Shanks to graduate students in the U.S.: You suck!

Earlier today Dr Shanks published some posts with his thoughts on the Theoretical Archaeology Group conference held last month in Glasgow. He appears to have enjoyed the proceedings but throws in this choice jab at his own American students:

But it was encouraging to see so many very well prepared and presented papers at TAG. Their average quality far surpassed that of even the better graduate students here in the US. And they were radically challenging the way we deal with the archaeological past.

I'm in Boston now for the annual APA/AIA conference and can only report that on the whole I'm rather impressed with the quality of the talks I attended today that were given by American postgraduates. And from the few conversations I've had they certainly seem to be able to negotiate the concept of humour better than I expected. They also appear to be able to hold their liquor, although on this last point I may be biased since I'm still knackered from jetlag, and what felt very late last night was probably much earlier.

I and the other Trireme Veterans can only wonder how many of 'the better graduate students' over in the States are elbowing their way to the front of Dr Shanks's entourage so they can jot down his every pearl of postprocessual wisdom.