Science and Society, indigenous society and social science: A tribal college/state land-grant collaboration

As the call for proposals indicates, “Professional social science societies (like RSS) have an obligation to support those who are studying and developing effective responses to the challenges faced by rural people and... [ view full abstract ]

As the call for proposals indicates, “Professional social science societies (like RSS) have an obligation to support those who are studying and developing effective responses to the challenges faced by rural people and places in a globalized world. New models for scientific research will be increasingly important if our efforts are to inform public discourse and shape the development of effective public policies.” In this paper/poster, I report on the first ever NSF Tribal Colleges and Universities Program grant (TCUP) focused on Social and Behavioral Science. While TCUP funding has supported curriculum and faculty development and research capacity building in engineering, environmental science, chemistry, and other ‘hard’ sciences, the focus of this project is on building an Associate Degree in social science with an applied research component.  The project at Sisseton Wahpeton College at Lake Traverse Reservation has a primary goal of helping students prepare for social service, law enforcement, and other positions associated with the helping professions. This project includes a curriculum that looks at how the rigorous scientific methods associated with social and behavioral sciences can assist in developing a strong applied research component at the college. Yet, curriculum development and research approaches must also be aware of the role of some traditional social science in supporting the exploitation and oppression of indigenous peoples. Thus, the team working on this project, which included Sociologists from NDSU and SDSU as well as staff at SWC, focused on specific research concepts and skills and how those skills and concepts can help the college and community better understand the factors that lead to student success, the focus of the applied research project.  At the same time, the team worked to privilege indigenous epistemological approaches in the curriculum and instructor notes.  The project also entailed working across institutions to form research teams and articulation agreements.  As the social sciences face additional funding cuts at the national, state, and regional levels, this project provides an example of the power of social science to build capacity for research and education at the same time it supports educational and intellectual tribal sovereignty.