The bioarchaeological field school is focused on the cemetery of the original Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum (ca. 1855-1935). The cemetery, which is located on the UMMC campus, contains the unmarked graves of over 4,000 individuals who will be removed to make way for vital medical center expansion. Students will spend five weeks in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi, working alongside a professional archaeological crew on the excavation as well as laboratory tasks. Training will focus on bioarchaeological methods, including burial excavation, human osteology, and mortuary artifact identification. Students will also receive instruction in basic archaeological methods, such as mapping, soil sample collection, and the creation of field sketches. Previous coursework in human osteology is not required but will be beneficial to participants.

The Asylum Hill Cemetery field school will provide students the rare opportunity to gain experience in human burial excavation without the expense of traveling abroad. Participants will contribute to a greater understanding of the African American and Euro American population that lived and died at the asylum and will gather data that allow the stories of deceased patients to be told. The Asylum Hill Project plans to permanently memorialize the interred individuals during a later phase of the work.

All field school directors are experts in their field and passionate about their work. To discuss the suitability of this program for your career goals – whether within or outside academia – you are invited to contact the directors directly. For a broader discussion which ARC program to choose, you are welcome to contact our staff directly – you can do that through our “Contact Us” page.

Lead Bioarchaeologist, Asylum Hill Project; Assistant Professor, School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center

• Application: You must apply online for this program – application is free
• Deposit: A $300 nonrefundable deposit (part of the total tuition cost) is required to secure a space in the program
• Credit Card Fee: Payments with credits cards incur 2.5% processing fee
• Late Fee: A $100 Late Fee will be added to the program costs if tuition is not paid in full by payment deadline
• Cancelation Policy: Carefully read our Cancellation Policy before committing to attend our programs
• Trip cancellation Insurance: Trip cancellation insurance is not provided by ARC. Such policies have changed due to Covid 19. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers pandemic contingencies, explore Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plans. Insuremytrip or Travel Guard are possible websites where you may explore different insurance policies

Student accommodations will be single-occupancy rooms (with two rooms sharing a bathroom) in a dormitory at Millsaps College.

This program provides breakfast (for students staying at the Millsaps Dorms) and field lunches (all students) during workdays only. Students are responsible for their own dinners.

We suggest you hold purchasing your airline ticket until six (6) weeks before the program begins. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions & a range of other factors may require the cancellation of a field school. ARC typically makes a final Go/No Go decision six weeks before program begins. To protect students from potential financial loss, we urge you to purchase airline tickets only six weeks prior to program beginning.

Students arriving by air should book flights arriving at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) prior to 6:00 pm Central on the first day of the program (Sunday). Students will be met by the Lost Luggage office at the arrival area of Terminal 1. Students arriving by car should proceed directly to Millsaps College campus. A map will be provided showing parking facilities and the location of the dormitory. Students who are planning to drive must inform the project director ahead of time so that a parking pass can be arranged.

No visas are required for US citizens. However, you should bring your passport for weekend excursions to Canada.

Citizens of other countries are asked to check the United States Embassy website page at their home country for specific visa requirement.