Sarah L. Sterling received her BA in Anthropology from Barnard College and her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Washington. She joined the PSU faculty as an adjunct instructor in 2000, became full-time faculty in 2006, and retired to part time in 2019. Sterling’s research and pedagogical interests range from how ceramics reflect complex economies, to the role of seismic disruptions on precontact NW Coast populations. Her dissertation involved the study of early Egyptian ceramics, which afforded her the opportunity to conduct field work in Egypt. She later served as project geoarchaeologist at Čḯxwicən (2004-2006), a coastal village in Washington State; she continued this work as part of an NSF funded project at PSU. In addition to her research interests, Sterling has developed several online classes for PSU, and has worked with the PSU library to identify best practices for teaching research skills in an online environment.
Selected Works:
- “Information Literacy Instruction in Asynchronous Online Courses: Which Approaches Work Best?” (2021) Elizabeth Pickard and Sarah L. Sterling, Library Faculty Presentations and Publications, #328.
- “Building a landscape history and occupational chronology at Čḯxwicən, a coastal village on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington State, U.S.A,” (2019) Sarah K. Campbell, Sarah L. Sterling and Dennis E. Lewarch, Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, vol. 23, pp. 1104-1130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.10.005
- “Impacts of resource fluctuations and recurrent tsunamis on the occupational history of Čḯxwicən, a Salishan village on the southern shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington State, U.S.A,” (2019) Ian Hutchinson, Virginia L. Butler, Sarah K. Campbell, Sarah L. Sterling and Michael A. Etnier, Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, vol. 23, pp. 1131-1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2018.04.001
- “Analyses of Dimensional Variations in Meidum Bowls from Kom el-Hisn and other sites,” (2016) Sarah L. Sterling, in Kom el-Hisn, (ca. 2500-1900 BC): An Ancient Settlement in the Nile Delta, edited by Robert J. Wenke, Richard W. Redding and Anthony J. Cagle, pp. 303-325. Atlanta, GA: Lockwood Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvvncxq.16
- “The Economic Implications of Patterns of Ceramic Vessel Similarity in Ancient Egypt,” (2015) Sarah L. Sterling, in Plain Pottery Traditions in the Ancient Near East, edited by Claudia Glatz, Chapter 2, pp. 39-67, Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
- “Late Holocene tsunami deposits at Salt Creek, Washington, USA,” (2013) Ian Hutchinson, Curt D. Peterson and Sarah L. Sterling, Science of Tsunami Hazards vol. 32, pp. 221-235.
Courses Taught:
- Anth 102 Introduction to Archaeology
- Anth 350 Archaeological Method and Theory
- Anth 362U African Prehistory
- Anth 363U Egyptian Archaeology: From Earliest Peoples to the Pyramid Age
- Anth 364U The Archaeology of the Pacific Northwest
- Anth 365U The Archaeology of North America
- Anth 366U The Archaeology of Mesoamerica
- Anth 368U The Archaeology of Oceania