Laboratory: Arctic and Antarctic: Geopolitics of the Polar Regions

Students will learn the fundamentals and meaning of the geopolitics of the polar regions, through an initial comparison of the Arctic and Antarctic. They will then focus on an in-depth study of the key issues, of growing global interest (political, military, scientific, maritime, international law, economic, resource exploitation, indigenous peoples' survival, and so on), specifically affecting the Arctic region, coastal states, and the circumpolar regions, which are today undergoing rapid transformation.

By the end of the course, students should acquire a knowledge of the geopolitics of the polar regions, developing critical and personal skills in the use of the geographic-political lens and in the exploration of the increasingly complex issues emerging in these areas today. In the final paper, priority will be given to issues related to conflict, geopolitical tensions and the potential for cooperation in the polar regions, within and outside the international institutions that seek to promote it, despite contemporary geopolitical difficulties