FREE ACCOMMODATION for first three applicants!

Course title: “Inuit & Qallunaat Concepts of Arctic Marine Space in Maritime Transport Policies” 21-30 March 2012, 9am-Noon daily

The University of Washington* and University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður, Iceland have a partnership through University of the Arctic for graduate studies and research. This spring the master’s program in Coastal & Marine Management has opened eight slots for UW upper-division or graduate students for the short course, CMM 11: “Inuit & Qallunaat Concepts of Arctic Marine Space in Maritime Transport Policies” taught by Nadine Fabbi, UW Canadian Studies Center (see course description below or link to the course blog for more information – http://blogs.uw.edu/nfabbi/).

Costs: In addition to registering for three UW credits, students are responsible for round-trip flight costs to Ísafjörður, Iceland (approx. $1,000); program fee to Coastal & Marine management (15.000 ISK or approx. $125 US provides access to library, study facilities, scanner, Wi-Fi); food and incidentals. Accommodations – in the teacher’s apartment – are provided by the Coastal & Marine Management program for three students. Additional students must also cover their own accommodation. 

Flight Information: Direct flights are available between Seattle and Reykjavík on Alaska airlines. From Reykjavík domestic flights are available to Isafjörður at www.flugfelag.is

Registration: Students must register with both the Coastal & Marine Management program and for independent credit at the UW. Independent study credits may be obtained through one of the sponsoring departments (see below).

Application: Students whose research is in Arctic studies will be given priority. If you are interested in taking the course, write to instructor, Nadine Fabbi nfabbi@uw.edu with a brief explanation of your interests in Arctic studies and confirmation that you are able to cover the travel costs of the program.

*Partnering Departments: Canadian Studies Center, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies; School of Marine Affairs, College of the Environment; Program on the Environment, College of the Environment.

Course Description – “Inuit & Qallunaat Concepts of Arctic Marine Space in Maritime Transport Policies”

How do we understand the Arctic marine environment and how does this understanding translate into maritime transport policies and ultimately into emerging forms of governance for the Arctic region?

For the Inuit, marine space – sea ice and open sea – is a source of food, skins for traditional clothing, materials for art, and serves as a platform for cultural and educational activities. Inuit identity, at its core, is based on free movement on nunangat (land, sea and ice). Qallunaat (nonInuit) have traditionally used the Arctic seas for economic gain to support exploration or extraction of natural resources, tourism, future fisheries and shipping routes. As a result, how Arctic marine space is conceived has considerable variation resulting in developing tensions and disputes over ownership and use. These differing concepts shape the agenda of Arctic maritime transport policies.

Qallunaat policies focus on safety and environmental protection or shortterm sustainability primarily to support near future economic development. The policy of the international Inuit association, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, “The Sea Ice is Our Highway: An Inuit Perspective on Transportation in the Arctic” (2008), calls for a different type of sustainability. Inuit sustainability is based on maintaining the natural order for hundreds and even thousands of years (p. 22). Given these differing concepts of Arctic marine space and the values/policies they generate, how can we successfully resolve maritime transport disputes?

This course will provide a critical foundation for understanding marine transport in the Arctic region – a region comprising much of Inuit traditional homeland. Lectures will include an overview of the geography of the Arctic Ocean including major ports, traditional travel and shipping routes; the history of Arctic marine transport for Inuit and Qallunaat; differing concepts of Arctic marine regions; actors/stakeholders in the Arctic; Arctic maritime organizations, think tanks and key scholars; current marine transport disputes; and, the policies and laws that govern the region.

Students will select a current Arctic marine transport issue (individually or in teams) and write a policy report taking into account Arctic indigenous and nation-state policies, perspectives, values and worldviews in report recommendations. Policy reports will be evaluated on their ability to successfully integrate Inuit and Qallunaat concepts of marine space and to translate those concepts into effective policy formation. Where appropriate, policy reports will be provided to Arctic stakeholders.

Particular attention will be given to the treatment of marine transport in the foreign and domestic policies of the eight Arctic nations, the European Union, in the declarations and reports of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and reports of the Arctic Council. The course will also draw on artistic renderings of the Arctic marine region in Inuit prints and Qallunaat paintings to assist students in understanding the philosophical and cultural relationships to the region.

This course will hopefully engage soon-to-be leaders in marine management in the complex and exciting new decision-making models emerging in the Arctic region – models that are increasing and successfully integrating Arctic indigenous diplomacies in international relations.