Mary Ringhoff
Lecturer
BA, Stanford University MA, Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno MHP, USC School of Architecture
Mary Ringhoff is a lecturer in the Heritage Conservation program, teaching the Advanced Documentation course Practical Archaeology. She is an Associate Architectural Historian and Preservation Planner at Architectural Resources Group in Pasadena, California, where she works on a number of local and regional historic preservation projects. Mary has also worked as an archaeologist for over 14 years, acting as principal investigator and field supervisor on projects ranging from documentation of miles-long prehistoric foot trails to excavation of historic 19th century silver mining sites. She was lead author on her first book, The River and the Railroad: An Archaeological History of Reno, (University of Nevada Press, 2011); this work presented the results of a massive archaeological project in a highly developed urban setting. Mary is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Historic Preservation program, and enjoys helping planners and preservationists learn to recognize and manage archaeological resources.
- 554Heritage Conservation Practicum Practical ArchaeologyHeritage Conservation Practicum Practical ArchaeologyProfessional heritage conservationists, architects, architectural historians, and planners deal with managing cultural resources every day, yet very few of us have a working knowledge of the archaeological resources lying beneath our feet. The all-too-common result is the unwitting dismissal of, and often the outright destruction of, irreplaceable cultural resources. This course provides an introduction to the field of archaeology as it is currently practiced in the U.S., with a particular emphasis on helping non-archaeologists become better stewards of our collective heritage. It will present a brief overview of North American prehistory and history; survey past and present archaeological theory, methods, and research goals; and investigate how the discipline is situated within the larger field of heritage conservation. Our exploration of archaeological fundamentals, from legal contexts to artifact description, will culminate in the field documentation of a surface archaeological site; this weekend field trip is a required element of the course.