From Pole to Pole: Educating Tomorrow's Leaders
Abstract
The high northern and southern latitudes of the earth share an extreme climate, but are vastly different in their histories, ecological systems and human cultures. Polar regions are increasingly under threat from climate change, resource extraction, and the collapse of large-scale marine ecosystems. These systems are important indicators of human influence on global scale processes (ozone depletion, global warming) and are valued for their biodiversity and uniquely adapted cultures. Unfortunately, the polar regions are often poorly understood by our citizens. Dartmouth College offers a liberal arts undergraduate education that trains tomorrow's leaders in politics, humanities, science and medicine. Through the Dickey Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth College, we designed and taught an undergraduate interdisciplinary course to introduce the major physical, ecological and human systems of high latitudes, including the circumpolar northern Arctic regions and the continent of Antarctic and its southern oceans. Using an interdisciplinary approach we examined the science, societies, politics and policies that shape our viewpoint of cold regions. The connections of the polar regions to global processes and international issues were emphasized. In this paper we will describe our use of differing viewpoints to examine varying topics of importance in the polar regions. Starting the course as a tourist, we proceeded as traveler, explorer, scientist, resident, and politician to reach our final goal as informed voter at the end of the semester. A variety of invited speakers enhanced the course. Hoping before the course to attract twenty students, the fifty students enrolled in the course gave us high ratings. .
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003AGUFMED21B1207A
- Keywords:
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- 3309 Climatology (1620);
- 4207 Arctic and Antarctic oceanography;
- 6319 Institutions;
- 6605 Education