I Spent a Month in Tuscany Digging up Etruscan Tombs...

Experiential learning comes in all shapes and sizes.  I recently spoke with Michael, a Hofstra anthropology major, about his fascinating fieldwork abroad this past summer.  He was able to get valuable career experience while going abroad and receiving class credit.  Depending on what you major in or want to gain, you can benefit from an internship, volunteering, or even fieldwork home or abroad.  Below is Michael’s experience in his own words.

-       Deanna Rodin, Associate Director

Being a part of an Archaeodig program this past summer has been one of the best experiences in my life. I spent a month in Tuscany digging up Etruscan tombs. Myself and eight other students dug under the hot sun for eight hours Monday through Friday. We learned how to properly uncover bones, pottery pieces, and every once in a while, coins and unharmed pots! During the day, we would get one on one instruction from the directors of the program about what it is we are doing and how we can better understand the stratification of the dirt and the importance of clarity and detail.  Almost every day after digging, we would all go the Gulf of Baratti and go for a swim!

During the weekends, all of the students went touring! We went to Firenze, Rome, and Piombino, a nearby city next to where we were staying. Not only did we get hands on experience in the field five days a week, we also were able to immerse ourselves in the Italian culture during our free times. Being apart of the Archaeodig field team allowed me to build life long relationships and connections for the future. I recommend it to any undergrad or graduate student who is interested in doing fieldwork in one of the most gorgeous places on the planet. The faculty was so nice that they even invited me to come back! They truly care about their American students and welcomed us into their project with open arms.

Studying abroad was something that I always wanted to partake in during my undergraduate career. I am so happy that I was able to experience a study abroad program that fit my major requirements, as well as bring me insight to the Italian culture and friends across the country. Hofstra was very helpful in communicating with me and cooperative with my transfer credits. The study abroad office helped me handle the paper work so that my experience was the best one ever. Even though I was not able to find a study abroad program through Hofstra, I was able to research Hofstra's diverse programs to get an idea of what I was looking for and to get an idea of the experience and quality of education I could benefit from when studying abroad.

Michael DeVito

Anthropology Major with Archaeology Concentration

Drama and Foreign Affairs Minor

Class of 2014