Thesis Prospectus Outline
Statement of Expectations & Considerations in Advising
Potential thesis studies (updated 22 February 2024)
We have extensive historical datasets (and in some cases remote sensing data) on regions and waterways in the state of North Carolina which could be used for thesis research
- Roanoke River
- Albemarle Sound
- Cape Fear River
- Pasquotank River
- Scuppernong River
Industries/Infrastructure/Institutions
- Actions against lighthouses during the American Civil War
- Wreck distribution studies — NC Life saving stations/Fishing villages
Site-focused studies (multiple approaches)
- Anonyona/Anonyana at Swan Island Hunt Club (wrecked 1870 or 1872);
- Undine (wrecked 1912), North Carolina.
- Brooklyn (wrecked 1876), North Carolina.
- Success (1945), Ohio.
Battlefield Archaeology
- Inundated Civil War forts
- Naval battlefields
- Site-specific approaches on known WW2 shipwrecks off NC.
- Site-specific approaches on known WW1 shipwrecks off NC.
- Application of theory (KOCOA/METT-T/Principle of War etc…) to non-American battlefields
Ship Abandonment Studies
- Mullet Bay, Bermuda
- Grotto Bay, Bermuda
- Rose Bay abandonment area, NC
- Wanchese Barge Graveyard, NC
- Elizabeth City Ship Graveyard, NC
- Eagles Island Ship Graveyard, NC
- Mallows Bay Ship Graveyard, MD
- Abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) in policy
- ADVs as pollution
Modern Maritime Material Culture Studies
- Outboard engines (Currituck County)
Maritime Archaeology of Shipyards
- Currituck County sites
- Tyrrell County sites
Site formation studies
- Cultural and non-cultural site formation processes on maritime archaeological sites
Landscape studies
- Hunting landscapes
Cultural Resource Management
- In situ preservation
- Anthropogenic maritime/coastal sites as potential indicators of historic sea-level rise in Coastal North Carolina (in 2012, an MA student, Josh Marano completed an short assessment of this theme; Multiple thesis projects are possible)