Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development | Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development

Welcome to DANSRD

Our highly qualified team knows the needs of Alaska’s rural and Native communities and are ready to assist you in meeting your personal, professional and educational goals.

Our Programs

BA in Rural Development

Concentrations:

Human and Social Development
Tribal and Municipal Governance
Integrated Resource Management
Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
Multidisciplinary

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BA in Alaska Native Studies

Concentrations:

Indigenous Peoples in Law, Governance, and Politics
Alaska Native Knowledge, Cultural Resources, and Expression
Alaska Native Peoples: Health, Wellness, and the Environment
Multidisciplinary

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MA in Rural Development

Learning objectives:

Indigenous leadership development,
Organization management,
Community development,
Program and project planning,
Awareness of international Indigenous issues in a dynamic, cross-cultural environment.

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Student Opportunities

Rural Student Services

Serving rural and Alaska Native students from across Alaska, Rural Student Services (RSS) is here to help you make UAF your home away from home.

Talk to an RSS advisor

Festival of Native Arts

The 2023 Festival of Native Arts will take place on Friday and Saturday, February 24th and 25th, 2023. For information about upcoming events or to get involved, visit the FNA website.

ANCSA Symposium

The UAF Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development (DANSRD) and hosted a symposium on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) on April 12th and 13th, 2022.

Watch the recordings

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DANSRD Blog

December 10, 2021

In the piece that follows, Judith Daxootsu Ramos, DANSRD faculty from 2012 to 2021, discusses the early participation of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood in the pursuit of land claims. This early involvement resulted in a different formula for deciding on the acreage to be conveyed to the qualifying villages in Southeast Alaska under …
December 14, 2021

Addressing Alaska Native Corporations and Their Need to Open Enrollment for “New Natives” Adapted from “Case Study of Doyon Limited and Calista“ by Jolene Nanouk DANSRD student The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was enacted on December 18, 1971, allowing Alaska Natives born on or before this date with 1/4 blood quantum to be …
December 15, 2021

The piece below, written by DANSRD Associate Professor Cathy Brooks, reflects on what she learned participating in the ANCSA Impact Series, culminating in a series of panel discussions and presentations hosted by the UAF Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development (DANSRD) and collectively titled “The Impact of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act …