GEO 280: Alaska Public Lands

Note: This program is currently closed to new applications.

On this course, student will learn about the diverse biogeography of Alaska, diverse cultural relationships with Alaskan land, competing demands for Alaskan lands and resources, and ways that federal agencies mediate the ensuing conflicts.

The federal government owns roughly 64% of all surface land in Alaska, including valuable energy resources and hard rock minerals. This makes the federal government the de factor land use planner for the state. On this course, student will learn about the diverse biogeography of Alaska, diverse cultural relationships with Alaskan land, competing demands for Alaskan lands and resources, and ways that federal agencies mediate the ensuing conflicts. Students will also learn about ways that climate change is reshaping the physical and political landscape. Throughout, students will also be introduced to the history of relationships between the federal government and Alaskan Natives, including ways that this history has differed dramatically from relationships between the federal government and Native Americans in the lower 48 states. The course is immersive. Flying into Anchorage, the class will travel north to Denali National Park to explore wilderness management in this rugged landscape, south to the Kenai Peninsula to learn about bear management and fisheries management, and southeast to see how conflicts over roads and logging are shaping the national forests. Throughout, students will meet with federal land managers, environmentalists, resource developers, Alaskan Natives, and other key participants in the struggle for balanced land use in Alaska. Lodging will be primarily hostels and tent camping to ensure that students are studying land management issues where they occur rather than from the insulated remove of city centers.

Academics

2 credits

Cost

$3500-$3850 (estimate)

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