RD600* (3 credits)

This three-credit course is a required cornerstone course for all graduate students enrolled in UAF's Rural Development M.A. degree program. It will bring together both campus-based students and place-bound students resident in rural Alaskan communities for an intensive 6-10-day face-to-face seminar, either on the Fairbanks campus or in Anchorage. A portion of the seminar may also take place in a rural or retreat location conducive to exploring challenges of indigenous and rural leadership. Preparatory and follow-up audio conference sessions will be arranged.

The goals of the course are three fold:

1. To build an integrated and lifelong learning community amongst new and continuing students who are seeking the MA in Rural Development;
2. To explore individually and collectively the qualities of indigenous leadership in a demanding cross-cultural environment; and
3. To draw from the firsthand insights and wisdom of experienced community leaders from indigenous and other rural communities from Alaska and beyond. Key to this third goal is creation of a cadre of regular faculty and outstanding affiliate faculty "practitioners" made up on experienced indigenous leaders from Alaska and elsewhere in the Circumpolar North

In addition to focusing on essential leadership qualifications in a cross-cultural context, each symposium will focus on a theme or set of themes developed jointly with students and faculty.

Participation in the leadership symposium is a required introduction to the MA in Rural Development. In this symposium, you will get to know fellow MA students and the DANRD faculty and become part of what we hope will be a lifelong learning community that will extend far beyond the symposium or MA program itself.

The symposium will include opportunities for introductions, self-reflection and assessment, structured and informal presentations and seminar discussions, field trips, and focused learning activities.

Furthermore, you are expected to take responsibility for one additional major written and oral presentation (6-8 pages) over the course of the ten-day period. As a required part of your class participation, you will be assigned a class date when you will be the discussion leader on your topic, as approved by your advisor. You will be expected to lead student discussion about the readings and to pose critical and thoughtful questions about the issues being presented.

*See more details in the RD600 Syllabus