This document contains the 2011 BCS 100 course syllabus

Hesseln, Hayley

English

Arctic Portal: UArctic Library

  1    BCS 100: Introduction to the Circumpolar North  COURSE OUTLINE  Effective September 2010 Instructor Name   [Instructors to add]  Affiliation [Instructors to add] Skype ID [Instructors to add]   Email  [Instructors to add]  Telephone [Instructors to add] Office Hours [Instructors to add]   Course Description BCS 100 introduces students to the landscape, peoples and issues of the Circumpolar World. The course broadly examines subarctic and Arctic geography and the region’s biological and physical systems, as well as the historical and contemporary cultures, political and economic systems of the peoples who reside in the North. The course content is an exciting and interdisciplinary mix of topics designed to stimulate students’ interests in the circumpolar world and is a prerequisite for higher-lever BCS courses. Course Overview BCS 100: Introduction to the Circumpolar North provides students with an introduction and overview of the biological and physical environments that shape and influence northern lands, as well as the economic, social and cultural characteristics of life in the North. You will learn first about what being northern means from many different perspectives and disciplines: within the physical sciences, being northern depends on latitude whereas from a socio-economic perspective having northern characteristics can reach much farther south. The modules in this course will introduce you to the diverse range of northern landscapes including sea and ice, as well as tundra and taiga, and provide summary analyses of the processes that have shaped such landscapes.  Similarly, you will learn about northern peoples and cultures, how they originated and survived in the north, and how migrants were drawn to the rich northern resources. In addition to the northern landscapes and cultures, you will also have the opportunity to learn about contemporary issues that shape northerners lives today.  Such topics include adapting to climate change, northern security and changing governance structures.   2 This introductory course is designed to prepare you for the six upper-level courses in the Circumpolar Studies curriculum. The insight gained in these 10 introductory modules will prepare you for x Land and the Environment BCS 311 & BCS 312 x Peoples and Cultures BCS 321 & BCS 322 x Contemporary Issues in the Circumpolar World BCS 331 & BCS 332. Course Learning Outcomes  The course learning outcomes are what we would like you to learn by taking this course. They form the underlying purpose of all the material you will be studying. The learning outcomes for this course are as follows: Upon successful completion of BCS 100: Introduction to the Circumpolar  North, students should be able to:   1. Articulate the concept of nordicity using examples from all of the following subject areas: physical geography, biology, climate, peoples and cultures, economy, and political systems.  2. Identify the physical and biological features (biomes) and processes of the Circumpolar North.  3. Contrast the historic and contemporary economic activities in the Circumpolar North.  4. Compare common and diverse features of northern cultures, social structures, and political systems of the Circumpolar North.  5. Present strategies to deal with the critical issues the Circumpolar North faces, such as climate change, stewardship, self-determination, and globalization.  6. Apply the analytical process demonstrated in the course to a new situation affecting the Circumpolar North. 7. Identify actions that might contribute towards building a common identity in the Circumpolar North.  Course Schedule BCS 100: Introduction to the Circumpolar North is divided into 10 modules with  Module 7: Climate Change, spanning two weeks.   Module Topics Week(s) 1. Introduction to the Circumpolar North 1 2. Northern Perceptions 2 3. Northern Environments 3 4. Peoples and Cultures of the Circumpolar North 4 5. Contemporary Economic Activity 5 6. Political Systems 6 7. Climate Change (Part 1 & Part 2 in pdf) 7 & 8   3 8. Stewardship of Resources and Sustainable Development 9 9. Northern Governance 10 10. Geopolitics, Security and International Society 11  Course Materials and Time Requirements This course has been designed for web-based delivery with all required materials available online. Plan to spend approximately 10 hours to complete all of the readings, activities, and study questions in each module. Additional time will be required to complete online discussions, assignments, and examinations for student evaluation.  Supplementary readings have been listed in each module to supplement the Learning Material. These resources will benefit students who want to read more about the topic for their assignments or personal interest. Supplementary readings are optional and will not be used for student evaluation. Student Evaluation  [Instructors to add] Instructors may use the evaluation template prepared by the Office of Undergraduate Studies. Copies will be available on request. Course Policies Late Submission Policy  Students are required to hand in their assignments by the due date. Late assignments will not be graded and will be recorded as zero for course evaluation.  You must hand in all assignments in order to get a grade for the course.  Academic Dishonesty  Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will not be tolerated. It is intellectual theft and is punishable by a grade of zero on the assignment, a grade of zero in the course, or more severe academic penalties. Additional information regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be posted by your instructor. Plagiarism includes copying phrases, sentences, paragraphs, pictures, illustrations, maps, etc., from any source, including books, web pages, magazines, articles, radio, television or cinema, etc., and presenting it in your own work without acknowledging the original author.  Acknowledgement of words requires that you indicate the quoted material with quotation marks or blocked paragraphs and a reference to the original source. Recognition of images requires a source note and reference in a caption or in the text. A related academic offence is handing in a paper or assignment you prepared for another course, or submitting a paper you bought or had someone else write. However, it is not an   4 academic offence to have someone else read and edit your work. Indeed, having other people read drafts of papers is an accepted part of academic work. Some useful hints are listed below. Do's  Do share ideas with others.  Do exchange writing. Do begin your writing and research early so you are not pressured to take shortcuts. Do edit and rewrite sections of one another's papers. Do expect to make mistakes managing and citing sources. Do expect to correct them. Do take care downloading sources and taking notes. Do find a way to use sources wisely and fairly. Do discover an argument so you have your own distinctive voice with your own opinions. Do contact your instructor for advice. Don'ts  Don't cheat. Don't lie.  Don't misrepresent others’ work as your own. Don't use prepared assignments and work from websites.  Don't make up sources.  Don't make up quotes. Don't make up interviews. Don't copy written work and just change some words.  Adapted from: Carbone, Nick. No date. Strategies for Teaching with Online Tools.  New Media Consultant, Bedfort/St Martin’s. Accessed August 23, 2010. http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/technotes/workshops/talkingplagy.htm  Documentation for Assignments  Students can choose which style to use to reference citations in assignments. Ensure that you use only one reference style consistently in your assignments.  You may wish to use the citation style used in the Arctic Journal. See instructions at: http://www.arctic.ucalgary.ca/sections.php?sid=publications&cid=guide   Help  Contact your instructor or your site coordinator for any help you require with the course. If you have special needs, please let the instructor know.  

BCS 100 course Syllabus 2011

http://library.vlt.is/15/1/BCS_100_Syllabus_2011.pdf

BCS 100 course Syllabus 2011

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