GlobalArctic Massive Open Online Course
The GlobalArctic Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) illustrates the dynamics between global and Arctic change. One the one hand, this course highlights the effects of climate change on Arctic regions. In turn, it analyses the impacts of a warmer Arctic on the entire planet. For human civilization, the Arctic symbolizes both a laboratory for governance as well as an early warning system for dramatic (climate) change. Against this background, this course also introduces students to the key challenges and pathways to sustainable development in Arctic regions.
The course is committed to an interdisciplinary approach (including history, political science, economics, biology, and climatology). The course is structured in four weeks:
- Week 1: The Arctic’s role in the Earth system
- Week 2: Arctic resources and the quest for them
- Week 3: The evolving image of the Arctic from a terra nullius, to a Cold War theatre, to an industrial frontier
- Week 4: Actors and governance in the Arctic
This MOOC gathers several renowned experts to speak about the Arctic. Their respective inputs from climatology, political science, and economics attempt to offer a holistic picture of the Arctic and its connection to the rest of the planet in connection to climate change, economic development, and geopolitics. Ultimately, the course offers a thorough overview of the role the Arctic plays in global climate, environmental, economic, legal, and political processes.
The MOOC is designed both for academics and professionals in order…
- to understand the forces and dynamics that affect the Arctic,
- to understand how the Arctic links to the rest of the planet, and
- to provide a holistic and interdisciplinary view of Arctic/non-Arctic interconnections.
The GlobalArctic Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is organised by Matthias Finger, Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Florian Vidal, PhD Candidate at Paris Descartes University. TAI’s Andreas Raspotnik discusses the European Union’s Arctic endeavour over the last ten years.
The MOOC is free and can be started whenever. You can register for the course via the Cousera webpage here.