Arctic Law and Policy

This course is in collaboration with Faculty of Law at the University of Akureyri.
The course is the equivalent of 6 ECTS credits.

Deadline for an application is August 15th 2023

Assessment

30% critical reflection on on Arctic Circle Assembly or another conference on Arctic Law and policy or a journal special issue on Arctic law and policy

70% essay

The teaching takes place simultaneously in person at the University of Akureyri and via online lectures on Zoom. There are 10 x 3 hour seminars which are recorded for later viewing by students enrolled in the course. Arctic Law and Policy is taught and assessed in English.

This course provides an introduction to the main participants, structures and legal principles relevant to Arctic governance. Students learn, inter alia, about the peoples of the Arctic and their rights, the Arctic Council, the basic principles of the law of the sea and environmental law in the Arctic, economic development, and security.

Students have the option to attend the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík and visit Arctic research and cooperation institutions in Akureyri.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student shall:

• be able to discuss the roles played by different institutions in Arctic governance.
• be able to explain the basic elements of the history, legal framework, and Peoples in the High North.
• be able toexplain States’ maritime zones in the Arctic.
• be able to evaluate sovereignty and rights to resources in the Arctic.
• be able to explain and assess human security and military security, with reference to examples from the Arctic.
• be able to compare and critically assess the solutions presented by different systems to pressing issues, including international law, international relations theory, economics and environmental ethics.

Admission requirements for the course is a bachelor’s degree or similar study.
Please send a copy of your transcripts to simenntunha@simenntunha.is

Teaching of the course is from the around 28th August 2023 to around 3rd November. Assessment ends at the end of November.

Kennarar

The course is supervised by Rachael Lorna Johnstone, Professor of Law.