Arctic Studies Minor

Featured Arctic Studies Courses – 2025-2026

The following courses are required courses for the Arctic Studies minor or fulfill elective requirements. This page will be updated as course offerings become available. For questions on courses, contact the Canadian Studies Center at canada@uw.edu.

FALL QUARTER 2025

ARCTIC 200: Indigenous Diplomacies and International Relations in the Arctic  (5 cr.), T/Th, 12:30-2:20 p.m., Jason Young, Senior Research Scientist, UW Information School

This course introduces students to international relations in the Arctic, with an emphasis on understanding IR from the perspective of the region’s Indigenous peoples. Students will study dramatic environmental, economic, and social transformations in the Arctic; learn about emerging geopolitical issues; explore Indigenous perspectives on international relations in the Arctic; and challenge themselves to understand international frameworks through the lens of Indigenous knowledge systems.

ARCTIC 391: Climate Change – An International Perspective: Science, Art, and Activism  (5 cr.), M/W, 12:30-2:20 p.m., Scott Montgomery, Lecturer, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies

This course examines climate change science in the context of geographic, social, and political constraints, considering the role of art, activism, and Arctic Indigenous peoples in communicating impacts and mitigation. Students gain knowledge in key atmospheric and ocean science principles along with the role of science in society.

Note: this course is cross-listed with JSIS B 391 — register for either one!

WINTER QUARTER 2026

ARCTIC 210: Inuit, the Arctic, and Global Change (5 cr.), T/Th, 12:30-2:20 p.m., Nadine Fabbi, Director, Canadian Studies Center

This course dives into the Arctic’s role in global history and its significance today, examining how outsiders viewed the region for centuries. Highlights Inuit interactions during early contact with outsiders and their journey towards self-determination. Describes the unique effects of climate change on the Arctic and discusses the region’s future, emphasizing its growing importance in global affairs.

ARCTIC 321/HSTCMP 221: At the Top of the World: Arctic Histories (5 cr.) M/W, 10:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m., Elena Campbell, Associate Professor, Department of History

This course explores the history of human understanding of and relationship to the Arctic by tracing the social, economic, political, and environmental transformations of the Earth’s northernmost region, during the period from the earliest settlements to the end of the 20th century (the creation of the Arctic Council in 1996), as well as the shifts in ideas that accompany these changes.

JSIS 495B Indigenous and International Relations in a Warming Arctic, (Task Force), Michelle Koutnik

This Task Force will make policy recommendations to the Arctic Council in order to advance any, or all, of these five priority topics in ways that Indigenous rights, self-determination, governance, reconciliation, as well as international policy and environmental change are integrated.

SPRING QUARTER 2026

ARCTIC 410: Self-Determination in Canada and Beyond: Inuit Rising (5 cr.), T/Th, 12:30-2:20 p.m., Nadine Fabbi, Director, Canadian Studies Center

Includes the history of contact and colonization between Inuit and the outside world, then focuses on Inuit self-determination and their impact on global and local issues. Offers a foundation in Arctic Indigenous internationalism, the significance of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and how Inuit shape the Arctic Council and Inuit-Crown relations, giving insight into Inuit leadership and global influence.

ARCTIC 401/ARCTIC 498: Current Issues in the Arctic Region (5 cr.), M/W, 10:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m., 2026 UW Canada Fulbright Visiting Chair in Arctic Studies

Addresses current challenges and opportunities in the circumpolar North, from the perspective of current cutting-edge research, fields of practice, and Arctic Indigenous peoples and communities. May include climate change, social well-being, education, governance, and more.