interesting and demanded in the field of criminal justice, and emphasized how signs of bone healing can really help in cases. Her suggestion molded the topic of my five minute presentation especially with her intriguing experiences with a professional forensic anthropologist in the Forensic Science Academy. 

2.  What you say stood out about your presentation performance and why?

I believe that the "plain English" scientific explanation of the reactive, repairing, and remodeling phases in the bone healing stood out about my presentation performance because everyone seemed to be really interested and fascinated about the fact that the bones have the ability to regenerate and heal itself from such horrible accidents. Their reactions of, "Wow! Dang! Ouch!" really brought their attention and made the presentation enjoyable and successful.

3.  What was the most challenging to do and why?

The most challenging part of my presentation was being able to fit all the information on the steps bone heals, the reason it does so, as well as how it connects to my senior presentation in such a short amount of time. Although I  ended up explaining the basic points on the topic, I feel that I freaked out knowing I had less than one minute to wrap my presentation up without having the ability to thoroughly explain how I will be applying my five minute presentation to further my research and guide my way through my senior presentation.

Forensic Science Academy Club Field Trip

The Forensic Science Academy Club had a meeting during 12:00PM to 4:00PM at Hollywood's Museum of Death! Greeted by the president of the FSA with open arms, I was presented by familiar faces of the previous  club meeting and with newcomers who have been interested in joining the Forensic Science Academy Class #27.

To my dismay, I was unable to take further pictures of the Museum of Death since the owners did not want photography of any kind inside. However, it was a very enjoyable experience inside.

There were a variety of themed rooms that contained archived files of serial killers, pop art and highly detailed and professional dedicated art for the museum based on the criminals. Nothing was censored in this museum, every body part was shown! To my excitement, there was a room dedicated to skeletal remains, including a variety of various animal skulls that were being compared with that of a humans.

As you continue to view the museum, you start to develop a sense of sickness of how disgusting people can be in order to commit these crimes to these innocent people. Visual representations such as videos were played in almost every room such as assassinations, forensic pathological instructional, and news footage of the serial killers being trialed.

What I thought was the most important and most fascinating part of the museum was the evidence! The tools that were used during these murders as well as photographs that showed these gruesome details were shown throughout the entire museum!

In the last room, were historical figures such as John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe who had autopsy photographs presented to use showing their innings and brain matter all over the table. We had a great time bonding together and sharing our personal stories of what we know about the cases, murders, and other nifty information that we wanted to share with the group. It was a very interesting experience someone like myself, who is interested in the forensic field to experience!

Blog 3: Presentation 1

Objective: The objective of my five minute presentation is to teach students about the importance of bone remodeling. Since bone striations are vital in investigations, I will make sure the class will develop a better understanding of why these little details are important for forensic anthropologists.


Procedure (Steps 1-8): The procedure I will undergo in my five minute presentation is as follows:

1.) I will begin my presentation by asking everyone in the classroom to raise their hands if they had every broken a bone in their body and the age this occurred.  Many people have experienced having a broken bone at least one time in their life, so this question will not be difficult to answer.

2.) Once a good portion of the class raise their hands, I will randomly select on three of my peers to share their answer with the class.

3.) After the class has participated in my presentation, I will share out my personal answer to the question and proceed with the name of my senior project, followed by a brief explanation of what it is, and the importance these small medical details are crucial for forensic anthropologists.


Check for Understanding: 

4.) To check for understanding during my presentation I will present two possible examples of X-Rays and photographed bones that clearly show that skeletal remains show signs of bone repair. I will then randomly ask two to three people to tell me what they have observed through the presented visuals.

5.) When those students have answered my question, I will clearly and concisely explain what the body is undergoing when it is healing from a bone fracture. This will give my classmates a better understanding of why these types of medical records are important to know when undergoing an investigation involving skeletal remains.


Resources/Materials:


6.) As a visual for my presentation, I will be using a poster board that will be comparing never fractured bones in the arm or leg with those similar bones that have expressed the ossification process along with the gradual healing evidence in X-Rays. I will also be passing down handouts with clearly-marked annotations that are going to be similar to the poster-sized explanations to make my peers have a better, closer look at the photos.

7.) I will begin the closing of my presentation by asking two to three of my peers what they have learned that they thought was neat and insightful, in order to make sure they have been paying attention during my presentation and understood the material.

8.) Finally, I will ask the class if they had any questions that they have been concerned or were confused about and then I will be concluding my presentation.

Forensic Science Academy Club Meeting

The Forensic Science Academy had a club meeting that was held in front of Victoria Garden's Cold Stone Creamery that was held from 1:00PM to 2:10PM. I was presented to Ashlee Enriquez, the president of FSA, and Terri Armenta, the academy coordinator who were delighted to see a young student so interested about the forensic field. After the small meet-and-greet and delightful compliments, they decided to begin the meeting.

I enjoyed the fact that the meeting was held like a court-like system by making club members motion to process and adjourn the meeting. During this meeting the location of the Forensic Science Academy was revealed as well as the dates of registration and the first day of class. Handouts were presented by public relations which had opportunities to be a security guard, crime scene investigator, law enforcement official, and many other justice field careers.

Workshop openings, professional guest speaker meetings, as well as field trips were reminded and introduced to the meeting. Next week, on the 24th of September, I have signed up to attend the field trip to the Museum of Death in Hollywood where we will have a complete tour and have an amazing experience with the club!

Since I was a new member I had to present a little bit about myself and the reason I want to join the Forensic Science Academy and Club. Being the only teenager at the club, I feel that I have impressed the members with my high interest in the field and was given compliments.

The meetings were clear, concise, and professional and being given an overview of how the club system works, I was granted the opportunity to second the motion to adjourn the meeting.

After the meeting, I was given the opportunity to interview Ashlee Enriquez and explained more about the way I-Poly's senior project works, why I'm so interested in forensic anthropology, and what I wanted to get out of the academy modules.

Blog 2: Interview 1 Preperation

1. Who are you interviewing and why?



I  plan on interviewing Ashlee Enriquez, the current president of the Forensic Science Academy. Ashlee has recently graduated from the FSA with the class #26 who is meeting the required skills necessary to work in the forensic field. Emphasizing on criminal investigation law in the university, Ashlee continues to share her knowledge of forensic anthropology with me. Since Ashlee is the president, she will be able to provide me the necessary guidance and will be able to connect with me instructors, guest speakers, as well as workshop opportunities that I will be able to use for my senior project.


2. What additional questions will you ask them (in addition to the 5 we require).


The additional question that I will ask Ashlee include:

1. What interested you the most in the field of anthropology?
2. What was the most interesting thing you have come across in your field?
3. How high is the demand for practicing anthropologists?
4. What is the most difficult part of this career path?

Blog 1: Senior Project Topic

What is your topic? Why?


My topic is forensic anthropology; the critical-thinking application of biological and physical science that is left behind in a victim's skeletal remains. I was always intrigued at our human ancestry, specifically in the remains they leave behind. As a child I was surrounded by a positive environment in the science department, by family that work in law enforcement, as well as a wide variety of human remains museums.


When I was attending Philadelphia Elementary School, science was one of the most important subjects that the school focused on. All six of my teachers created an inspirational science environment that always tied the subject with ancient history such as Tzar Nicolas II of Russia's forensic anthropological evidence, genocides in foreign countries specifically in Africa, and the famous anthropological beauty, Lucy, the million year old evidence of humanoid life on Earth.


One of my uncles, Eduardo Cervantes, is currently a law enforcement officer in Merced, California who saw my interest in the forensic sciences and helped to create the family tradition to view America's Most Wanted every week. I was astounded by the fact that some criminals attempt to make their victims unidentifiable, but as I researched throughout the years, I learned that forensic anthropology is a profession that identifies human victims by their skeletal remains and several other natural components such as soil, insects, and plants.


Thankfully, I had an excellent support system from my family, who wanted me to continue to pursue my interest into this particular profession. The California Science Center hosted two European-German based anatomical exhibitions of real human bodies. They both had a wide variety of skeletal remains that I was completely fascinated about, and I even attempted to identify the owner of the remains before reading the designated plaque. Finally, I attended the Los Angeles County Fair which hosted a body exhibit that contained several human remains of people all around the world. This exhibit added on to my interest in the forensic anthropology profession.


What do you hope to accomplish after studying this topic all year? Be specific and use examples.


After studying this topic all year, I hope to accomplish knowing for a fact that I want to continue the pursuit of becoming a forensic anthropologist, learn the requirements necessary to become a successful forensic anthropologist, as well as earning an internship with a forensic anthropologist.


My dream to become a forensic anthropologist has been persistent for more than seven years and counting and I hope that constantly studying this particular subject will continue to inspire my dreams to study this profession in college. When I get accepted and admitted to the University of La Verne I plan to major in their highly credible anthropology major with an emphasis on forensic anthropology and minor in criminology.


Not everything a forensic anthropologist knows comes from giant college textbooks! I will work on accomplishing viewing a scientifically notable prime-time show known as "Bones" that has been inspired by a real-life forensic anthropologist, novel writer, and profession Kathy Reichs. I will also try to accomplish viewing Smithsonian, FBI, and PBS-themed forensic anthropology specials that give great detail of the topic.


Many professional occupations require two to five years of active experience, especially forensic anthropology. I hope to receive an internship at a private institution, a museum such as the Smithsonian, or even a federal agency with my extremely high interest in this particular profession to be able to fit the prerequisite in my dream career.