Rural Development
RD F100 College Seminar
1 Credit
Designed to serve as an academic, cultural, and social transition to the UAF campus. Through active learning RD F100 will provide an opportunity to develop skills and expertise that will lead to student success academically and in other areas of life, including decision-making, communication and overall personal development and growth. Students achieve and understand their responsibility for a successfully undergraduate coping with their personal transition to college life. Students will benefit from close interaction with instructors, as well as their peers, and will better understand their inherent value and the significant role they play in the university community. (1+0)
RD F200 Rural Development in the North (s)
3 Credits Offered Fall
Examines sustainable community development efforts in Alaska and the circumpolar North. Provides an overview of community development processes and case studies with an emphasis on indigenous communities and peoples. (3+0)
RD F245 Fisheries Development in Rural Alaska (s)
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Introduction to fisheries development issues in rural Alaska communities, including basic concepts, strategies and contemporary cases. Topics include management of salmon and other fisheries, community development quotas and sustainable development efforts. Emphasis on environmental and cultural impacts of fisheries development. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X. (3+0)
RD F250 Grant Writing for Community Development
1 - 3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Basic elements of grant proposals and processes of preparing proposals for governmental and private funding sources. Emphasis on applied skills through preparation of actual grant proposals. Prerequisite: ENGL F111X. (1 - 3+0)
RD F255 Rural Alaska Land Issues (s)
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Introduction to land and resource management issues affecting rural Alaska. Provides a history of aboriginal use and occupancy of land and an overview of land provisions in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Topics include using maps and land records, Native allotments, navigability, trespass and management of Native lands. (3+0)
RD F256 Co-Management of Renewable Resources (s)
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Cooperative management of natural resources among users and federal and state management agencies. Recent initiatives in Alaska and Canada involving salmon, migratory birds, marine mammals and brown bear. (3+0)
RD F265 Perspectives on Subsistence in Alaska
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
The socioeconomic, cultural, legal and political dimensions of subsistence in Alaska. (3+0)
RD F268 Rural Tourism: Planning and Principles
1 - 3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Introduction to rural tourism planning and principles. Students examine rural tourism attractions and trends, tourism planning and policy formation, quality standards, and cultural and environmental impacts of tourism. (Cross-listed with ABUS F268.) (1 - 3+0)
RD F280 Resource Management Research Techniques
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Overview of standard methods of field-based scientific research conducted by resource management agencies in rural Alaska including elementary statistical concepts, survey techniques and tools used in land and renewable resources research. Prerequisites: NRM F101 and BIOL F104X. (3+0)
RD F300W Rural Development in a Global Perspective (s)
3 Credits Offered Fall
Relationship between rural communities and the global economy, with an emphasis on sustainable development. Highlights the multiple meanings of "development" and issues of population growth, environmental change, gender and indigenous peoples as they relate to rural development. Includes an introduction to the basic concepts and theories of development. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X; junior standing; or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F315 Tribal People and Development (s)
3 Credits Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Comparative examination of socioeconomic development processes on tribal peoples in third and fourth world societies. Attention to implications of these processes for Alaska Native people. Prerequisites: Junior standing or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with ANS F315.) (3+0)
RD F325 Community Development Strategies (s)
3 Credits Offered Fall
Principles and strategies of asset-based development in rural communities throughout the world. Explores the history of community development ideas and case studies of specific strategies in Alaska and beyond. Topics include community healing, economic renewal and collaborative decision-making approaches. (3+0)
RD F350O Community Research in Indigenous Contexts
3 Credits Offered Fall
Community research approaches and techniques. Emphasis on the role and need for community-based research and ethical issues associated with it. Students use a hands-on approach to learn about oral history documentation, surveys of community assets and needs, and basic community survey techniques. Prerequisites: COMM F131X or COMM F141X. (3+0)
RD F351 Strategic Planning for Rural Communities
3 Credits Offered Spring
Examination of the major components of planning and grant writing processes as they relate to community land use, business and social service projects. Prerequisites: Junior standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F352 Rural Business Planning and Proposal Development
3 Credits Offered Spring
Provides undergraduate students with an understanding of the principles and processes involved in strategic planning, business planning and proposal development with the focus on applications in rural Alaska. Focus is on meeting the unique planning needs of rural Alaska communities and organizations. (3+0)
RD F400 Rural Development Internship
3 Credits
Structured experience in an appropriate agency or corporate setting. Student and instructor work collaboratively to identify appropriate internship. Designed primarily for students with limited managerial experience. Approved project required. Enrollment only by prior arrangement with the instructor. (3+0)
RD F401 Cultural Knowledge of Native Elders (h)
3 Credits Offered Fall
Study with prominent Native tradition-bearers in Native philosophies, values and oral traditions. Traditional knowledge elicited through the cultural heritage documentation process. Analysis of existing interactions between cultural traditions and contemporary American life as experienced by Native elders. (Cross-listed with ANS F401.) (3+0)
RD F425 Cultural Resource Issues (s)
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
An examination of the potential impacts of development projects on cultural systems. Explores data gathering, analytical techniques and use of impact data. Prerequisites: Junior standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F427 Tribal Contracting and Compacting
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Examines the history of federal Indian policy that led to self-determination tribal contracting and compacting. Public Law 93 - 638 will be studied and analyzed. Challenging issues that hampered tribal contracting will be identified. Case studies involving both tribal organizations and tribal governments will be studied. Current issues, such as the proposed regionalization of tribes for the purpose of contracting and compacting, will be examined. (3+0)
RD F430 Indigenous Economic Development and Entrepreneurship
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
An understanding of the principles, strategies and practices of economic development and entrepreneurship with a focus on indigenous Alaska communities. Focus is on those sustainable economics, through culturally appropriate practices. (3+0)
RD F450 Managing Rural Projects and Programs
3 Credits Offered Fall
Examines appropriate management and accountability approaches for community-based programs and projects, particularly those found in rural and/or cross-cultural contexts. Prerequisites: RD F350 and RD F351 or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F451 Human Resource Management for Indigenous Communities
3 Credits Offered Fall
Provides an understanding of the principles and processes involved in human resource management especially as they apply within indigenous communities. Focus is on the relevance of human resouce management in every unit, project or team, and on the unique human resource management needs of rural Alaska communities and organizations and how they can be met. (3+0)
RD F460 Women and Development (s)
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
The effect of modernization and development processes on the role of women in a variety of Third World and tribal world contexts as well as the increasingly important "new" role women play in these complex processes. (Cross-listed with WMS F460.) (3+0)
RD F462 Rural Health and Human Service Systems
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Examine U.S. federal and state rural health and human service systems with specific emphasis on the tribal system in Alaska. The history, organization, work force, service delivery and financing of the U.S. and Canadian and Alaska systems are examined. Circumpolar challenges and policy issues in rural health and human service systems are explored. (3+0)
RD F465 Community Healing and Wellness
3 Credits Offered Fall
The history of education and the impact of religion and assimilation policies on the emotional and physical health of Alaska Natives and their communities. Traditional wellness issues and systems will also be researched from a global perspective. Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F475W Rural Development Senior Project
3 Credits
Under faculty supervision, the student will complete a major theoretical, research and/or applied project which relates the student's applied emphasis area. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X; senior standing; or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F492 Rural Development Leadership Seminar
1 - 3 Credits
Various topics of current interest and importance to the rural development majors. Topics announced prior to each offering. The course may be repeated for credit. Enrollment priority given to rural development majors. (1 - 3+0)
RD F600 Circumpolar Indigenous Leadership Symposium
3 Credits Offered Fall
Intensive face-to-face graduate seminar over a week-long period. Held every fall either in Fairbanks or Anchorage. This is a cornerstone course for all M.A. students in the program. The content focuses on indigenous leadership and includes presentations by practitioners from throughout Alaska and the circumpolar North. It also presents an orientation in depth to the graduate program. This course may be repeated once for elective credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Note: RD F600 is required of all graduate students in the Rural Development program. May be repeated once for credit. (3+0)
RD F601 Political Economy of the Circumpolar North
3 Credits Offered Fall
Interrelationships among rural communities in the circumpolar North and global socioeconomic, political and ecological systems. Includes major theoretical advances in our understanding of development in the 20th century. Uses a comparative case study approach to understand rapid socioeconomically and cultural change in the north. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F625 Community Development Strategies: Principles and Practices
3 Credits Offered Spring
Provides graduate students with a detailed overview of principles and strategies of community development in rural Alaska and throughout the circumpolar North. Through in-depth case studies, it expands on materials and topics covered in Rural Development undergraduate courses on community development to explore how rural communities in diverse cultural, political and economic setting can build on local assets, skills and capacities to improve the lives of indigenous and other Northern residents. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F650 Community-Based Research Methods
3 Credits Offered Spring
This graduate course provides students with opportunities for advanced exploration of community-based research principles and practices. In the course, emphasis is placed on developing a thorough understanding of the community research process from conceptualization to implementation and evaluation. It includes skill development of skills applicable to both quantitative and qualitative research. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F651 Management Strategies for Rural Development
3 Credits Offered Spring
Provides an overview of the management by change and development within indigenous communities in the Circumpolar North. Looks closely at recent management strategies implemented in Alaska such as co-management of renewable resources, land management of Alaska Native corporations, cultural resource management, and the management of Alaska Native tribal governments, corporations and other organizations. Uses comparative case studies and effects of cultural and traditional values on management practices in different northern socio-cultural environments. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F652 Indigenous Organization Management
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Purposes, structure and methods of management of particularly Northern indigenous organizations. The management of Alaska Native organizations will be compared with formal organizations established by indigenous peoples in other regions of the Circumpolar North. The concept of ‘indigenous management' will be reviewed, as will perceptions of differences between leadership and management in both western and indigenous settings. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)
RD F655 Circumpolar Health Issues
3 Credits Offered As Demand Warrants
Provides a comprehensive overview of major circumpolar health issues affecting Northern residents. Includes an analysis of health and traditional healing practices prior to contact. Examines the emergence of chronic diseases, problems of alcohol abuse and violence, efforts to combine traditional healing practices and Western medicine. Includes environmental health issues, including water, sewer, and food contamination. Overview of health care systems and public health infrastructure in the North. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)