Wake Forest University Portugal and Spain: Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (Summer)
Discover 60,000 years of history and culture in Portugal and Spain!
The Wake Forest University field program on the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage of Portugal and Spain is based in Rio Maior, a small town situated one hour north of Lisbon, Portugal. The intensive field-based course provides hands-on training in a wide range of archaeological field skills, laboratory analysis techniques, and methods for cultural heritage preservation at sites, museums, and communities across Portugal and western Spain. Students experience all stages of archaeological research from site location and excavation to stabilization, long-term preservation, and relevant public interpretation of past remains in complex social and political situations. The program’s innovative pedagogical framework combines field research, extensive travel excursions to over 30 locations in Portugal and Spain, and academic coursework contextualizing the prehistory, architectural history, and dynamic contemporary culture of Iberia and southwestern Europe.Dates and Deadlines
Term | Year | Application Deadline | Decision Date | Start Date | End Date |
---|
Program Description
Need Help? Get an advisor at 1-336-758-5938
The Wake Forest University field program on the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage of Portugal and Spain is based in Rio Maior, a small town situated one hour north of Lisbon, Portugal. The intensive field-based course provides hands-on training in a wide range of archaeological field skills, laboratory analysis techniques, and methods for cultural heritage preservation at sites, museums, and communities across Portugal and western Spain. Students experience all stages of archaeological research from site location and excavation to stabilization, long-term preservation, and relevant public interpretation of past remains in complex social and political situations. The program’s innovative pedagogical framework combines field research, extensive travel excursions to over 30 locations in Portugal and Spain, and academic coursework contextualizing the prehistory, architectural history, and dynamic contemporary culture of Iberia and southwestern Europe.
The town of Rio Maior, home-base of the Wake Forest University field program on the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage of Portugal and Spain, is located along the ecological transition between Atlantic and Mediterranean environments. This region has incredibly diverse biological, geological, and cultural resources in addition to a rich and well-preserved record of the prehistoric human past. Ideal for hosting a field-based educational program, the town has welcomed Wake Forest students and researchers since 2003. Rio Maior’s location in central Portugal also makes it an ideal point of departure for course excursions throughout Portugal and western Spain.
The unique archaeological record of the Rio Maior vicinity provides remarkable field and laboratory opportunities for the WFU Portugal archaeology and cultural heritage program activities. Ongoing scientific research includes study of caves and campsites used by Neanderthals and early modern humans during the last ice age, documenting the spectacular Late Bronze Age hillfort of Sao Martinho, restoration of mosaic floors from a recently-discovered Roman villa, and pioneering examination of Islamic and medieval period storage silos.
Students enroll in ANT 318 (“Prehistory and Archaeology of Europe”) and ANT 381 ("Field Research in Archaeology") for a total of 6 hours of academic credit through the Wake Forest University Summer School. Both courses are taught in English by Dr. Paul Thacker of WFU's Department of Anthropology. Field, laboratory, and some museum activities are often completed by teams of Wake Forest and Portuguese students and community members, with English as the primary working language. Scheduled guest lectures, site tours, museum visits, and field demonstrations by Carlos Pereira and other Portuguese and Spanish archaeologists complement the intercultural experience.
Students enroll in ANT 318 (“Prehistory and Archaeology of Europe”) and ANT 381 ("Field Research in Archaeology") for a total of 6 hours of academic credit through the Wake Forest University Summer School. Both courses are taught in English by Dr. Paul Thacker of WFU's Department of Anthropology. Field, laboratory, and some museum activities are often completed by teams of Wake Forest and Portuguese students and community members, with English as the primary working language. Scheduled guest lectures, site tours, museum visits, and field demonstrations by Carlos Pereira and other Portuguese and Spanish archaeologists complement the intercultural experience.
Dr. Paul Thacker
Faculty Director and Anthropology Professor
Phone: (336) 758 4423
E-mail: thackep@wfu.edu
Faculty Director and Anthropology Professor
Phone: (336) 758 4423
E-mail: thackep@wfu.edu
While at Rio Maior, students are housed in double occupancy rooms at a small hotel within walking distance of cafes, restaurants, shops, supermarkets, and the archaeological research center. Student rooms have modern amenities, including air-conditioning, cable television, private bathrooms, and study desks. Continental breakfast is served daily in the hotel, which includes fruits, cheeses, cereals, pastries, and breads. Because of the remote field location of some of our excavations and research, lunches often consist of sandwiches, chips, fruit, cheese, snack foods, yogurt, and other grocery items requested by students. Nightly dinners are normally scheduled at local establishments with a wide menu selection of traditional Portuguese or Spanish cuisine. In Granada, Merida, Salamanca, Santander, Seville, and Vila Nova de Foz Coa, students are housed in double or triple rooms with private baths at mid-range hotels.
Students explore the major regions of Portugal and western Spain while studying the different environments and cultural adaptations within these diverse landscapes. All transportation, meals, and admission costs are included in the inclusive program fee.
More than 30 archaeological and historic site excursions are planned for summer of 2019. Archaeological highlights include Stone Age rock art sites in the Coa Valley, the painted cave of El Castillo in northern Spain, Megalithic stone monuments and tombs near Evora, the ruins of the Roman city at Conimbriga (Portugal) and Merida (Spain), and the unusual medieval sites near Alcobertas. Magnificent architectural monument visits will include the Alhambra complex near Granada (Spain), and Gothic and Manueline structures at Alcobaca, Batalha, Belem, Salamanca, Seville, and Tomar. World heritage site visits include Sintra, Evora, Monseraz, Obidos, Vila Nova de Gaia, and the university at Coimbra, one of the three oldest universities in the world. Unique environmental site excursions will experience the cork oak forests of Alentejo, the terraced vineyards of the interior Douro valley, and the natural salt mines of Pe de Serra. The significant museum and archaeological sites of Lisbon, Porto, Salamanca, Santander, and Seville will be visited, with flexible-time scheduled for program participants to explore these locations in independent small groups.
More than 30 archaeological and historic site excursions are planned for summer of 2019. Archaeological highlights include Stone Age rock art sites in the Coa Valley, the painted cave of El Castillo in northern Spain, Megalithic stone monuments and tombs near Evora, the ruins of the Roman city at Conimbriga (Portugal) and Merida (Spain), and the unusual medieval sites near Alcobertas. Magnificent architectural monument visits will include the Alhambra complex near Granada (Spain), and Gothic and Manueline structures at Alcobaca, Batalha, Belem, Salamanca, Seville, and Tomar. World heritage site visits include Sintra, Evora, Monseraz, Obidos, Vila Nova de Gaia, and the university at Coimbra, one of the three oldest universities in the world. Unique environmental site excursions will experience the cork oak forests of Alentejo, the terraced vineyards of the interior Douro valley, and the natural salt mines of Pe de Serra. The significant museum and archaeological sites of Lisbon, Porto, Salamanca, Santander, and Seville will be visited, with flexible-time scheduled for program participants to explore these locations in independent small groups.
- Good academic standing.
- Majors from all disciplines are welcome to apply.
- There are no course prerequisites for enrollment.
- Course activities are conducted in English.
The total cost of summer study abroad can be broken down into four categories:
Tuition (6 hrs) - $5,700
Airfare (estimated) - $1,600
Personal Expenses (estimated) ~ $500
Estimated total cost - $TBA
The program fee covers all lodging, all meals, extensive program transportation in air-conditioned vans, all archaeological and cultural excursions, archaeological field equipment, permits, and admission fees.
- Program Fee - Usually covers room, in-country travel, excursions, some meals and other costs associated with the program.
- Tuition – Students on WFU summer programs pay WFU summer school tuition per credit hour. The 2022 summer rate was $950/per credit hour. Expect a small increase for 2023.
- Airfare (estimated) – Varies per location. Students are responsible for their own airfare unless otherwise noted.
- Personal Expenses (estimated) – These will vary depending on the students' spending habits, cost of living in the destination country, and the number of meals included in the program fee. This may also include visa fees, vaccinations, academic supplies/books and other miscellaneous daily expenses.
Tuition (6 hrs) - $5,700
Airfare (estimated) - $1,600
Personal Expenses (estimated) ~ $500
Estimated total cost - $TBA
The program fee covers all lodging, all meals, extensive program transportation in air-conditioned vans, all archaeological and cultural excursions, archaeological field equipment, permits, and admission fees.
Scholarships are available through the Center for Global Programs and Studies
Dr. Paul Thacker
Faculty Director and Anthropology Professor
Phone: (336) 758 4423
E-mail: thackep@wfu.edu
Tyler Favale
Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
336-758-4072
favalet@wfu.edu
Faculty Director and Anthropology Professor
Phone: (336) 758 4423
E-mail: thackep@wfu.edu
Tyler Favale
Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
336-758-4072
favalet@wfu.edu