Social Science, B.A.

Juneau, e-Learning for select emphasis

With concentration areas in:

Anthropology
Economy, Subsistence, and Sustainability
History
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology

The B.A. degree in Social Science with an emphasis in a social science discipline enables students to engage in advanced course work in at least three social science disciplines as well as experience a rich interdisciplinary focus pursuing their degree. 

Admission Requirements

After admission to UAS and declaring a social science major, applicants are admitted to the B.A. in Social Science program and assigned a faculty advisor.

Candidates must complete General Education Requirements (GERs), the Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement, as well as specific program requirements listed below for a minimum of 120 credit hours. Specific requirements for GERs in Social Science are listed below. Students must select one primary and two secondary concentration areas. The degree must include 42 credits of upper-division (300 or above) courses, 24 of which must be completed at UAS.

The Student Assessment Portfolio (SAP) is required for degree completion. SSCI S200 is taken in the sophomore year with presentation of the completed portfolio in the final semester of the student’s senior year. Students must also take one Social Science methods course in addition to any methods course required in their Primary Concentration.

Minimum Credit Hours 120
General Education Requirements 34
Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement 3
Social Science Orientation 3
Social Science Methods 3-4
Language Requirements 6-8
Primary Concentration Requirements 24
Secondary Concentration Requirements 30-31
Electives 24-26
General Education Requirements
Complete all General Education Requirements which must include the following:34
Social Science Orientation
SSCI S200Orientation to the Social Sciences3
Social Science Methods
Select one of the following:3-4
Methods and Theories in Archaeology
Ethnohistory
Archives and Museums Theory and Practice
Ethnographic Methods
Introduction to Econometrics
Historiography and Historical Methods
Theory and Research in Criminology
Research Methods in Social Science
Data Analysis in the Social Sciences
*Elementary Statistics
Language Requirement
Language Courses 16-8
Primary Concentration Requirements
Complete Primary Concentration Requirements.24
Secondary Concentration Requirements
Complete Secondary Concentration Requirements.30-31
Electives24-26
1

Six to eight credits in a one-year sequence of a single Alaska Native or other language. With departmental approval, students who study abroad in a language other than English, or who have a documented proficiency in a language (other than English), will be considered to have met their language requirement.

Social Science Primary Concentrations

Choose one. If a course is taken as a GER, substitution of an equal or higher course level and number of credits in same discipline must be taken to fulfill the primary concentration requirement. 

Anthropology

Primary Concentration Requirements
ANTH S202*Cultural Anthropology3
ANTH S205*Biological Anthropology3
ANTH Electives 118
Total Credits24
1

At least 12 credits must be upper division.

History

Primary Concentration Requirements
Select one of the following History sequences: 16
*World History I
and *World History II
*History of the U.S. I
and *History of the U.S. II
HIST S492Seminar in History: Selected Topics3
HIST Electives 215
Total Credits24
1

Courses selected must not be taken as GERs.

2

9 credits must be upper division.

Political Science/Government

Primary Concentration Requirements
PS S101*Introduction to American Government3
or PS S102 *Introduction to Political Science
PS Electives 1, 218
SSCI S300Research Methods in Social Science3
Total Credits24
1

At least 12 credits must be upper division

2

ANS S460 and ENVI S350 count as PS electives

Psychology

Primary Concentration Requirements
PSY S111*Introduction to Psychology3
PSY Electives 118
SSCI S300Research Methods in Social Science3
Total Credits24
1

12 credits must be upper division.

Sociology

Primary Concentration Requirements
SOC S101*Introduction to Sociology3
SOC Electives 118
SSCI S300Research Methods in Social Science3
Total Credits24
1

At least 12 credits must be upper division.

Social Science Secondary Concentrations

Choose two of the following disciplines different from your primary concentration area and complete 15-16 credit course sequencing for both. If course taken as a GER, substitution of an equal or higher course level and number of credits in the same discipline must be taken to fulfill the secondary concentration requirement. 

Anthropology

Secondary Concentration Requirements
ANTH S202*Cultural Anthropology3
ANTH Electives 112
Total Credits15
1

At least 9 credits must be upper division.

Economy, Subsistence, and Sustainability

Secondary Concentration Requirements
Complete one of the following Principles of Economics courses:
ECON S101*Principles of Microeconomics3
ECON S102*Principles of Macroeconomics3
Choose 12 credits of ECON electives and/or cross-disciplinary social science electives from the following: 1
ANS S260Alaska Native Organizations and Economies3
ANS S320Indigenous Sciences and Ways of Knowing: Selected Topics3
ANS S460ANCSA and Tribal Governance3
ANTH S312Culture and Ecology3
ANTH S454Economic Anthropology3
GEOG S312Culture and Ecology3
PS S458Comparative Environmental Politics3
PSY S431Mental Health Interventions for Alaska Natives and Rural Alaskans3
SOC S305Sociology of Food3
SOC S404Environmental Sociology3
Total Credits36
1

At least 6 credits must be upper-division

History

Secondary Concentration Requirements
Select one of the following History sequences: 16
*World History I
and *World History II
*History of the U.S. I
and *History of the U.S. II
HIST Electives 29
Total Credits15
1

Courses selected must not be taken as GERs.

2

Minimum of 6 credits must be upper-division.

Political Science/Government

Secondary Concentration Requirements
PS S101*Introduction to American Government3
or PS S102 *Introduction to Political Science
PS Electives 1, 212
Total Credits15
1

At least 6 credits must be upper division.

2

 ANS S460 and ENVI S350 count as PS electives

Psychology

Secondary Concentration Requirements
PSY S111*Introduction to Psychology3
PSY Electives 112
Total Credits15
1

6 credits must be upper division

Sociology

Secondary Concentration Requirements
SOC S101*Introduction to Sociology3
SOC Electives 112
Total Credits15
1

6 credits must be upper division

1. Graduates will acquire a broad awareness of how knowledge of social structures and processes can both contribute to their individual growth and to their understanding of the world they inhabit.

a. Graduates will demonstrate awareness of how their academic course of study has shaped their identity and career goals — meets critical thinking, written communication and computer literacy competencies, and reflects a professional behavior/disposition category of understanding.

b. Graduates will demonstrate awareness of the importance of cultural diversity in the social world — meets critical thinking, written communication and computer literacy competencies, and reflects knowledge and professional behavior/disposition categories of understanding

2. Graduates will understand and be able to articulate the major conceptual, methodological and theoretical approaches taken by the social sciences disciplines in the study of human origins, development, thought, behavior, and institutions.

 a. Graduates will understand and be able to articulate key concepts that bridge the various social science disciplines (e.g., self, culture, society, gender, race, sexuality, class, power) — meets critical thinking, written communication and computer literacy competencies, and reflects a knowledge category of understanding.

b. Graduates will understand and be able to articulate the key differences between the social science disciplines and be able to write clearly and effectively within those disciplines — meets critical thinking, written communication and computer literacy competencies, and reflects knowledge and professional behavior/disposition categories of understanding.

3. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to design and complete original research projects in their chosen disciplines.

a. Graduates will be able to identify important research questions within the social sciences — meets critical thinking competency, and reflects knowledge and professional behavior/disposition categories of understanding.

b. Graduates will be able identify and locate relevant resources for their social science disciplines — meets information literacy competency, and reflects a skill category of understanding.

c. Graduates will be able to analyze and critique peer-reviewed, published social science scholarship — meets information literacy, computer literacy and critical thinking requirements, and reflects a knowledge category of understanding.

d. Graduates will understand the various kinds of quantitative and qualitative data that are relevant to a particular research project — meets critical thinking and quantitative skills competencies, and reflects knowledge and skills categories of understanding.

e. Graduates will utilize research and citation styles appropriate to their emphasis disciplines — meets information literacy and professional behavior competencies, and reflects knowledge, skills and professional behavior/disposition categories of understanding.

4. Graduates will demonstrate an appreciation for the value of professional conduct.

a. Graduates will organize formal presentations of original research — meets oral communication and professional behavior competencies, and reflects knowledge and professional behavior/disposition
categories of understanding.

b. Graduates will develop skills in leading small group discussion — meets oral communication and professional behavior competencies, and reflects skill and professional behavior/disposition categories of understanding.

c. Graduates will compile, submit, and present formal portfolios of their work for faculty review — meets oral/written communication and professional behavior competencies, and reflects knowledge, skills and professional behavior/disposition categories of understanding.

d. Graduates will demonstrate an ability to use appropriate technology to enhance their academic work — meets computer, information literacy and professional behavior competencies, and reflects a skill category of understanding.

e. Graduates will demonstrate an appreciation for time management and preparedness — meets professional behavior competency, and reflects skills and professional behavior/disposition categories of
understanding.

5. Graduates will understand the importance of experiential learning and self-reflection in the social sciences.

a. Graduates will have the opportunity to complete internships, field research, and public service projects — meets professional behavior competency, and reflects knowledge and professional behavior/disposition categories of understanding.

b. Graduates who complete experiential learning projects will demonstrate an ability to reflect in writing upon the academic value of those experiences meets critical thinking, communication and computer literacy requirements, and reflects a knowledge category of understanding.