- CCS/ED 604: Documenting Indigenous Knowledge(s) - Fall 2012
The course will provide students with an introduction into the historical background of research and Indigenous peoples, the role of Indigenous researchers, a thorough grounding in the research methodologies and issues associated with documenting and conveying the depth and breadth of Indigenous knowledge systems and their epistemological structures. Included will be a survey of oral and literate data techniques, a review of modes of analysis and presentation, and practical experience in a real-life setting. - CCS/RD 608 Indigenous Knowledge Systems - Fall 2012
The course will provide students with a comparative survey and analysis of the epistemological properties, worldviews and modes of transmission associated with various Indigenous knowledge systems, with an emphasis on those practiced in Alaska.
- Culture, Cognition and Knowledge Acquisition
The course will examine the relationship between learning, thinking and perception in multicultural contexts. Emphasis is on the implications of these relationships for schooling, focusing on cultural influences on perception, conceptual processes, learning, memory, and problem solving, as well as practical teaching problems. - Indigenous Well-Being Through Education Fall 2012
Psychological and cultural perspectives of human development and well-being of indigenous peoples. Designed to promote, nurture, explore and understand the influence of culture on the indigenous person. Of special interest to educators in schools serving indigenous students regarding cultural understandings and change in a historical and contemporary context. - Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights
Course Goals: Students will develop an understanding of the cultural and intellectual property rights of Indigenous peoples, recognize the current issues regarding the recognition of these rights, and gain an understanding of the strategies currently used to protect the cultural and intellectual property rights of Indigenous peoples on a local, statewide, national, and international level.
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
This course examines the acquisition and utilization of knowledge associated with the long-term habitation of particular ecological systems and the adaptations that arise from the accumulation of such knowledge. Attention will be given to the contemporary significance of traditional ecological knowledge as a complement to academic disciplinary fields of study. Intimate knowledge of place—culturally, spiritually, nutritionally, and economically for viability—is traditional ecological knowledge. - Based on successful pedagogical strategies developed over the past ten years through the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, this course will provide K-12 educators with a comprehensive framework for developing an educational and community Cultural Atlas as a component of the school curriculum. The content of the course provides an in-depth look at how teachers can integrate technology and academics with oral traditions and offers a vehicle for helping communities define themselves and their unique cultural identity. Teachers will have an opportunity to guide their students through a positive collaboration with local culture-bearers, community members and educational personnel. The multimedia resources for this course provide numerous examples of cultural atlases and guidance on ways in which the rich oral traditions of Native people can be drawn upon in support of the school curriculum.