History of the Arctic and Its Climate

The Arctic currently is in the middle of scientific inquiry and international politics. This fuels the interest in the history of this internationally constructed region. The Arctic is important not just because it is home to the iconic polar animals and four million people, but also because the presence of sea ice is crucial for the planet’s climate in the age of the Anthropocene. How do we write the history of the Arctic?  This course surveys the transformations of this space over the last millennium, paying special attention to the driving roles played by climate and by human interventions.  Controversies around the medieval warm period, the Little Ice Age, the “warming of the Arctic” of the 1930s, as well as Global Warming, are discussed in connection with human exploration, exploitation, and scientific study. The course will introduce students to approaches in climate and environmental history, the history of the use of biological and mineral resources, animal history, and the history of transnational connections in the Arctic, especially during the Cold War, including the history of Arctic science and technology. It also touches upon such significant subjects as race and gender in polar exploration and reflections on Arctic ice in media and culture, including in Indigenous cultures.  The course in a form of a seminar provides an interdisciplinary milieu for students with different backgrounds: science, especially climate science and sustainable development, history, political science, international relations, and others. Instructor web page https://harriman.columbia.edu/person/julia-lajus/