- Fall 2014
CCS 603: Field Study Research Methods
This course involves an exploration of community-based research principles and practices. Emphasis is placed on developing a thorough understanding of the community research process from conceptualization to implementation and evaluation. Coursework includes the in-depth review of ideas, practices, and concepts of quantitative and qualitative research within communities, and the role of respect and cultural understanding in conducting research.
- CCS/ED 604: Documenting Indigenous Knowledge(s) - Fall 2013
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 2014
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.
- Education and Cultural Processes
The course will focus on the advanced study of cultural processes associated with education, and the relationship of schooling to other aspects of a cultural system. Students will be required to prepare a paper in which they examine some aspect of education in a particular cultural context. - 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. - Fall 2014
CCS/NRM 656: Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Well-Being
This course will examine the basic principles captured within the notion of sustainability and will look at the cultural practices and individual behaviors that enhance or degrade sustainable livelihoods and community well-being. Emphasis is on understanding the historical context of sustainability, on understanding the nature and magnitude of the social, economic, and ecological dimensions of contemporary change, and the “best practices” currently in place for communities to respond effectively to change. Case studies will be used from around the world and the framework is comparative, cross-cultural and geographic; the primary focus of the course, however, is on understanding problems, impacts, and design solutions specific to high latitudes.
- Indigenous Well-Being Through Education Fall 2014
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. - Rethinking Multicultural Education
This multi-disciplinary course focuses on 2-parts: 1) critically analyze and reflect on current multicultural education issues at the national, state and local levels; and 2) translate/apply what we've learned into your own classrooms, schools, school district, and beyond. Topics include: children of immigrants, Alaska Native education, culturally relevant education, social justice education and exploring ways to create stronger family-community-school partnerships. This seminar will utilize the following instructional techniques: small discussion, critical analysis and reflective writing, and audio/video conferencing. - Alaska Native Education
School systems historically serving Native people, current efforts toward local control, and the cross-cultural nature of this education.