Type of course

This course is obligatory for students admitted to the Master's degree programme Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous Areas (GENI).

The course may also be part of other disciplinary Master programmes within Social Sciences and Humanities and may be taken as a single course.

Admission requirements

Students must document at least a bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), or an equivalent qualification, with a specialization of 80 ECTS, preferably within social sciences, law or education.

Applicants with degrees in fields other than social sciences, law or education are expected to demonstrate their knowledge of the circumpolar north and its Indigenous peoples.

Application code: 9371

Course content

The course is a venue for students interested in comparing governance challenges in a circumpolar Northern context.

This course will introduce students to governance as a concept and give students an opportunity to compare the governance situation in different countries and areas, as well as for different resources in the North. The course will also address different historical experiences of colonization and state integration, and contemporary policies and management areas of selected circumpolar countries.

The aim of the first part of the course is to give students necessary tools to analyze different aspects of governance in northern areas. In the second part, the goal is to introduce students to different cases of governance, both to illustrate various aspects of governance and governance contexts, and to understand the variety of challenges in Northern areas.

Conceptual framework

Arctic states, populations and the Arctic itself are facing the potential for massive change. Arctic states have developed new policies and cooperation, and actors outside the region want to be involved in decision-making processes. However, over the past decade, a new age of geopolitics implies intensifying rivalries and tensions among major powers, such as the US, China, and Russia. Indigenous peoples who own, occupy, and use these areas - rich in natural resources, including those critical for the ‘green energy transition’ - have become an integral part of the changing geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape.

We present the architecture of politics and government in the Arctic; the main characteristics, how it has developed, and how it possibly might affect the development in the region. The presentation will have a focus on the Arctic in general, but with a particular emphasis on Canada and Norway.

In the contemporary world, decision-making is no longer controlled exclusively or even primarily by states. Borders are much more porous, whether it between actors in government, market or civil society, or between various levels of government. Multi-level governance has gained momentum from EU-studies, and studies of Arctic development has stimulated debates over transnational governance. In this part, analytical dimensions of governance theories will be related to issues like resource management, regimes, and multi-level challenges.

Cases/areas

Governance in the Circumpolar North is characterised mostly by large variation. The governmental framework is quite different from state to state, and prospects and resources vary among local communities and regions. A limited number of cases/areas will be used to introduce students to these sides of Arctic and Northern governance. By using cases and not an approach aiming for a comprehensive picture, the goal is to learn from details and specific challenges of governance and next to discuss how to use the experience in new settings.

Objectives of the course

The students have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student:

• understands local and regional level drivers shaping emerging governance structures in the North
• has knowledge of specific cases of governance structures in the North.
• has knowledge of the theories of governance and the fundamental operating principles of governance in northern areas.

Skills

The student is able to/can:

• analyze Northern governance systems to show how different institutional arrangements enable and constrain local and regional options.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

The course will be taught entirely online through a combination of lectures and seminars comprising a total of 20 hours. The students are expected to be prepared and active during the seminars in discussing readings and the issues at hand. Students are expected to study independently in periods of no seminars or lectures.

Quality assurance

The course will follow the procedures for quality assurance and program evaluation at both Universities. At the UiT the Arctic University of Norway the course follows the Quality Assurance System for the Educational Activities guidelines, as outlined in the GENI program description. Evaluation by partner communities and institutions will be of special relevance for this course. The course will be reviewed at least once during a program period (i.e. six semesters).

Information to incoming exchange students