POLI 409, Selected Topics in Political Science: Arctic Geopolitics, is currently open and available for the Winter Session 2020 in January as an online course. Here's a description from instructor Brian Grodsky. For more info, contact him at bgrodsky@umbc.edu or see attached document.
Course Description
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the rapidly evolving
international competition over the Arctic. There are currently eight Arctic states that span from the enormous, including the United States and Russia, to the tiny, such as Denmark and its dependent territory, Greenland. But as global warming continues to transform the Arctic, new and formidable powers, from Europe to Asia, are expressing greater interest in the region. They are drawn by the promise of newly accessible resources, from oil and
gas to shipping lanes. The frozen, inhospitable territory long overlooked by most of humanity is suddenly attracting enormous attention.
This course takes a broad approach to the human experience in the Arctic,
beginning with an overview of the Arctic and its historic place in geopolitics, as well as the environmental changes that have begun to alter both the land and sea in profound ways. Next, we explore the central economic draw to the region, including oil, gas, and transportation networks, before exploring ethical and legal constraints on human activity there. Finally, we consider individual country interests and common attempts at international governance of the Arctic.
This course is designed to provide an overview of the various issues facing the Arctic, but also to expand your set of critical thinking skills more broadly. You will become adept at analyzing and writing critiques of arguments found in the academic literature, and you will also learn how to apply your newly acquired analytical abilities to the every day world. At the end of this course, students should walk out of the classroom with a heightened understanding of the changing Arctic's ramifications throughout the world and as a challenge and opportunity for our country.
