Reynolds College Blog

2024 archaeology summer field school investigates historic company town site

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Missouri State University conducted another successful archaeological field school May 20-June 14, 2024, at the historic Phenix Marble Company Town site in northwest Greene County, Missouri.

Once again, Dr. Elizabeth Sobel and Dr. Scott Worman of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology (SAG) directed the program. They also co-taught the field school at Phenix in 2019 and 2022.

Twenty Missouri State students, along with three teaching assistants, participated in this year’s field school.

This year the group investigated remnants of a company town where Phenix employees lived from the late 1800s to the 1930s.

Local focus gives professional training at reduced costs

Missouri State has been holding archaeological field schools nearly every summer since the mid-1970s, Sobel said.

“While there have been MSU field schools in places like New Mexico and Jamaica, the costs of travel, food and lodging made those inaccessible to many students,” she explained.

Instead, Sobel and Worman have opted for local field schools. These reduce costs while giving students the training they need to become professional archaeologists.

Sobel said she and Worman direct the field school every other year, alternating with staff from Missouri State’s Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research (CAR).

Phenix Site has many pluses

Sobel and Worman said they return to Phenix as a field school site for several reasons.

“The fieldwork at Phenix builds on our previous archaeological research, [which explored] daily life of Black families in nearby Ash Grove in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,” Sobel explained. “Like the Phenix community, much of the Ash Grove community worked in the limestone industry.”

“In 2019, we chose to expand this research to include the site of the Phenix Marble Company, which hired and housed only Whites to quarry and process limestone,” Worman added. “Our study can more fully explore both race and class dynamics in this part of the Ozarks in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”

Several people at archaeological dig
The 2024 archaeological field school hard at work. Photo credit: Lucy Arras.

In addition, the Phenix Marble Company owns the site. The owners give the field school access to the property, maintain the landscape, share historical information about the site and even provide portable toilets, Sobel said.

These, along with the site’s proximity to campus, are additional benefits to returning to the Phenix site.

[Read more…] about 2024 archaeology summer field school investigates historic company town site

Sociology major Madeline Cope presents research on teacher attitudes

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Junior sociology major Madeline Cope’s first conference was more than just attending a few workshops.

She presented sociology professor Dr. Alicia Walker’s research on “martyrdom mentality” within the K-12 teaching profession at the Southern Sociological Society Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 3-6, 2024.

This was Cope’s first time to present at a conference.

“I have felt a range of emotions about presenting, from stress and anxiety to excitement and optimism,” she admitted. “After giving this presentation, however, I entirely feel the latter.”

Cope’s work on the project counts toward her completion of the sociology program’s Social Science Research Certificate. The certificate will facilitate her long-term career goal of becoming a professional social researcher.

[Read more…] about Sociology major Madeline Cope presents research on teacher attitudes

Paws to the Polls continues busy spring

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Missouri State University’s Paws to the Polls (PTTP) organization has stayed busy with its voter education and engagement activities, as the election year has seen an increase in campaigns and voter interest.

Campus voter fair a big success

On Feb. 15, PTTP welcomed Representative Melanie Stinnett (R) of District 133 to meet with them on campus. The group discussed voting access and how legislators can work together across the aisle in Jefferson City.

The meeting was a precursor to PTTP’s voting fair, which it hosted on the Missouri State campus March 5 to bring attention to the April municipal election.

Over 400 students and 16 campus offices and organizations participated in the fair to demonstrate how they engage with the campus and the larger community.

Food, fun and voting facts

Young man standing with two mascots
Student Government Association cabinet member Jace Rather with Big Dill and Bill. Photo credit: Oliver Hart.

Joining the fair were the League of Women Voters, the Informed Voter Coalition and Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller.

The League and the County Clerk’s office registered students to vote and answered voting-related questions.

Schoeller and his team also brought voting equipment so students could use the machines and become acquainted with the voting process.

Along with providing important voter information, PTTP ensured there was plenty of food and fun for participants.

Pickleman’s Gourmet Café provided free cookies, while PTTP provided pizza. Meanwhile, participants enjoyed a photo booth where they could get their pictures taken with Boomer the Bear, Schoolhouse Rock’s Bill and Pickleman’s Big Dill.

Attendees also played voting and trivia games for prizes and decorated their PTTP shirts at a tie-dye booth.

PTTP will host another voter fair in October ahead of the 2024 general election. [Read more…] about Paws to the Polls continues busy spring

MSU Anthropology students dominate Santa Fe conference

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Five anthropology students from Missouri State University gave impressive performances at the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) conference March 26-30.

Two of those students, senior anthropology major Jacob Rosecrans and senior anthropology major McKennzee Newton, won first and second place honors, respectively, for their research poster presentations.

Senior anthropology major Brianna Rodgers and junior anthropology and agriculture double major Kyra Uphoff presented their research on the benefits of student-led college clubs, fielding questions from both faculty and students throughout the entire conference.

Junior sociology major Isabella Rossi gave an oral presentation of her research on public housing in St. Louis.

“All presented as undergraduates,” said Dr. Mary Willis, head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology (SAG). “That’s a huge accomplishment given that undergraduates are less likely to do their own research compared to graduates and less likely to have the chance to present.”

“Every single one of them was poised, confident, and able to talk about their research in clear, straightforward and engaging ways,” said associate professor Dr. Marnie Watson. “Their work was at the level of the graduate students and faculty who presented at the conference.”

“In fact, several people expressed amazement that our undergraduate students were able to engage so professionally with others at the conference,” she added.

The students were accompanied to the conference by Willis, Watson and instructor Jason Shepard.

During their stay, the students visited Pecos National Historical Park and several museums in Sante Fe’s Museum Hill. After the conference, the group enjoyed a celebratory dinner at Jambo Café, a Sante Fe restaurant that was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

“We didn’t realize that we would have so much to celebrate,” Willis said. “When I was looking at the posters before the award ceremony, another conference attendee said to me, ‘Wow, Missouri State really dominated the awards this year’.”

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Dr. William Meadows appointed to serve on American Indian Quarterly’s editorial board 

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Missouri State University’s Dr. William Meadows was recently appointed to the editorial board of the American Indian Quarterly (AIQ).

He will serve with 12 other noted American Indian scholars.

As an editorial board member, Meadows’ responsibilities will include overseeing and reading manuscripts submitted to the journal. He will also find ways to improve the journal.

Meadows is a professor of anthropology and Native American studies in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology. He believes his appointment to AIQ will enable him to showcase the department.

“While I’ve already reviewed some manuscripts for American Indian Quarterly prior to now, this position will teach me more about the workings of academic journals and contribute to professional services in the field, while helping make Missouri State University and the sociology, anthropology and gerontology department known to a wider audience,” he said. [Read more…] about Dr. William Meadows appointed to serve on American Indian Quarterly’s editorial board