Archaeology is a field that inspires interest and curiosity among people outside of the profession. Movies, television, newspapers, video games - numerous popular culture areas have featured archaeology or archaeologists at one time or another. However, archaeologists have fallen under criticism for not providing effective and captivating public communication. The goal of this project was to examine how to present archaeology to non-archaeologists in a way that takes advantage of the excitement generated by popular media, but also gives people an appreciation for what archaeologists actually do. Specifically this research used the method of a museum exhibit to present information on the Johannes Kolb Site, an archaeological excavation in Mechanicsville, South Carolina. Site or region-based exhibits that address not only the archaeological data, but also the needs and interest of the community are an excellent way for an archaeologist to create a multi-media method of communicating their research and message to a wide range of people.
","abstract_html":"<p>Archaeology is a field that inspires interest and curiosity among people outside of the profession. Movies, television, newspapers, video games - numerous popular culture areas have featured archaeology or archaeologists at one time or another. However, archaeologists have fallen under criticism for not providing effective and captivating public communication. The goal of this project was to examine how to present archaeology to non-archaeologists in a way that takes advantage of the excitement generated by popular media, but also gives people an appreciation for what archaeologists actually do. Specifically this research used the method of a museum exhibit to present information on the Johannes Kolb Site, an archaeological excavation in Mechanicsville, South Carolina. Site or region-based exhibits that address not only the archaeological data, but also the needs and interest of the community are an excellent way for an archaeologist to create a multi-media method of communicating their research and message to a wide range of people.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Shofner, Erika Heimbrook"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Anthropology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Joanna Casey"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:14Z","subjects":["Anthropology","Social and Behavioral Sciences","archaeology","Johannes Kolb","museum","public outreach"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2010, Erika Heimbrook Shofner"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/259","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Joanna Casey"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Shofner, Erika Heimbrook"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Anthropology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Anthropology","Social and Behavioral Sciences","archaeology","Johannes Kolb","museum","public outreach"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2010, Erika Heimbrook Shofner"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/259"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Archaeology is a field that inspires interest and curiosity among people outside of the profession. Movies, television, newspapers, video games - numerous popular culture areas have featured archaeology or archaeologists at one time or another. However, archaeologists have fallen under criticism for not providing effective and captivating public communication. The goal of this project was to examine how to present archaeology to non-archaeologists in a way that takes advantage of the excitement generated by popular media, but also gives people an appreciation for what archaeologists actually do. Specifically this research used the method of a museum exhibit to present information on the Johannes Kolb Site, an archaeological excavation in Mechanicsville, South Carolina. Site or region-based exhibits that address not only the archaeological data, but also the needs and interest of the community are an excellent way for an archaeologist to create a multi-media method of communicating their research and message to a wide range of people.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["That Belongs In A Museum: Archaeology and Audiences"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Joanna Casey"],"dc:creator":["Shofner, Erika Heimbrook"],"dc:description.abstract":["Archaeology is a field that inspires interest and curiosity among people outside of the profession. Movies, television, newspapers, video games - numerous popular culture areas have featured archaeology or archaeologists at one time or another. However, archaeologists have fallen under criticism for not providing effective and captivating public communication. The goal of this project was to examine how to present archaeology to non-archaeologists in a way that takes advantage of the excitement generated by popular media, but also gives people an appreciation for what archaeologists actually do. Specifically this research used the method of a museum exhibit to present information on the Johannes Kolb Site, an archaeological excavation in Mechanicsville, South Carolina. Site or region-based exhibits that address not only the archaeological data, but also the needs and interest of the community are an excellent way for an archaeologist to create a multi-media method of communicating their research and message to a wide range of people.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/259"],"dc:rights":["© 2010, Erika Heimbrook Shofner"],"dc:subject":["Anthropology","Social and Behavioral Sciences","archaeology","Johannes Kolb","museum","public outreach"],"dc:title":["That Belongs In A Museum: Archaeology and Audiences"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Anthropology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Campus Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:14Z"}