Hello, Has anybody seen any DL, RA courses in Pacific Islands studies (graduate or undergrad)? My intent is for personal enrichment rather than a degree. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Good day all and thanks in advance!
Vanadoo, check out the University of Hawaii System. I know they offer courses and degrees online but I'm unsure if they have any Hawaiian Studies or related courses in a distance learning format yet. http://hawaii.edu
I don't know much about this, but it's an interesting question. Here's the U. of Hawaii's DL site: http://www.hawaii.edu/dl/ I didn't see any DL degree programs in Hawaiian or Pacific island studies. (There is a Hawaiian language teacher certificate program, but it's a mixed on-site and instructional TV thing in Hawaii.) But the U. of Hawaii offers an extensive and ever-chainging lineup of individual classes, some of which have Hawaiian/Pacific islands content. (From Hawaiian business to Austronesian linguistics.) Some classes are online, some instructional TV, and some are at remote sites in Hawaii. http://www.hawaii.edu/dl/courses/ I'm thinking that you might want to direct this thread's question to the U. of Hawaii's Polynesian studies people. If there are any DL programs/courses out there, they'd be the ones to know. (Australia and NZ have interest in the Pacific islands, so maybe there's something down-under.) If you don't need college credit, the Kamehameha Schools offer some interesting DL stuff in Hawaiian language and culture: http://ksdl.ksbe.edu/dlprograms.html This is a group of K-12 schools set up in the waning years of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Reportedly it's the largest private landowner in the state today and is worth billions of dollars. It's got a (controversial) policy of only admitting students that can prove at least one native Hawaiian ancestor, but I don't think that applies to their adult-ed DL offerings. http://www.ksbe.edu/about/facts.php
If by "RA" you mean "RA or equivalent", check out the University of the South Pacific. It's based in Fiji but serves all of the small island states of the English-speaking South Pacific, so it makes a lot of use of distance learning. It's a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, so it's GAAP. http://www.usp.ac.fj/ -=Steve=-
Whenever the intent is for personal enrichment, I tend to recommend checking out free library books on the subject and skipping the college course altogether. Why spend big $$$ when you don't have to?