SPL-3014 Arctic Cities Field Course - 20 stp

In this course, emphasis is placed on important aspects of the composition of the urban Arctic, and on how cities in the Arctic are undergoing reorganisation and change in relation to their socio-cultural and spatial characteristics. In contrast to the impression given by conventional images of the Arctic landscape, urbanisation processes in the Arctic are common and widespread. The course provides an overview of urban development in the Arctic, and research-based reflection on what urbanisation means to people in an Arctic context. Conventional urban theory is questioned, as it neglects forms of urbanisation that take place outside the global network of regional towns and cities. In this course, students will be invited to reflect more deeply on issues of Arctic urbanisation, in which the relationship between nature and culture, centre and periphery, and majority and minority cultures is challenging traditional methods and practice in physical planning.

The course involves field studies in a Nordic city. The course integrates theoretical understanding and reflections on regional development with analytical tools to study ongoing processes of urban development in a Nordic context. The focus is on how planning methods and tools are used and combined in ongoing planning processes involving conflict management and resolution. The course will address issues both in relation to the urban core, such as the compact city, cultural heritage, etc., and processes of interaction between the urban centre and the regional periphery. The course materials and syllabus will cover theories of planning and development of cities and regions, methods of urban analysis (e.g. socio-cultural place analysis and mapping), research ethics and insight into planning practice and planning documents.

Bachelor degree in social sciences is required as a general rule.

Applicants must have a minimum grade average comparable to a Norwegian C (2,5) in the ECTS scale.

The course is open for students accepted in master's degree programmes in other social science disciplines.

Application code: 9371.

The students have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has:

• Basic insight into the characteristics of Arctic cities, and a theoretically-based understanding of their specificity, similarities and differences, and the challenges they face in the development of today’s Nordic countries
• A basic understanding of fieldwork methodology
• Analytical understanding of the driving forces behind urbanisation and regional development
• An understanding of the dynamics between players at various geographical levels - local and global forces

Skills

The student is able to / can:

• make use of perspectives on urban life in the North, with an emphasis on the sustainability, governance and planning of Arctic cities
• Use available data sources, undertake participant observation and apply qualitative interview techniques
• Competent use of methodological tools relevant to the study and practice of urban planning, urban development and process management
• Work in a group, both in the ongoing academic discussions and when writing a field report after the field trip

Competence

• Competent use of theoretical and analytical concepts relevant to urban planning and development in an Arctic environment
• Competencies in understanding processes and conflicts in planning processes
• Competencies in navigating between different professional skills in planning processes

• Teaching a diversity of fieldwork methodology
• Lectures in arctic urban development and planning (the lectures will be concentrated to the weeks without fieldwork)
• Seminars and workshops with student presentations
• Field studies in an Arctic urban region