Professor: Tuttle Course format: Lecture w/lab Number of respondents: 16 Total Enrollment: 18 Class Composition: Froshs: 1 Sophs: 3 Jrs: 9 Srs: 5 Concs: 4 Non-Concs: 10 Don't Know: 1

Instructor Average: 1.36 Course Average: 1.36

Who wouldn’t want to be an archaeologist? Well, Dave Coulier. He became a comedian and actor. But besides Dave Coulier, pretty much everyone wants to be an archaeologist! That’s why you, noble shopper, should look into “Archaeological Field Work,” a class that introduces students to the fundamental theories and techniques of the discipline. There are no formal requirements for the course, which includes a lab so that dig-happy students can put their nascent understanding of excavation methodology to work.

When they weren’t putting holes into the ground, members of the class also “dug” instructor Chris Tuttle. Humorous and easygoing, accessible and knowledgeable, he was the complete package. “He kept everyone excited about learning the material,” gushed one overachiever. Described repeatedly as attentive and effective, Professor Tuttle was particularly adept at helping individuals understand and enjoy the unique subject matter. Participants universally praised him for taking student needs and concerns into account and making the class everyone’s.

There were some people who felt that the books were not exactly electrifying, but, by and large, class members had few complaints about the reading load’s rigors or relevance. Student descriptions of how many graded assignments there were varied wildly – making my job an unqualified delight! It seems as though the work broke down into (roughly): weekly quizzes on the readings; a short paper on an archaeological site; and a final project based on lab work. There didn’t seem to be exams, although whether that was planned or accidental remains unclear.

Depending on that week’s reading load, most students spent between two and four hours on the class. Generally, this time commitment matched what was expected. Students highly recommend the course for prospective takers: “a good class with a great instructor!” So unless you want to wind up an overweight and emasculated ‘uncle’ to Bob Saget’s children, take it!

View AE/0005 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.