The Essentials:

• This course is completely online on Blackboard with no meeting times; however, it is not self-paced. There are deadlines for completing and turning in work each week.

• The course is broken down into weekly units, which consist of readings, videos, and activities related to the objectives for that week. Weekly online assignments are due on Tuesdays by 11:59pm each week.

• The weekly units will guide you through the research process and inform your two projects: a bibliography of sources and a short research reflection. (You do not need to write a research paper, though you can use your research for this class to help you write a paper for another class.)

• This is a 1 credit course, so you can generally expect to spend about 3-6 hours a week on coursework.

• There are no prerequisites for this class, and there is no textbook required - all materials will be provided on our course site.

How to Be Successful:

In online courses, your regular participation is the equivalent of coming to a class held on campus. Participation involves logging in to our course site, navigating through the content in the weekly units, completing the readings and videos, participating in discussions and other activities, and submitting assignments and projects. Your participation is not only an important part of your learning, it will also contribute to the learning of your peers. As members of our learning community, each of us has a responsibility to create an environment in which we can all learn from each other.

We all sometimes have outside circumstances that can impact our ability to meet deadlines, especially right now. You may have an unexpected need to provide care for a family member, experience illness yourself, or have an especially complicated schedule. If I see you haven't been engaged on the course site, I will reach out to you. You are also welcome to reach out to me if you find yourself in a situation where you need additional time or support. I am here to help you be successful, but it is harder for me to help you if I don’t know that you need support.

A few additional tips:

• Since we don't have a course meeting time, I recommend scheduling a block of time on your calendar each week to complete your assignments.

• Keeping up with the weekly assignments is the best way to find success in this class, but sometimes circumstances arise that can make this difficult. I am here to help you – please let me know if you need extra time or assistance on your work.

• Assignments may be revised and resubmitted for a better grade. I will give you feedback on each assignment, so that you will know what to revise, if needed.

How to Access the Course Site on Blackboard

Everything you need for the course will be on Blackboard, and you can log on through this direct link. If you don't have the direct link, you can log onto Blackboard from any page on the UAS website using the menu options at the top.

Due to the asynchronous nature of our class, all of our communication with each other will take place electronically. Our discussions will be asynchronous through our discussion board, though you may also communicate with me individually via phone, email, and Zoom. It is important that we have shared expectations for our course communications.

I expect everyone (including myself) to:

• Treat each other with respect.

• Strive to be an active participant in this course

• Keep in mind that everyone has their own truth.

• Listen without agenda. Refrain from interruptions.

• Be polite, courteous, and thoughtful - consider how your words might impact others.

• Affirm other speakers.

• It is ok to disagree, but the focus should be on expressing your point of view, not putting down someone else's. Consider saying:

  • I have a different point of view...

  • I feel differently because...

  • You make a good point, but I think...

• Respect privacy: everything shared in confidence needs to be kept in confidence.

• Be supportive of each other - help others when you can, and don't be afraid to ask for help.

• Give yourself grace - we are all learners and we all make mistakes.

These expectations are adapted from the book Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.

Our campuses reside on the unceded territories of the Áakʼw Ḵwáan, Taantʼá Ḵwáan, and Sheetkʼá Ḵwáan on Lingít Aaní, also known as Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka, Alaska. We acknowledge that Lingít Peoples have been stewards of the land on which we work and reside since time immemorial, and we are grateful for that stewardship and incredible care. We also recognize that our campuses are adjacent to the ancestral home of the X̱aadas and Ts’msyen and we commit to serving their peoples with equity and care. We recognize the series of unjust actions that attempted to remove them from their land, which includes forced relocations and the burning of villages. We honor the relationships that exist between Lingít, X̱aadas, and Ts’msyen peoples, and their sovereign relationships to their lands, their languages, their ancestors, and future generations. We aspire to work toward healing and liberation, recognizing our paths are intertwined in the complex histories of colonization in Alaska. We acknowledge that we arrived here by listening to the peoples/elders/lessons from the past and these stories carry us as we weave a healthier world for future generations.