Project Description
IFR policy requires that prior to traveling, all field school students must have completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series AND received the most recent booster dose recommended by the CDC, if eligible.
All IFR field school applicants should familiarize themselves with IFR COVID-19 Practices BEFORE enrolling in a program. These practices are subject to change as health and risk management experts provide new recommendations and best practices.
You may want to refer to the following websites to stay informed of COVID-19 case numbers and regulations/policies for Louisiana:
Overview
Evergreen Plantation Archaeological Field School (EPAFS) is a unique and interdisciplinary field school located on the most intact plantation in the Southeast United States. Situated in Edgard, Louisiana, EPAFS gives students the opportunity to learn how to interpret the material culture found at the “trowel’s edge” through supporting coursework in archaeological field methods, African American history, and the Literatures of the Afro-Gulf South.
Historical records provide a limited retelling of plantation lifeways during the 18th and 19th centuries. Archaeology, on the other hand, employs the study of material culture to describe life for the enslaved Africans, free people of color, Creoles, and enslavers whose identities and histories interacted on Evergreen. Students will interpret ground penetrating radar (GPR) data and will work with faculty and graduate students in the excavation of anomalies located in the spaces surrounding the 22, original slave cabins on Evergreen. Subsurface testing and excavation will add to our rudimentary understanding of the kinds of activities that took place on Evergreen Plantation.
While archaeology strives to uncover a detailed history of plantation life, students will also be introduced to music, foodways, literature, oral histories, local community organizers, field trips, and expert guests to fully understand how residents lived and worked along Louisiana’s German Coast from 1800 to 1950.
This multi-disciplinary approach to teaching the history and culture of this sugar-producing region will provide students with the tools necessary to interpret excavations and material culture while in the field and while excavating.
Course Details
Course Dates: May 14– June 17, 2023
Enrollment Status: Closed
Total Cost: $4,175
Course Type: Archaeology & Ethnography
Tuition Payment Deadline: April 3, 2023
Instructors: Dr. Jayur Madhusudan Mehta, Dr. Natalie King-Pedroso & Dr. Alisha Gaines
- Orientation: April 17th, 2023 4pm ET/1pm PT
Instructors
The directors welcome emails and inquiries about the research elements of this project. More general information (tuition, health insurance, and payment schedule) can be found under the ‘Students’ tab above. Any further questions may be addressed to IFR staff. Additional details about research, course schedule, travel, accommodation, and safety can be found on the syllabus. Contacting the directors or the IFR office is encouraged and appreciated. It may help you determine if this field school is a good fit for you.
Testimonials
This is a new IFR field school. Check back here after the first field school season to learn what students have to say!
Tuition Includes:
- Costs of instruction
- Room & board
- All local transportation
Student Fees
Application Fee: There is a $25 fee to submit an online application.
Deposit Payment:
- Once you have been accepted to a program, you must place a nonrefundable $500 deposit fee to hold your seat in the program until the tuition payment deadline. The tuition payment deadline can be found in the top right of each field school’s web page under “Course Details”.
- The $500 deposit fee is included as part of your total tuition fee and NOT in addition to it.
Tuition Fee
- The tuition balance is the total program tuition fee minus the $500 deposit fee.
- The full tuition fee must be paid by the tuition payment deadline in order to secure your seat in the program.
- If you do not pay the full tuition fee by the deadline, your place in the program is no longer secure, and if you are unable to participate in the program for any reason, our Late Withdrawal policy below will apply.
Late Fee: A $100 late fee will be added to all accounts not paid in full by the tuition payment deadline.
Withdrawal Policy: If you place a deposit but decide to withdraw, you must notify IFR staff in writing before the tuition payment deadline. In the event of withdrawal, the $500 nonrefundable deposit fee remains nonrefundable and will not be refunded.
Late Withdrawal: If you paid the deposit fee but did not cancel your participation by the tuition payment deadline, you are legally responsible for the full tuition fee regardless of attendance at any IFR program. Please carefully read our Withdrawal & Cancellation Policy for further information.
Cancellation Policy: In the event that IFR must cancel a field school, all accepted students will be notified as soon as possible and will receive a refund of all tuition paid including the deposit fee. IFR offers students the opportunity to transfer to another field school, permitting that there are spots available and the program director approves the student to participate in their field school. Upon approval of the program director, IFR staff will make the arrangements to transfer the student’s application and payments.
Credit Card Processing Fee: A 3.5% processing fee is automatically incurred for all credit/debit card/online payments.
Academic Credit Opt Out: Students who wish to participate in an IFR field school without earning academic credit units may do so and receive the following discounts: $300 off a full program (4 or more weeks in length) or $200 off a short program (2-3 weeks in length).
Trip Cancellation Insurance: Please consider purchasing a travel interruption insurance policy that will cover your travel cost and the cost of the IFR program once you make a commitment to attend a field school.
Accommodations
- Lodging for students is in shared or single rooms. All efforts will be made to accommodate students in single rooms.
- Communal cooking and eating areas are available.
- Lavatories are shared among students.
- Communal areas will be kept clean and sanitized through shared efforts.
- Students are responsible for keeping personal spaces clean.
- Laundry facilities are available on site.
- Hazardous materials will be doubled bagged and transported offsite to the nearest medical facility.
Travel Info
Due to ongoing uncertainties regarding travel regulations related to COVID-19, IFR will assess the local conditions closer to the travel date (5-6 weeks prior to the program beginning) and will make Go/No Go decisions then. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions and various other factors may force the cancelation of a field school. You are required to participate in the mandatory orientation meeting when we will discuss the latest travel information and regulations. We also suggest you consider postponing the purchase of your airline ticket until after the program orientation.
If you live in the greater Southeastern United States and drive, driving to Evergreen Plantation is convenient and easy. The plantation is located midway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and can be found at this address: 4677 LA-18, Edgard, LA 70049.
If flying, students are directed to fly into MSY – Louis Armstrong International Airport. Students should fly in on Sunday, May 14th, and plan to arrive by 3pm. Faculty will arrange from transport from MSY to Evergreen on this day for all students who fly in. AmTrak also operates a rail line to New Orleans and drops passengers off at: Union Terminal, 1001 Loyola Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113. If you choose to travel by rail, please coordinate with field school faculty.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Citizens of countries outside of the U.S. are asked to check the embassy website page at their home country for specific visa requirements.
Student Safety
The IFR primary concern is with education. Traveling and conducting field research involve risk. Students interested in participating in IFR programs must weigh whether the potential risk is worth the value of education provided. While risk is inherent in everything we do, we do not take risk lightly. The IFR engages in intensive review of each field school location prior to approval. Once a program is accepted, the IFR reviews each program annually to make sure it complies with all our standards and policies, including student safety.
Students attending IFR international programs are covered by a comprehensive Health Insurance policy that includes physical illness or injury, mental or chronic conditions. No deductible and 100% of costs are covered up to $250,000. In addition, we provide Political and Natural Disaster Evacuation policy, which allow us to remove students from field school location if local conditions change. Our field school directors are scholars that know field school locations and cultures well and are plugged in into local communities and state institution structures.
Students attending IFR domestic programs (within the US) must have their own health insurance and provide proof upon enrollment. IFR field school directors are familiar with local authorities and if in need of evacuation, local emergency services and/or law enforcement will be notified and activated.
The IFR has strong, explicit and robust policy towards discrimination and harassment in the field. If students feel they cannot discuss personal safety issues with field school staff, the IFR operates an emergency hotline where students may contact IFR personnel directly.
Call (877-839-4374) or email (info@ifrglobal.org) if you have questions about the safety of any particular program.