From 26 July to 7 of August, 2019 Hokkaido University in Japan hosted the Finnish-Japanese Arctic Studies Summer School on Arctic Studies in Sapporo.
The school was the outcome of the Finnish-Japanese Arctic Studies Program - a project led by Research Professor Kamrul Hossain,
the Director of Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law
at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland in collaboration with
the partners from the Universities of Helsinki, Hokkaido and Oulu. The
project is funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education (CIMO)
and supported by UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law. This project
aims at promoting multidisciplinary understanding and cooperation
between Finland and Japan in terms of promoting education and teaching
on the Arctic issues.
In
total, approximately 30 participants attended the Summer School from
both Finnish Universities and Hokkaido University. Selected students
from Finland had also attended Hokkaido Summer Institute (HSI) – a
programme that runs yearly from the beginning of June until October at
the Hokkaido University and brings together world-leading scholars,
offering all together 130 courses covering different levels of education
as well as different fields of studies. Summer School courses cover a
wide range of issues in Arctic studies. Among teachers were scholars
from partner Universities, among others: Research Professor Kamrul
Hossain and Sanna Kopra (University of Lapland), Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen (University of Helsinki), Ritva Kylli and Sirpa Aalto (University of Oulu), Juha Saunavaara, Fujio Ohonishi and Natsuhiko Otsuka (Hokkaido University).
Topics of the lectures covered among others:
• Environmental History of the Arctic
• Arctic oceanography and sea ice
• International Relations in the Arctic context
• China’s role in the Arctic
• Japan’s Arctic policy
• Arctic governance
• International environmental law and human rights as they apply to the Arctic
• The Arctic Environment and Russian energy
• Arctic Tourism
The
course lasted all together 9 working days. Summer School consisted of
lectures, reading assignments and group tasks. Students were evaluated
based on active participation in lectures, group works and a five-page
long learning diary submitted after the course. Upon the successful
completion of the course, students received 5 ECTS points.
More information:
Research Professor Kamrul Hossain
Tel. +358 40 484 4281
kamrul.hossain(at)ulapland.fi