Anthropology

ANTH 428W (3 Credits) Spring Even numbered years

Ecological Anthropology (3+0)
Biological, environmental and cultural factors and their interplay in defining the human condition, with examples from Arctic and other populations. (Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor.)

ANTH 603 (3 credits) Spring Odd numbered years

Political Anthropology (3+0)
(Stacked with ANTH 403W,O)
Political systems and the law. Case studies from nonindustrial societies, developing nations, and parapolitical systems or encapsulated societies, such as native peoples in the U.S. Political structures and institutions; social conflict, dispute settlement, social control and the law, political competition over critical resources; and ethnicity. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing.)

ANTH 610 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall Odd numbered years

Northern Indigenous Peoples and Contemporary Issues (3+0)
(Cross-listed with NORS 610)
This course examines a number of issues affecting northern indigenous peoples from a comparative perspective, including perspectives from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and the Soviet Union. Issues include the impact of the alienation of land on which these peoples depend; the relationship between their small, rural microeconomies and the larger agroindustrial market economies of which they area a part; education, language loss, and cultural transmission; alternative governmental policies towards indigenous peoples; and contrasting world views. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing, or upper division with permission of instructor.)

ANTH 630 (3 Credits) Spring Odd numbered years

Anthropological Field Methods (3+0)
Concentration on the practical concerns and aspects of doing anthropological field research. Includes the relevant literature and significant discussions on the different aspects of fieldwork. In addition, students will gain practical experience in the problems, techniques and methods of fieldwork involving people from similar or distinct cultural backgrounds. The preparation of research proposals is also given attention. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing in anthropology or permission of instructor.)

ANTH 637 (3 Credits) Spring Even numbered years

Methods in Ethnohistory Research (3+0)
In the seminar, students of anthropology are introduced to the methods of historical research, particularly the critical evaluation of written documents, problems of archaic language and paleography, and methods for assessing art and folklorist tradition as sources of history. Oral history and the data of language and archaeology are considered. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing in anthropology or permission of instructor.)

ANTH 646 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall Even   numbered years

Economic Anthropology (3+0)
(Stacked with ANTH 446)
Relationships between economic and other social relations. Pre-industrial societies. Relevance of formal economics to small-scale societies and developing nations. Exchange, formal and substantive economics, market economics, rationality, political economy and the economics of development. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.)

Biology

BIOL 476 (3 Credits) Fall Odd numbered years

Ecosystem Ecology (3+0) n
Focus on the biological and physical principles that govern the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Emphasis on how plants, animals and microorganisms control the movement of water, carbon and nutrients through ecosystems. Discussion of how changes in these processes have altered global cycles of carbon, water and nutrients and the sustainability of the world's ecosystems. (Prerequisites: BIOL 271 or 239 or permission of instructor.)

BIOL 485 (3 Credits) Fall Odd numbered years

Global Change Biology (3+0) n
(Cross-listed with WLF 485)
Contemporary science and policy concerns of global change that involve biological processes. Includes structural and functional responses and sensitivities of biological processes to environmental changes (such as climate and human uses of land and biological resources); implications of biological responses to global change for conservation and management of biological resources; and the social and economic consequences of biological responses to global change. (Prerequisites: BIOL 271, CHEM 105X and CHEM 106X.

BIOL 622 (2 Credits) Alternate Spring

Readings in Conservation Biology (2+0)

(Cross-listed with WLF 622)
Critical reading and discussion of historical and contemporary literature concerning extinction patterns, population viability, and the preservation, design, and management of habitats for small populations. Stresses integration of principles into strategies for biological conservation. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing; BIOL 471 or WLF 410; or permission of instructor.

BIOL 672 (3 Credits) Fall Odd numbered years

Ecosystem Processes (2+0+2)
A comparative approach to the structural and functional components of terrestrial ecosystems, emphasizing primary and secondary production and the dynamics of nutrient cycling processes. Interactions between producers, consumers, and decomposition processes and effects on the efficiencies of nutrient and energy transfers. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.)

Communications

COMM 330 (3 Credits) Spring

Intercultural Communication (3+0)
The nature and the sources of problems in communication that may arise when persons with different cultural backgrounds interact. Emphasis on problems in intercultural communication in Alaska . (Prerequisite: Any lower division communication course or permission of instructor.

COMM 602 (3 Credits) Spring

Communication Research Methodologies:   Human Science (3+0)
Introduction to research using a constructionist epistemology and the methodologies of the human science contexture. Includes evaluation and preparation of research using a variety of methodologies and to employ the data collection techniques that are implied by those methodologies. (Prerequisites: COMM 601 and 625, or permission of instructor.

COMM F601 3 Credits Fall

Communication Research Methodologies: Social Science

Introduction to the range of methodologies used to produce both practical and theoretic knowledge in the discipline. Presents the relationships between scientific questions, appropriate selection of methodology and types of knowledge products. Note: COMM/ JRN F601 is a required core course for the M.A. in Pr

Cross-Cultural Studies

CCS 603 (3 Credits) Field Study Research Methods (3+0)
(Cross-listed with ED 603)
Intensive focus on considerations and techniques for conducting field research in a cross-cultural setting, with particular attention to participatory approaches and naturalistic research designs. Research proposals for students' projects will be developed and completed in this course. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.)

CCS F608 3 Credits Fall

Indigenous Knowledge Systems

A comparative survey and analysis of the epistemological properties,world views and modes of transmission associated with variousindigenous knowledge systems. Emphasis on knowledge systemspracticed in Alaska. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or approval of instructor. (Cross-listed with RD F608; ED F608; ANL F608.) (3+0)

CCS 612 (3 Credits) Spring

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

Economics

ECON 200 (4 Credits) Fall, Spring

Principles of Economics
Goals, incentives and outcomes of economic behavior with applications and illustrations from current issues: operation of markets for goods, services and factors of production; the behavior of firms and industries in different types of competition; and income distribution. The functioning and current problems of the aggregate economy, determination and analysis of aspects of international exchange. (Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.)

ECON 321 (3 Credits)

Intermediate Microeconomics
Analysis of demand and supply under various market forms, cost and theory of production, factor pricing and theory of distribution, and survey of welfare economics. (Prerequisites: ECON 200 and MATH 262X or equivalent, upper division standing.)

ECON 434W (3 Credits) Spring Odd numbered years

Environmental Economics (3+0)
An extension of concepts introduced in ECON 235, using a higher level of economic analysis. An analysis of the economic forces involved in environmental degradation, preservation, and regulation. Topics include pollution, biodiversity, wilderness and climatic change. (Prerequisite: ECON 200 or 235; MATH 262X or equivalent; upper division standing. Next offered: 2002-03.)

ECON 635 (3 Credits) Fall

Renewable Resource Economics I (3+0)
The theory, methods of analysis, and current literature of natural resource economics and policy. Topics include externalities, property rights, public goods, benefit-cost analysis, amenity values and other non-market resource services and environmental policy. (Prerequisites: ECON 321, ECON 335, or equivalent; MATH 200X or equivalent.)

ECON 636 (3 Credits) Spring

Non-Renewable Resource Economics II (3+0)
This course explores issues relating to the intertemporal allocations of resources. Mathematical techniques such as calculus of variations, optimal control theory, and dynamic programming are introduced and applied to the analysis of resource use over time, management of common property resources, capital investment problems and market dynamics. (Prerequisite: ECON 635.)

Environmental Engineering

ENVE 644 (3 Credits) Spring even-numbered years

Environmental Management and Law (3+0)
Topics of environmental impact statements, environmental law (local, state and federal), public involvement and environmental quality. Impact from projects of mining, highways, airports, pipelines, industrial development, water, wastewater and solid waste, and others -- theoretical considerations and case studies. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.)

Fisheries

FISH 420-J (3 Credits) As Demand Warrants

Modeling, Simulation and Ecological Theory (3+0)
Introduction to formal models (mathematical, graphical and simulation) in fisheries and ecology. Nature and uses of modeling approaches; choice of assumptions; simulation techniques and model verification; examples and case histories (Prerequisites: MATH 200, BIOL 271 (BIOL 281-J.)

Geography

GEOG 302 (3 Credits) Spring

Geography of Alaska (3+0) s
Regional, physical and economic geography of Alaska . Special consideration of the state's renewable and nonrenewable resources, and of plans for their wise use. Frequent class study of representative maps and visual materials. Also available via Independent Learning.

GEOG 402 (3 Credits) Fall Even numbered years

Resources and Environment (3+0) s
Interdisciplinary analysis of the earth as a natural resource base, and the management issues of resource extraction, allocation, development, conservation and preservation. (Prerequisites: GEOG 101, 205.

Natural Resource Management

NRM 303X (3 Credits) Spring

Environmental Ethics and Actions (3+0) h
Exploration of the history of modern Western views of the relationship between people and nature, alternative foundations for an environmental ethic (utilitarianism, spiritual activity, rights-based, and respect-based ethics) and practices of such ethics in business, profession, and general lifestyle today. (Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor.)

NRM 338 (3 credits) Fall

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (2+3)
(Cross-listed with GEOG 338)
Geographic data concepts including mapping systems, data sources, editing data, GIS analysis and computer mapping. Introduction to Global Positioning Systems. GIS applications in natural resources management. (Prerequisite: Knowledge of PC's or unix workstations desirable.)

NRM 431 (3 Credits) Spring

Wildlife Law and Policy (3+0)
(Cross-listed with WLF 431)
Study of laws and agencies shaping wildlife management in North America . History and current status of major policy issues. Organization of and funding sources for state and federal programs in wildlife conservation. (Prerequisite: A 3 credit course in wildlife management principles or permission of instructor.)

NRM 452 (3 Credits) Fall Even numbered years

Forest Health and Protection (3+0)
Principles and practical management systems for protection from fire, insects, and diseases. Factors in managing forest ecosystems, problems and techniques important in high latitude forests, especially in Alaska . (Prerequisites: BIOL 105X, 106X, 271, BOT 239; NRM 251 or instructor's permission.

NRM 601 (3 Credits) Fall

Research Methods in Natural Resources Management (3+0)
Introduction for graduate students to the research methods as employed in the various fields of resource management, including agriculture, forestry, ecology, and social sciences. Designed to acquaint students with the relationship between theory and research, the nature of scientific inquiry, the approaches to research, the sequence of steps involved in scientific investigation, and the presentation of research results. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.)

NRM 630 (3 Credits) Spring

Resource Management Planning (3+0)
(Stacked with NRM 430)
Application of planning and conflict resolution principles to natural resources management. Examines plans prepared in response to current Alaska resource disputes,

NRM 640 (3 Credits) Spring Even numbered years

Simulation and Modeling in Resource Management (3+0)
Introduction to and discussion of the use of simulation and modeling in natural resource management. Emphasis on concepts, strategies, and case studies. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

NRM 663 (3 Credits) Fall

Wilderness Concepts (3+0)
(Stacked with NRM 463 and GEOG 463 and cross-listed with GEOG 663)
Discovery of wilderness concepts, including the history and evolution of wilderness thought, the contemporary meaning of wilderness, and survey of economic and noneconomic wilderness values for individuals and society.

NRM 678 (3 Credits) Spring Even numbered years

Ecosystem Management (3+0)
Ecosystem Management addresses the current concepts being debated and used to manage renewable resources. Students will, through reading, discussion, and written exercises, develop understanding and applications of the concept as well as draft definitions. Class sessions will involve lecture and discussion. (Prerequisites: B.S./B.A. with basic biology, wildlife, natural resources, forestry background, or demonstrated knowledge; seniors with permission of instructor only; public with knowledge/experience only; permission of instructor.

Northern Studies

NORS 600 (3 Credits) Fall

Perspectives on the North (3+0)
(Cross-listed with HIST 600)
Basic knowledge of the circumpolar north -- the social, economic, political, and scientific facets of northern life. Consideration of major cultural groups of the north and their histories, the environmental settings and patterns of settlement and development in northern regions and systems of governance in different northern countries. Broad overview of the major policy issues of the north in education, justice, health care, and environmental and wildlife protection.

NORS 613 (3 Credits)

Wilderness and Environmental Psychology (3+0)
Examines the relationships between people and the natural and built environments. Topics include the effects of arctic environments on physical and psychological health, preferences for different types of natural settings, the design of residential and community environments in northern climates, and the symbolism of settings and effects on political controversies. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

NORS 648 (3 Credits)

Environmental Politics of the Circumpolar North (3+0)
(Stacked with PS 448)
Overview of how environmental politics and policy as a field of study relates to the Arctic region. Analysis of various threats to the northern environment, focusing on the policy making institutions at selected Arctic rim nations, as well as strategies to deal with environmental problems in an international context. (Prerequisite: admission to the Northern Studies graduate program or permission of instructor.)

NORS 655 (3 Credits)

Political Economy of the Global Environment (3+0)
(Stacked with PS 455)
Exploration of the interactions between basic aspects of the global economy (international trade, investment and development) and the natural environment. Topics include the economic impact of global environmental agreements and the environmental impact of global markets, transnational corporations, and development assistance by organizations such as the World Bank. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing and permission of instructor.)

NORS 662 (3 Credits) Spring Odd numbered years

Alaska Government and Politics (3+0) s
(Stacked with PS 462)
A comprehensive introduction to Alaska's government and politics, in the context of American state and local government and politics and governments of circumpolar northern nations. Topics include political history, constitution, political parties, interest groups, elections, public opinion, governor, legislature, judiciary, administration and local governments. Compares Alaska to the contiguous 48 states and subnational governments of the circumpolar North; examines how government institutions and processes respond to social, environmental, and political changes of Northern communities. (Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor

NORS 670 (3 Credits) Fall

Oral Sources; Issues in Documentation (3+0)
(Cross-listed with ANTH 670 and stacked with ANTH 470)
Preparation for recording and use of oral resources. Examines how meaning is conveyed through oral traditions and personal narratives and the issues involved with recording and reproducing narratives. Includes management of oral recordings, ethical and legal considerations, issues of interpretation and censorship, and the use of new technologies to access and deliver recordings. (Prerequisite: At least one undergraduate ANTH course and one undergraduate HIST course, or permission of instructor.)

Political Science

PS 454 (3 Credits) International Law and the Environment (3+0) s
(Stacked with NORS 654)
International environmental law. International case law regulating the sea, airspace, outer space, and the polar regions. Includes comprehensive international regulatory legal instruments to protect the environment (e.g. the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), and the doctrines, principles, and rules of international law that are basic to an understanding of international legal regimes and the environment. (Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and permission of instructor. Recommended: Undergraduate course in international law, organization or politics.

Rural Development

RD 401 (3 Credits) Fall, Cultural Knowledge of Native Elders (3+0) h
(Cross-listed with ANS 401)
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. (Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.)

Wildlife

WLF 410 (3 Credits) Fall

Wildlife Populations and Their Management (2+3)
The characteristics and ecology of wildlife populations and the knowledge necessary for their wise management. Measures of abundance, dispersal, fecundity and mortality, population modeling, competition and predation, and the management of rare species and their habitats. (Prerequisites: BIOL 271; introductory STAT course; a calculus course; and WLF 303 or BIOL 471.)

WLF 622 (2 Credits) Spring Odd numbered years

Readings in Conservation Biology (2+0)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 622)
Critical reading and discussion of historical and contemporary literature concerning extinction patterns, population viability, and the preservation, design, and management of habitats for small populations. Stresses integration of principles into strategies for biological conservation. (Prerequisites: BIOL 471 or WLF 410; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2002-03.)