2007-2008 Academic Catalog

Course descriptions


Course descriptions index


Cross-Cultural Studies

CCS 601      3 Credits
Documenting Indigenous Knowledge
A thorough grounding in research methodologies and issues associated with documenting and conveying the depth and breadth of indigenous knowledge systems and their epistemological structures. Includes a survey of oral and literate data-gathering techniques, a review of various modes of analysis and presentation, and a practical experience in a real-life setting. (Prerequisite: graduate standing or approval of the instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Fall


CCS 602      3 Credits
Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights
Examines issues associated with recognizing and respecting cultural and intellectual property rights with respect to the documentation, publication and display of knowledge, practices, beliefs and artifacts of cultural traditions. Appropriate research principles, ethical guidelines and legal protections will be reviewed for their application to cross-cultural studies. (Prerequisite: graduate standing or approval of the instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring


CCS 603      3 Credits
Field Study Research Methods
(Cross-listed with ED 603)
Focus on techniques for conducting both quantitative and qualitative field research. Particular emphasis on considerations for conducting field research in cross-cultural settings. (Prerequisite: ED 601.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring, Summer, As Demand Warrants


CCS 608      3 Credits
Indigenous Knowledge Systems
A comparative survey and analysis of the epistemological properties, world views and modes of transmission associated with various indigenous knowledge systems. Emphasis on knowledge systems practiced in Alaska. (Prerequisite: graduate standing or approval of the instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Fall


CCS 610      3 Credits
Education and Cultural Processes
(Cross-listed with ED 610)
Advanced study of the function of education as a cultural process and its relation to other aspects of a cultural system. Students will be required to prepare a study in which they examine some aspect of education in a particular cultural context. Also available via Independent Learning. (3 + 0) Offered As Demand Warrants


CCS 611      3 Credits
Culture, Cognition and Knowledge Acquisition
(Cross-listed with ED 611)
An examination of the relationship between learning, thinking and perception in multicultural contexts. Particular emphasis will be on the implications of these relationships for schooling. Content will focus on cultural influences on perception, conceptual processes, learning, memory and problem solving. Content will also reflect concern for practical teaching problems. (3 + 0) Offered Fall


CCS 612      3 Credits
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Examines the acquisition and utilization of knowledge associated with long-term inhabitation of particular ecological systems and 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 fields of study. (Prerequisite: graduate standing or approval of the instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring


CCS 613      3 Credits
Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools
(Cross-listed with ED 613)
Guidelines, rationale and resources for adapting educational policies, programs and practices to better address the cultural well-being of the students and communities they serve. Content will be grounded in the "Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools" including standards for students, teachers, curriculum, schools and communities. (3 + 0) Offered As Demand Warrants


CCS 620      3 Credits
Critiquing Indigenous Literature for Alaska's Children
Provides educators with a comprehensive framework for reviewing literature that is written about and for Alaska's indigenous children. An in-depth look at how children's literature influences the image of the indigenous children of Alaska and provides a foundation for selecting curriculum materials that accurately represent and address the cultural context of the students and communities they serve. This is a distance education/audio-conference course. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing, teaching certificate or approval of the instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered As Demand Warrants


CCS 690      3 Credits
Seminar in Cross-Cultural Studies
(Cross-listed with ED 690)
Investigation of current issues in cross-cultural contexts. Opportunity for students to synthesize their prior graduate studies and research. Seminar is taken near the terminus of a graduate program. (Prerequisites: Advancement to candidacy, and permission of student's graduate committee.) (3 + 0) Offered Spring, Summer, As Demand Warrants