Applying communication theory to public archaeology

• Main Author: Kempenaar, Edward John
• Other Authors: Dawson, Peter
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Calgary 2005
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/103526; https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/2525

Bibliography: p. 118-133 With easily accessible mass communication technologies and advanced presentation software, archaeology is increasingly relying on more complex communication processes to engage the public. With little academic recognition, however, communication studies in archaeology have largely been limited to commentary and speculation. In this thesis, variables that affect the mass communication process of a web-based archaeological message were tested to ascertain what areas of communication theory archaeologists should be examining (Arctic archaeology was used as an example). It was found that when grade six elementary school students accessed and wrote about what they had learned from a website pertaining to archaeology, multiple factors including content, medium, communication dynamics, and technology affected choice and information retention. This thesis demonstrates that for archaeologists to effectively deliver and maintain control over the perception of their discipline, they need to understand the processes by which they communicate.