Earlier this month the Canadian Studies Center, in partnership with the World Affairs Council Seattle, hosted a virtual workshop for K-12 teachers to develop their understanding of the Arctic and Arctic security — and what that means from the perspective of northern peoples, beyond military security.
The virtual workshop for K-12 educators addressed security from two key perspectives – traditional security and human security. Center director Nadine Fabbi opened the session by providing an overview of the Arctic – its geography, people, and current status in international relations. Ben Johnson, professor from the University of Groningen and current Fulbright Scholar at the University of Washington, challenged traditional concepts of security by looking at how the Arctic continues to be framed by past notions of security threats. He discussed new ways of understanding the region from a traditional security perspective. Donat Savoie and Jo Ann Gagnon, both researchers with the Makivvik Corporation in Arctic Québec (Nunavik), have spent the last couple of years researching health security in the Arctic and the impact of the tuberculosis epidemic on Inuit communities. They shared their work and experiences.
The World Affairs Council created a comprehensive curriculum guide to accompany the talks, providing educators with background information, learning objectives, and other important resources to help teach about the Arctic.