KASP1101 Introduction to the Arctic

Instructor

Marjo Lindroth | marjo.lindroth@ulapland.fi

Timetable

Lectures: Sept 8, 1200-1500; Sept 9, 0900-1200

Workshop (Quizes): Sept 17, 1400-1700

Pyhä Excursion: Sept 21-22

Lecture Notes

Powerpoint presentations 

Course Summary

Welcome to the KASP1101 wiki. This module introduces students to the Circumpolar North and its complexity. The aim of the Introduction is to give a basic understanding of the Arctic regions, their nature and people and to establish a common ground for further studies. Students will begin to adopt a 'circumpolar' perspective, seeing the Arctic not as some distance exotic wilderness, but as a dynamic and complex region with its own unique ecosystem, social structures, and challenges for the future.

This wiki will serve as a central resouce for course information provided by the instructor

Course Objectives

• Acquire a basic knowledge of the region’s geography, peoples, and their systems of knowledge
• Develop an introductory understanding of the physical and biological features and processes in the region.
• Begin to orient your socio-cultural perspective to a northern viewpoint, seeing the Arctic as an active an important region rather than a distant periphery.

Syllabus

Lecture 1: Views of the Arctic

• Practical info (including Pyhä excursion)
• Images and Preconceptions
• Basic Concepts
• Locating and Defining the Arctic

Lecture 2: Society and history

• Circumpolar  Demography
• Brief History of the Circumpolar North
• Economy

Workshop: Quizzes

• Circumpolar Map quiz
• Circumpolar Flora and Fauna quiz
• Circumpolar Definitions quiz

Required Readings

• BCS 100 Modules Intro, 1-6
• AMAP 2002 #2: Setting the Stage
• CAFF #2: Ecology
• AHDR #2: Arctic Demography

Assignments

Circumpolar Map Quiz (25)

Circumpolar Flora and Fauna Quiz (25)

Arctic Definitions Glossary Quiz (25)

Lecture and Excursion Participation (25)