The Arctic world is a land of stark duality. Geographically peripheral, yet central to today’s most pressing strategic, economic, and climatological questions. A primordial wilderness that nonetheless hosts several million human inhabitants and a surprisingly rich—if endangered—ecosystem. Presently, one of the most important places on earth, yet still one of the most poorly understood. Come explore this forbidding but endlessly fascinating region, starting with its indigenous peoples, then moving on to Euro-American exploration (including the race to the North Pole), scientific and anthropological research, and the industrial and military exploitation of the Arctic.

Week 1: Encounters: Indigenous Northerners and Early European Incursions

Week 2: From Bering to Franklin: Exploration in the 1700s and Early 1800s

Week 3: Northern Steeplechase: Exploration and Nation-Building from the 1840s to the 1940s

Week 4: Arcticide? Militarization, Exploitation, and Climate Change from 1945 to the Present

This course takes place online via Zoom.

Course does not meet on Wednesday, September 24.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.