inSTiLl: Service through Teaching & Learning is a component of Fajina Archaeology Outreach that extends into higher education classrooms. inSTiLl seeks to provide service learning opportunities for university students to carry out their own fajina, their own service, and their own community engagement. Ultimately, we hope to inspire students to develop a commitment to fajina in their life and to instill a passion for service.

 

inSTiLl Projects

2018 UTA Arts for Africa, in partnership with the UTA Center for African American Studies (CAAS)
Students in “Arts of Sub-Saharan Africa” at the University of Texas at Arlington developed a series of media projects focused on and inspired by African art traditions. Students produced physical and digital artworks, films, educational activities, and academic papers. All of the projects are united in the motivation to bring awareness to African arts, history, and culture in a variety of ways.

2017 UTA Art Healing Activities, in partnership with the Touch A Life Care Center in Ghana
Students in “Art of Nonwestern Traditions” at the University of Texas at Arlington developed customized activities about African art for the children at the Touch A Life Care Center in Ghana. Students also created coloring book outlines of African artworks that will be compiled into a custom coloring book for the care center.

2017 TCU Archaeology of Food Activities, in partnership with the 3rd Annual Succotz Archaeology and Cultural Fair
Students in “Introduction to Archaeology” at Texas Christian University developed unique activities focused on the archaeology of food for implementation at the 3rd Annual Succotz Archaeology and Cultural Fair. Student teams focused on a particular topic within the study of ancient foodways, including hunting, agriculture, cooking, and digestion (poop!). At the fair in July 2017, these activities stimulated our young visitors and helped them learn more about food in ancient times.

2017 UTSA Anthropology Classroom Activities, in partnership with the Legacy Outreach Program
In group-based projects, students in UTSA Introduction to Anthropology courses applied the concepts and skills they learned to create activities for primary and secondary school teachers. Students created hands-on and active learning activities that teachers can implement at low cost and to increase the exposure to anthropology for their students. Activities concentrate within the subfields of anthropology including biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and anthropological linguistics. The activities will be available for free and open access through the Legacy outreach program with the UTSA Center for Archaeological Research. We hope that they are useful and effective.

2014-2015 NVC Research Projects on the Huebner-Onion Homestead and Stagecoach Stop, in partnership with the Leon Valley Historical Society
In individual research projects, students in Northwest Vista College Introduction to Archaeology courses applied archaeological data collection and analysis skills to offer new insights about the Huebner-Onion Homestead in Leon Valley, Texas. The research projects covered a wide range of topics regarding the Huebner-Onion Homestead and related archaeological/historical sites. Students analyzed artifacts collections curated by the Leon Valley Historical Society, collected and analyzed animal remains from the surrounding natural area, documented stratigraphic formation and disturbance in the nearby creek, and documented the Joseph Huebner gravesite and marker. The results of these projects were published as reports and provided to the Leon Valley Historical Society as a continuation of their efforts to revitalize and investigate the homestead.