International Relations Major (Level 3)
International Relations Minor (Level 3)
International Relations Single Honours (Level 3)
Politics Dual Honours (Level 3)
Politics Major (Level 3)
Politics Minor (Level 3)
Politics Single Honours (Level 3)
Bringing the Arctic to Keele. Taking Keele to the Arctic!
Drowning polar bears, crumbling shores on melting seas, resource races towards the North Pole and sovereignty disputes in the high Arctic - this is the stuff of current media content concerning the circumpolar North, the Arctic once sublime! The Arctic certainly is changing. Its resources, environment and security are gaining a much higher policy profile in North America, the EU and Asia as well as in global scientific, environmental and economic forums, not least in the context of rising awareness of the pace and consequences of global climate change.
The indigenous (native) peoples of the Arctic itself would all agree that their homelands are becoming a "sacrifice zone" for climate change as they serve as human "canaries in the mine" for its consequences and for the effects of the long-range pollutants originating in the more temperate and tropical parts of the world. But is the Arctic region also set to become a cauldron of conflict, or will it remain a zone of low international tension, characterised by practical, cooperative endeavour?
The Northern Dimension module allows students to investigate aspects of the politics and international relations of the Arctic. Students identify their own topic for investigation, exploring a research question using paper-based and web-based resources. They may also engage in email communication with any one of almost twenty experts in Arctic matters - academic professors, campaigning activists, technical experts etc - who together make up the module's "Experts' Gallery" and form the cutting edge of the Northern Dimension learning community established to support this module.
Students deliver the developing fruits of their individual research project in a succession of ways - as an oral presentation to the seminar group; as a 2,500-word essay/article; and, finally, as a website of their own making, employing easily available website-editing software that is relatively simple to master and can be downloaded for free onto their computers/laptops.
A range of generic employability skills are firmed up in this module - oral presentation, team-working, independent working etc, while some less familiar ones such as communicating effectively through websites, are developed. Students do not need to have had any prior experience in building webpages or websites - all you need is your own computer with internet access and a willingness to "get your feet wet!"
Gaining a basic awareness of some very straightforward principles of good website design and utilising some of the simple functions in very user-friendly website editing software are experiences that virtually all past students in the module have found great fun. You will realise this as early as the very the first meeting of the class, when the Tutor directs you to the special archive in Blackboard containing all 166 past student websites for you to look at, learn from and be motivated by. Many of these even give you lots of tips on how to get the most out of the module in terms of creative satisfaction as well as intellectual stimulation!
The assessment format is: 10% individual oral presentation; 40% 2,500 word essay/article; 50% individual website.
gain a well informed knowledge and understanding of the politics and international relations of the Arctic, including linkages between the Arctic "periphery" and processes at national and global levels;
to have acquired a sophisticated grasp of a number of common or shared Arctic policy problems in areas such as ecologically sustainable development, governance, security and the situation of indigenous peoples in the region;
to develop their skills of independent research and critical analysis through identification and use of traditional and web-based resources in creating team and individual websites and writing an essay/article on specific issue-areas or policy controversies in the Arctic;
to have refine and extend their communication skills by communicating the findings of their research in the linear mode of an essay/article and the non-linear mode of team and individual websites of their own design and construction;
to develop their skills in "working with others" through collaborative and cooperative working with other students in small teams to produce a team website;
to enhance their capacity for independent learning through conceiving, managing and completing their own research project;
to reinforce their ability to reflect upon their own learning as individuals and in a team context through a peer assessment exercise
to develop functional skills in web-based communication through themselves designing and creating websites that effectively present the findings of their research, contain appropriate external hyperlinks to other webpages and are technically reliable.
Develop a complex analysis of a common or shared Arctic policy problem in an issue area such as ecologically sustainable development, governance, security or the situation of indigenous peoples in the region will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
Critically analyse the stances and tactics of the actors attempting to shape the agenda on an Arctic policy problem and evaluate their actual or potential effectiveness in shaping policy outcomes will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
preparation for seminars - 20 hours
preparation of team website - 10 hours
preparation of oral presentation - 10 hours
research and writing of essay - 40 hours
design and construction of the individual website - 40 hours
Students briefly outline the focus and initial findings of their individual research project on an Arctic theme, problem or issue of their own choice
In this 2,500 word essay students communicate the interim findings of their individual research project on an Arctic theme, problem or issue of their own choice, paying special attention to the need to make their work attractive to the audience in a number of ways
Students communicate the final findings of their individual research research project through the medium of a website which they design and build themselves, including a Reflective Commentary on their academic and design work in the module.
This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.