2000-2001 UAF Catalog

Degrees and Programs

Northern Studies

Interdisciplinary

Degrees: B.A., M.A.

Minimum Requirements for Degrees: B.A.: 130 credits; for M.A.: 30 credits

The northern studies program offers an interdisciplinary study of northern problems and policy issues. The purpose of the northern studies program is to give interested students a broader study of the northern region -- its environment, peoples and problems.

The geographic location of UAF is outstanding for the study of northern issues. Students examine the countries and regions throughout the circumpolar North, and their distinctive problems, such as the survival of indigenous populations, environmental and wilderness issues, high rates of alcoholism and suicide, fragile environments, adaptation to extreme cold and cycles of light and darkness and adult development in small frontier societies.

The northern studies curriculum is centered around an interdisciplinary course (NORS 484W -- Seminar in Northern Studies) which is taken in the senior year.

The M.A. program is designed especially for students who live and work in the North and who want to expand their knowledge of the history, economics, politics, psychology and anthropology of northern regions. Many northern studies students are seeking employment with northern agencies and want to develop a broad perspective on northern issues. Some students plan to pursue doctoral work in a discipline such as history or anthropology and seek a master's degree with a broad approach. Other students are employed as teachers, military personnel, or agency staff and want a rich, interdisciplinary program. The program is suitable for any of these goals, and it is designed to be compatible with either full-time graduate study or full-time employment.

The program offers a thesis or non-thesis option. The choice of option is guided by the student's interests and goals, the graduate advisory committee, and the requirements of the university. Faculty in the program are drawn from such disciplines as Alaska Native studies, art, anthropology, economics, English, geography, history, library science, political science and psychology.

For information on studying at McGill University, Montreal, Canada; the University of Copenhagen, Denmark; or opportunities for study in the former U.S.S.R., see International Study Abroad and Exchange Programs.

Undergraduate Program

Northern Studies -- B.A. Degree

  1. Complete the general university requirements.
  2. Complete the B.A. degree requirements.
  3. Complete the following northern studies core requirements:*
    ANL 315 -- Alaska Native Languages: Eskimo-Aleut (3 credits)
    ANTH 242 -- Native Cultures of Alaska (3 credits)
    BIOL 104 -- Natural History of Alaska (3 credits)
    GEOG 427 -- Cold Lands (3 credits)
    HIST 483W -- 20th Century Circumpolar History (3 credits)
    NORS 484W -- Seminar in Northern Studies (3 credits)
    PS 263 -- Alaska Native Politics (3)
         or PS 462 -- Alaska Government and Politics (3) (3 credits)
  4. Complete 15 credits* from 2 of the following groups:**
    1. Anthropology
      ANTH 309 -- Arctic Prehistory (3 credits)
      ANS/ANTH 320W -- Language and Culture: Applications to Alaska (3 credits)
      ANTH 380 -- The People of Alaskan Southwest: Aleuts, Kodiak Islanders and the Chugach (3 credits)
      ANTH 381 -- The Inupiaq and Yup'ik Peoples (3 credits)
      ANTH 382 -- The People of Alaskan Southeast (3 credits)
      ANTH 383 -- Athabaskan Peoples of Alaska and Adjacent Canada (3 credits)
    2. Geography
      GEOG 302 -- Geography of Alaska (3 credits)
      GEOG 303 -- Geography of United States and Canada (3 credits)
      GEOG 306 -- Geography of Russia (3 credits)
    3. History
      HIST 320 -- Modern Scandinavia (3 credits)
      HIST 354 -- Canadian History to 1867 (3 credits)
      HIST 355W -- Canadian History: 1867 to Present (3 credits)
      HIST 375W -- History of the Northern Pacific (3 credits)
      HIST 460 -- Russian America (3 credits)
      HIST 461W -- History of Alaska (3 credits)
      HIST 464 -- History of Russia (3 credits)
      HIST 481W -- Polar Exploration and its Literature (3 credits)
    4. Political Science
      PS 321W -- International Politics (3 credits)
      PS 322 -- International Law and Organization (3 credits)
      PS/ANS 325 -- Native Self-Government (3 credits)
      PS/ANS 450 -- Comparative Aboriginal Rights and Policies (3 credits)
      PS 468W -- Government and Politics of Russia (3 credits)
    5. Humanities
      ART 365 -- Native Art of Alaska (3 credits)
      ENGL 349 -- Narrative Art of Alaska Native Peoples (in English Translation) (3 credits)
      ENGL 350 -- Literature of Alaska and the Yukon Territory (3 credits)
      MUS 441 -- Alaska Native Music and Social Change (3 credits)
      Northern language*** (10 credits)
  5. Minimum credits required (130 credits)

* Student must earn a C grade or better in each course.

** Students are encouraged to use the major in conjunction with a discipline-based major. Double majors linking Northern Studies with, for example, Alaska Native studies, anthropology, geography, history or political science majors may double count a maximum of 9 credits from the above groupings toward the second major. Other majors may double count a maximum of 9 credits toward their university distribution requirements.

*** Two semesters of a northern language, such as Eskimo or Russian.

Minor

  1. Complete the following:
    ANL 315 -- Alaska Native Languages: Eskimo-Aleut (3 credits)
    ANTH 242 -- Native Cultures of Alaska (3 credits)
    BIOL 104 -- Natural History of Alaska (3 credits)
    GEOG 427 -- Cold Lands (3 credits)
    HIST 483W -- 20th Century Circumpolar History (3 credits)
    PS 263 -- Alaska Native Politics (3)
         or PS 462 -- Alaska Government and Politics (3 credits)
  2. Minimum credits required (18 credits)

Graduate Program

Northern Studies -- M.A. Degree

  1. Complete the general university requirements.
  2. Complete the master's degree requirements.
  3. Complete the following
    NORS 600 -- Perspectives of the North (3 credits)
    NORS 601 -- Research Methods and Sources in the North (3 credits)
  4. Complete 12 core credits from the following:
    NORS 606 -- Science, Technology and Development in Northern Regions (3 credits)
    NORS 610 -- Northern Indigenous People and Contemporary Issues (3 credits)
    NORS 614 -- Human Adaptation to the Circumpolar North (3 credits)
    NORS 620 -- Images of the North (3 credits)
    NORS 625 -- Visual Images of the North (3 credits)
    NORS 640 -- Ethics and Reporting in the Far North (3 credits)
    NORS 648 -- Environmental Politics of the Circumpolar North (3 credits)
    NORS 649 -- Comparative Government and Politics in the Circumpolar North (3 credits)
    NORS 651 -- Law, Justice, and Society in the Circumpolar North (3 credits)
    NORS 652 -- International Relations of the North (3 credits)
    NORS 653 -- Greenland: Home Rule and Self-determination (3 credits)
    NORS 661 -- History of Alaska (3 credits)
    NORS 664 -- History of Russia (3 credits)
    NORS 680 -- Comparative Education (3 credits)
    NORS 681 -- Polar Exploration and its Literature (3 credits)
    NORS 683 -- 20th Century Circumpolar History (3 credits)
    NORS 690 -- Researching and Writing Public Northern History (3 credits)
  5. Complete approved electives* (6 credits)
  6. Complete 1 of the following:
    NORS 698 -- Project (6 credits)
    NORS 699 -- Thesis (6-12 credits)
  7. Minimum credits required (30 credits)

* Electives are chosen with the approval of the graduate advisory committee. Electives may or may not relate specifically to northern studies, depending on the student's interests and professional goals.