This course will focus on the current biological, cultural, and socioecological issues associated with climate and environmental change in the far North—including habitat and biodiversity change, community vulnerability and resilience, and environmental policy.  There will be a strong transnational focus on Alaska and Siberia, and the course will include participation by elder speakers of northern indigenous people, local and regional governmental authorities in the US and Russia, and private industry.  This course will be web-linked simultaneously with participating faculty and students at the University of Kansas, Tyumen State University (Tyumen Oblast, Russia), and Gorno-Altaisk State University (Altai Autonomous Region, Russia).

 

Lecture time:  4 – 6:30 PM Wednesday                       

Where class meets:  EBL 101

Instructors:  Lil Alessa, Douglas Causey

TA:  Veronica Padula

Office Hours:  By appointment

 

Guest Faculty and Institutions:

      Cynthia Annett (UAA)                                    

      Gerald Mikkelson (U Kansas)                           

      Helen Hundley (Wichita State U)                     

      Albina Kravchenko (Gorno-Altaisk State U)    

      Mariya Ostanina (Gorno-Altaisk State U)        

      Andre Tolstikov (Tyumen State U)                     

          

Course Documents and Materials:

All course information and materials will be available on the course Blackboard sites (BIOL490 and BIOL690 have different sites).

Grades

Basis—Regular attendance is required. 20% of your overall grade will be evaluated on the basis of attendance and participation (eg., discussions, oral presentations). There will be one written midterm (30%) that will cover the basic information presented in the first half of the course and a term paper will be worth 50%.

Term paper—The term paper is due on Wednesday, April 25. They should be at 15 – 20 pages (double-spaced) and demonstrate your own original research and writing. You will need to have your topic approved by Dr. Alessa or Dr. Causey by March 28 at the latest.


A: 100-90%; B: 89-80%; C: 79-70%; D: 69-60%.


Cheating, plagiarism, unprofessional conduct: Please don’t.


MAKEUP EXAM POLICY: Makeup exams normally will not be given. It is the student’s responsibility to take all scheduled exams on time. If makeup exams are given, it will be at the discretion of the instructor.

 

DAY     DATE	DATE	LECTURE TOPIC
Wed	18 Jan	Introduction: “What is the Arctic?” Who are we, what are the issues?  Format of the course, guest faculty and lectures, participating institutions.
		I.  People and Landscapes:  Socioecological Systems
Wed	25 Jan	1. Siberia, Circumpolar Arctic: Historical and Present Contexts
Wed	1 Feb	2. Western Siberia and Fennoscandia
Wed	8 Feb	3. Eastern Siberia, Canadian and Alaskan Interior
Wed	15 Feb	4. Siberian Far East, Beringia
Wed	22 Feb	5. High Arctic
		II.  Arctic Environmental Impacts and Issues
Wed	29 Feb	6.  Climate Change Scenarios
Wed	7 Mar	7.  Historical Legacies of Colonization and Development
Wed	14 Mar	S P R I N G   B R E A K
Wed	21 Mar	8. Water
Wed	28 Mar	9. Landscape Change
Wed	4 Apr	10. Resource Flows
		III.  Community Resilience, Environmental Policy and Security
Wed	11 Apr	11.  Resilience
Wed	18 Apr	12. Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy
Wed	25 Apr	13. Arctic Environmental Security
Wed	2 May	14. Oral Reports and Discussion