A Note from the Department Chair

Welcome! I'm glad you have found your way to the Department of Social Science at the University of Alaska Southeast. I'm Daniel Monteith, an anthropology professor and current chair of the department. Let me introduce you to our program, faculty, and students.

At UAS, you can earn a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science. This is an interdisciplinary degree that combines the fields of anthropology, economics, government, history, psychology, and sociology into a single, integrated course of study. One of these will be your primary discipline, with two others being your secondary fields.

When you first enter the program, you will take a seminar, "Self, Culture, and Society," which will introduce you to all of the social sciences and will help you decide which might become your own fields of study. Also, you will put together a portfolio of your work, which you continue to refine throughout your program. Initially, this portfolio will aid you in defining your individual goals. As you prepare for graduation, the portfolio will help you evaluate what you have accomplished in the program and will assist you in determining your immediate career or postgraduate study options.

You have diverse experiential learning and practical study options in the B.A. in Social Science program. In addition to classroom instruction, you will have many opportunities for fieldwork and internships, particularly the Legislative Internship Program, as well as for exchanges with other university and study abroad programs. We have also designed the degree so you can readily pursue a minor. Two minor programs supported by our department are Alaska Native Studies and Women and Gender Studies. Other minors that may fit nicely with the B.A. in Social Science include Business, English, French, Legal Studies, Northwest Coast Art, and Spanish.

The social science faculty are all topnotch scholars. Each holds a Ph.D. in her or his field and engages in scholarly research. Perhaps the best thing about our program is that these are your core professors—not student teaching assistants, or part-time adjuncts, or anonymous web-based instructors. Most of the faculty is located on the Juneau campus, and most classes are conducted as traditional classroom courses and seminars. We also have social science faculty in Ketchikan and Sitka who teach both in the classroom and by distance delivery. So it's possible to get your degree by combining on-campus courses with distance delivery classes.

Who are our students? Both traditional college-bound students and non-traditional students—those who are returning to college or wish to change careers—find a home at UAS. Most come from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, although some adventurous souls travel here from such “Lower 48” distances as California, New York, and Maine. International students, from France, Russia, and elsewhere, have earned degrees at UAS as well.

Some of our graduates choose careers in the fields of elementary or secondary education, government and public administration, business and non-profit organizations. Others pursue graduate studies in their primary discipline. All receive an excellent, integrated, liberal arts education.

Wherever you are from, choosing the right college is a challenge. Whatever your final decision, I am pleased that you have taken the time to consider the B.A. in Social Science program at UAS as one of your options.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Daniel Monteith
Chair, Department of Social Science, and
Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Ph: (907) 796-6413
E-Mail: daniel.monteith@uas.alaska.edu