Alaska
Catch a flight Meet an expertField sites Security Studies
Spend 7 days in Alaska, the country's far north, exploring the national and homeland security challenges and opportunities in the Arctic.
9 days travel at
$4,000 plus tuition
ISS 397
3 Credit Hours
Instructed by
Dr. Leslie Guelcher
Priority Deadline
March 6, 2026
Travel Overview
Go beyond textbooks and lecture halls. Study USA’s travel courses combine academic learning with hands-on, real world experiences. Every class maximizes its unique location with immersive activities.
You’ll earn academic credit, apply what you’re learning directly to your surroundings, and engage in lively class experiences—all guided by Ole Miss faculty.
What You'll Learn
- Explain how U.S. Arctic national security thinking and strategy have evolved since the end of the Cold War.
- Evaluate competing theories and arguments surrounding debates about U.S. Arctic national security policy.
- Discuss the impact of climatic changes on security in the Arctic.
- Explore how different regions within the broader Arctic ecosystem ensure and prioritize security.
- Articulate the different perspectives between national security and human security as it relates to the lived experience while traveling in Alaska.
What You'll Do
Visit and tour of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) where several federal intelligence services are co-located along with the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies.
- Meet with and hear from key members of the Alaska state legislature who will be in session while we are in Anchorage.
- Tour conservation success stories with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and Alaska Sea Grant
- Visit and lecture about security challenges with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
- Spend 12 hours traveling by train through Denali to Fairbanks where we will visit the International Arctic Research Center and the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center
All activities are tentative and subject to change depending on scheduling, booking availability, and course adjustments.
Meet Your Instructors
All Study USA courses are designed and led by Ole Miss faculty. Your instructor(s) will be your first point of contact during your travels and lead you through all the class experiences.
Dr. Leslie Guelcher
Instructional Associate Professor of Center for Intel and Security Studies
laguelch@olemiss.edu
Dr. Leslie Guelcher is a professor at the University of Mississippi, specializing in national security, resource competition, and environmental security. She teaches courses that explore how issues such as water, climate, and geography intersect with security and policy, using structured analytic techniques to connect theory to practice.
She enjoys this field because it highlights the real-world stakes of security studies: how access to resources like water can shape the lives of communities, the strategies of governments, and the future of entire regions.
Her personal interests include hiking, traveling, and exploring the landscapes throughout the United States.
Climate and security are deeply connected, bridging national priorities with human needs. I’m excited to guide students into the far north, where they’ll see firsthand how climate change is reshaping security decisions at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels — and gain a new perspective on what it truly means to be secure.
–Dr. Guelcher