Extractive Industries and Local People (5op)

Arviointiasteikko

H-5

Tavoitteet

After completion of the course the student is able to
- assess and analyse the ways in which extractive industries affect and shape local communities and societies in the Arctic region
- evaluate how the use of renewable on-surface resources in local and indigenous Arctic livelihoods relates to the use of sub-surface resources in the same area, extracted for world markets
- recognize the different ways in which local people relate to, resist or make use of industrial natural resource extraction in their area
- get acquainted and make use of the theoretical concept of extractivism in Arctic Studies and apply it to specific ethnographic examples from the Arctic
- assess the relevance of international standards, guidelines and best practices for local people’s relations vis-a-vis the extractive industries
- compare the ways in which the relationship between the extractive industries and local people may differ across the Circumpolar region, including Arctic Russia, the Nordic countries and Canada.

Toteutustavat

Seminar meetings (15 h), discussion, independent reading work, discussing assigned readings, written assignments, possibly a role game.

The primary mode of attendance is in-house. Those who cannot attend in person have an opportunity to accomplish the course online, with some modifications.

Suoritustavat

In the course sessions after a general introduction and examples from the tutor’s work in the Russian Arctic, we shall discuss significant articles of such situations from all Arctic countries and compare them to other regions on the planet. Students are required to read the assigned articles / chapters before each session, write a short text based on the article and contribute actively to the discussion.

After all the reading sessions, the final session may take the shape of a role game in case there are enough on-site participants. In the staged role game participants assume the role of the different interest groups involved in industrial development of a fictive site in the Arctic. The roles will be: members of a local community, representatives of a company, local politicians, and employees of a consultancy. Active participation in the role game will be assessed for the grading in the course as well as the article discussions.

Sisältö

This course will focus to the social science study of the relations between incoming extractive industries and local people who inhabit the lands on which natural resources of interest to such industries are located.

Extractive industries have triggered huge social and cultural change all over our planet. Especially among people who do not have their own states in many cases their rights are precarious vis à vis the industries and the authorities. The situation where local people bear the environmental costs of industrial development, while the benefits go somewhere else has given rise to indigenous political movements worldwide.

Oppimateriaalit

TBC during the course.  Readings for each course session to be distributed before hand. Reading is mandatory for attendance, to make the discussion informed.

Arviointikriteerit, tyydyttävä (1)

Fail: Performance is highly deficient or erroneous. The work may be based on serious misunderstandings.

Sufficient and satisfactory (1-2): Performance is lacking in scope, superficial, or corresponds poorly to the assignment. The author merely lists things out of context or addresses them one-sidedly. The work may contain errors or obscurities.

Arviointikriteerit, hyvä (3)

Good and very good (3-4): Performance corresponds to the assignment, manifesting comprehension and a skill to analyse and justify. The author has addressed the issue comprehensively. The work may contain some deficiencies.

Arviointikriteerit, kiitettävä (5)

Excellent (5): Performance delineates an extensive whole and the author can apply knowledge in a multifaceted way or place it in various contexts. The work manifests independency and insight, and it is a flawless entity that involves justified thinking or critical contemplation. The work is well written and implemented.