Mission

The Arts & Sciences Wounspe Wankatuya will provide fundamental coursework leading to degrees offered at the University.  This  program  will  foster  the  value  of  flexibility  in  a multicultural  and  interdisciplinary  world.  It  will  help  students  succeed  academically,  socially, and  personally  both  locally  and  globally;  and  provide  nurturing,  tolerant,  stimulating  learning environments  to  expand  the  skills,  talents,  ideas,  awareness  and  capacities  of  its  students.  The department will maintain  a  commitment  to  the  specific  needs  and  desires  of  the reservation community in order to strengthen the sovereignty of the Sicangu Oyate.

The  Arts  &  Sciences  Wounspe  Wankatuya  exists  for  two  purposes,  both  of  which  are basic  to  the  institution.    The first is to provide culturally relevant four year and two year degrees (summarized below).  The  second  purpose  of  the  Arts  &  Science  Wounspe  Wankatuya  is  to  serve  other departments by offering courses required by those departments and the core curriculum.  To this  end,  Arts  &  Sciences  instructors  teach  composition,  speech,  literature,  history,  art, government, science, math and other humanities courses to all students.

The Arts & Science Wounspe Wankatuya offers two 4 year degrees:
•            Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
•            Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science
 
The Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree exists to provide a solid  background  in  the  humanities  to  assist students  who  wish  to  possess  a  traditional college  education with concentration areas in English/literature, Natural Science, Social Science, and History, and minors in Art, History, Math, Human Services, Natural Sciences, Social Science, English/Literature/Creative Writing, and Lakota Studies.  One of the benefits of a liberal arts education is the chance to explore multiple areas of interest. Students also acquire the practical skills they need for lifelong learning and achievement—like research writing, communication, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning skills.  As liberal arts majors, students get an overview of the arts, humanities (the study of the human condition), social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences, as well as a variety of skills that will help them excel in the workforce. It’s an educational style that can trace its roots back hundreds of years—and it has only gotten better with age.
 

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science is very much a generalist degree within the natural sciences. Focusing primarily on both the understanding of our natural and man-made environments, environmental science degrees draw from diverse fields of studies and require a strong background in the more traditional sciences: biology, physics, chemistry, geography, and ecology. In addition, environmental science degrees also draw heavily from the social sciences, such as economics, business, or sociology. The degree to which any of these fields of study becomes prevalent within an environmental science education largely depends on the chosen specialization the student. Due to the fact that environmental science is a generalist degree, students’ often complete specializations within a more select area, i.e. biology, Lakota land studies, range studies, etc. True to most science degrees, environmental science programs often require significant field work, lab work, or other data-oriented work.