Participants included twelve scholars and educators from l'École nationale d'administration publique (Canada), Luleå University of Technology (Sweden), Nord University (Norway), Trent University (Canada), Umeå University (Sweden), the University of New England (USA), the University of Northern British Columbia (Canada) and the University of Oulu (Finland). A representative of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada also participated.
The workshop focused on the recently published Circumpolar Studies Curriculum Development Guide, as well as the work of the Læra Institute more generally. Gary Wilson, one of the Academic Co-Directors, helped to moderate the workshop, and he provided this report:
The Laera Institute held a faculty workshop on the Institute and its activities at the Annual Meeting of the University of the Arctic Assembly in Québec City, Canada. Assembly delegates representing academic institutions from across the Circumpolar North attended the workshop. The workshop was moderated by the Academic Co-Directors of the Laera Institute, Gary Wilson (University of Northern British Columbia) and Heather Nicol (Trent University). Many of the attendees were not familiar with the Laera Institute, so the workshop focused on a general introduction to the Institute, including an overview of the Circumpolar Studies Curriculum Development Guide that the Institute developed earlier this year. We also solicited ideas for two exemplar courses that the Institute plans to develop in the next year. Some of the ideas that were suggested were: gender equity and diversity in the circumpolar north; smart cities and societies in the Arctic; the blue economy and the Arctic; and spatial planning in a cold climate. The workshop was a valuable opportunity to disseminate information about the work of the Laera Institute and create opportunities for faculty to network and share ideas.