OS 11000 INTRODUCTION TO WILDERNESS SKILLS (4)
Introduction to the skills necessary for safe, efficient non-motorized wilderness travel, including expedition planning, equipment, rations, camping, wilderness travel on both water and land, and hazard recognition. Students should expect to be in the field the majority of the class traveling in remote, off trail terrain. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs.
OS 11100 DOG MUSHING (2)
An in-depth introduction to dog powered sports. Topics include dog sledding history, veterinary care, racing technique, and equipment. This course builds student experience through hands-on field classes and kennel visits, assisting with a dogsled race, and a dogsled/ski trip. Lab fee required.
OS 11200 INTRODUCTION TO WINTER WILDERNESS SKILLS (4)
Introduction to winter travel and camping, avalanche evaluation, backcountry skiing, and basic winter natural history. Course includes an Avalanche I curriculum. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs. Prerequisite: OS 11000.
OS 11300 SEA KAYAKING (1)
Fundamentals of sea kayaking. Topics include equipment selection and use, wet exits and rescues, paddling strokes, wind and waves, navigation, and seamanship. At least one weekend outing. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs.
OS 11400 BEGINNING ROCK CLIMBING (2)
Fundamentals of rock climbing including objective and subjective hazard evaluation, movement, rope handling, dynamic and static forces, fixed line ascension, belay escapes, knot passes, lowers, and changeovers at the anchor. Lab fee required.
OS 11500 BEGINNING ICE CLIMBING (2)
Fundamentals of ice climbing including objective and subjective hazard evaluation, movement, rope handling, dynamic and static forces, fixed line ascension, belay escapes, knot passes, lowers, and changeovers at the anchor. Lab fee required. Prerequisite: OS 11400 or instructor permission.
OS 11700 EQUIPMENT DESIGN AND REPAIR (2)
This class addresses the wide range of problems associated with maintaining outdoor equipment and introduces students to the fundamentals of equipment design and construction.
OS 20000 INTRODUCTION TO OUTDOOR STUDIES (4)
Survey of the field of recreation and leisure services. As a required course for all Outdoor Studies majors and minors, it serves as an orientation to the profession. Satisfies the Sophomore Seminar GUR.
OS 20100 RECREATION PROGRAM DESIGN (4)
Prepares students to plan, conduct, lead, and evaluate programs in the field of outdoor recreation and adventure education. Students will analyze and review different styles and philosophies of local recreational programs and develop their own program design.
OS 20200 WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER (4)
Fundamentals of emergency care in a non-urban environment, including physiology, injury assessment, short term care, anatomy, and small group rescues. Certification fee required.
OS 20300 WILDERNESS FIRST RESPONDER REFRESHER (1)
This course reviews and recertifies the Wilderness First Responder standards of care in non-urban environments. Class consists of lectures, hands on scenarios, and readings. Students must have a current WFR certification. Certification fee required. Prerequisite: OS 20200 or permission of instructor.
OS 20400 LEAVE NO TRACE MASTER EDUCATOR (1)
A Leave No Trace Master Educator course is designed to give students a comprehensive overview of Leave No Trace skills and ethics through practical application in a field-based setting. The course emphasizes the ability to teach ethics and skills to different audiences. The course includes a minimum of four eight-hour days and at least three nights camping in the field. Upon successfully completing the course, the student will receive a LNT Master Educator certification that is recognized in the outdoor industry internationally. Lab fee includes the certification fee. Prerequisite: OS11000
OS 21000 SNOW AND AVALANCHE SCIENCE FOR PROFESSIONALS (4)
This course explores the properties of weather, terrain, and snow pack that lead to snow avalanches. The course will also address avalanche rescue techniques and career opportunities in the field of snow science. Content covers avalanche level 2 curriculum. Prerequisite: OS11200 or instructor permission.
OS 21100 BACKCOUNTRY SKILLS (4)
Packrafting Swiftwater Traditional Climbing. A menu course in backcountry skills that develops students’ expertise and knowledge of specific skill related to wilderness recreation. Students will also gain the ability to plan, prepare for, and undertake short recreational trips in the backcountry of Alaska and elsewhere. For water courses students must be competent swimmers. Prerequisite OS11000 or instructor permission. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs.
OS 21200 BACKCOUNTRY SKIING (2)
A field-oriented course designed to prepare students to plan and conduct safe backcountry skiing trips. Topics include alpine touring/ telemark skiing techniques, map reading and route finding skills, and avalanche evaluation and rescue techniques. The course meets weekly to tour outside Anchorage area culminating on a week-long intensive over spring break. Lab fee required. Prerequisites: OS 11200, OS 21000.
OS 21400 RECREATION, CULTURE, AND ENVIRONMENT (4)
Sport Climbing. This course examines recreation in the context of culture and environment. Students will explore the dynamic relationship between how we recreate, where we recreate, and who our recreation impacts. In addition to mastering the skills associated with a particular form of recreation, students might study the local language, or interpret the area’s cultural history, or compile a list of the region’s flora and fauna. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs. Prerequisites: OS 11400 and instructor permission.
OS 21500 RESCUE METHODS ON LAND (3)
This course provides an introduction to the technical skills required for both improvised and organized rescues on steep terrain. The curriculum includes static and dynamic loads, technical rope skills, the tandem prusik belay, pulley systems, highlines, and assorted single and double rope rescue methods. Prerequisite: OS 11400.
OS 21600 SEARCH METHODS ON LAND (2)
This course provides an introduction to search history, management, planning, strategy, and tactics for finding lost or injured persons in forest and alpine environments as well as in caves and avalanches.
OS 30200 WILDLAND ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN IMPACTS (4)
A field course for college students and professionals interested in applied field research techniques. Students in this course travel by nonmotorized methods such as sea kayaking while applying research techniques used in measuring human impacts on remote ecosystems. Course content includes temperate ecosystems; human use and management; and field research techniques including water sampling and radial transects. Class project will include entering and analyzing data. Wilderness living, sea kayaking, and database skills are necessary, instructor approval required. Lab fee required.
OS 30300 APPLIED EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY (4)
This course is a survey of the scientific principles, methodologies and research as applied to exercise and physical performance. The emphasis is on physiological responses and adaptations to acute and chronic physical exercise.
OS 31000 EXPEDITION LEADERSHIP (4)
Expedition Leadership introduces students to the process of leading wilderness expeditions. Students will assist in planning, organizing, leading, and evaluating a twenty-one day expedition. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs. Prerequisite: OS 11000 or instructor permission.
OS 31200 EXPEDITION MOUNTAINEERING (4)
This class is an extended Alaskan mountaineering expedition. Topics include glacier travel, winter camping, snow and ice climbing, ski mountaineering, route finding, risk management, decision making, and hazard evaluation. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs. Prerequisites: OS 11400, OS 11200 and instructor permission.
OS 31300 EXPEDITION SEA KAYAKING (4)
A two-to three-week sea kayaking expedition in the coastal environment. In addition to practicing the skills of safe sea kayaking, students will help organize and lead the trip. Topics include advanced strokes, bracing, rescues in rough water, secondary stability, boat/paddle selection, trip planning, minimum impact camping, and hazard evaluation. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs. Prerequisites: OS11000 and OS11300 or instructor permission.
OS 31600 EXPEDITION GLACIER TRAVEL (4)
Expedition Glacier Travel emphasizes the skills required for traveling and climbing in Alaska’s heavily glaciated mountain ranges. Snow camping, expedition behavior, crevasse rescues, snow and ice climbing, route finding, peak ascents, and avalanche hazard evaluation will be emphasized. Lab fee required, plus personal food, equipment, and transportation costs. Prerequisites: OS 11400 and OS 11200; or instructor permission.
OS 37000 RISK MANAGEMENT FOR OUTDOOR PROFESSIONALS (2)
Risk Management for Outdoor Professionals will discuss and understand the components of risk management in the outdoor profession. Topics include risk management and emergency response planning, legal and ethical responsibilities of risk management, and risk transfer topics such as insurance and participant agreements. Students will develop a risk management and emergency response plan. Prerequisite: OS 20100.
OS 40100 THE BUSINESS OF RECREATION (4)
An investigation of the concepts and theories of administration and management of recreational organizations. Theories, processes, and legal concepts behind established and entrepreneurial recreational organizations. Topics and projects include funding, incorporation, personnel and fiscal management, community relations, and liability as related to recreational services. Prerequisite: OS 20100.
OS 40200 OUTDOOR EDUCATION (4)
Application of the theories and techniques of teaching in and about the natural environment. This course will develop, implement, and evaluate programs for local schools using standard environmental curriculum.
OS 40300 ALASKA NATURAL HISTORY INTERPRETATION (4)
This course explores the techniques and theories used by public land administrators to interpret the Alaskan natural environment. Interpretive trail alignment and displays, as well as oral and written interpretive presentations are emphasized.
OS 40400 RECREATION RESEARCH METHODS (4)
The growth of outdoor recreation in Alaska has created numerous social and natural resource impacts and issues. This course introduces students to the literature of recreation research and research design in social and natural science methodology. Students will develop a research proposal and implement a research project.
OS 40500 RECREATION AND THE PUBLIC LAND RESOURCE (4)
Surveys the evolution of United States public land policy, the agencies that manage public land, the relevant public land legislation, and the people who recreate on public land.
OS 47000 ADVANCED TOPICS IN OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP (2)
This class will cover trends, theories, and concepts related to outdoor leadership and ethics. Topics include leadership theories and facilitation, ethical issues of outdoor activities, group dynamics and development, and individual behavior and motivation.
OS 49900 SENIOR PROJECT (3-12)
The senior project is the culmination of the student’s academic career. The goal of the class is to help the student identify, plan, implement, and evaluate a project that focuses the student’s skills and knowledge in a way that demonstrates his or her professional interests. The class will meet periodically during the semester.
OS 18000, 28000, 38000, 48000 DIRECTED STUDY (1-4)
Individual study in a given field under the guidance of a regular faculty member and by permission only.
OS 18500, 28500, 38500, 48500 PRACTICUM (1-12)
The practicum is an integral part of the student’s pre-professional preparation. It will help them identify career areas to pursue and network with professionals in that field of work.
OS 19200, 29200, 39200, 49200 SPECIAL TOPICS (1-3)
Special topics in various fields are offered as needed. Appropriate course descriptions are published as topics are developed.