University of Iceland

The course focuses on anthropologists' discussion of art. Different definitions of the concept are considered and, in that context, the relation of art to aesthetics and ethics. Answers are sought to the question of whether all work that appears artistic to westernized perception is indeed so to those who produce this work. Authorship, authenticity, and problems arising from the interaction between different cultural traditions are considered. In order to shed light on these issues various ethnographic studies throughout the world are studied.

This course covers heat budget of the Earth, heat transport to the Earth´s surface, geothermal systems and their structure, renewability of geothermal systems, methodology in geothermal development, estimation of resource size, fluid origin and chemistry, water-rock interaction, environmental impact of utilization, and well testing and well data integration.  

The basic principles of volcanology are covered in this course including the journey of magma from source to surface plus the general processes that control eruptions and dispersal of erupted products. It also covers the principles of eruption monitoring as well as volcano-climate.

The course examines the main characteristics of the world economy, in the light of the globalization of economy, politics, and culture taking place over the last decades. Shifts in the center of gravity of the global economic system are outlined, as well as how various regions and countries relate to that system in different ways. Main actors and institutions that influence globalization are identified and analyzed, including multinational corporations, international institutions, and states. Examples from different economic sectors are studied, including how chains of production and consumption have changed and what the impacts have been for places and regions.

Albert B Lord's theory on oral poetry from THE SINGER OF TALES forms a basis for the course. Research that has appeared since the writing of that book is discussed and an attempt made to evaluate the influence that the theory has had on research of medieval literature that is partly based on oral tradition. In the latter half of the course the focus is on the Eddic Poems.

The Arctic is expected to become more important in the coming decades as climate change makes natural resources and transport routes more accessible creating threats to fragile ecosystems and societies as well as economic opportunities. Satellite data collected since 1979 shows that both the thickness of the ice in the Arctic and range of sea ice have decreased substantially, especially during the summer months. The melting of the ice facilitates natural resource exploration in the high north. U.S. Geological Survey estimates from 2008 suggest that 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and 30 percent of undiscovered natural gas reserves are located in the Arctic Circle. Moreover, the retreating and thinning of the ice opens up new trade routes. This course enables and relies on the participation of graduate and advanced undergraduate students in the Arctic Circle Assembly conference in Harpa, Reykjavik. Students are required to attend the Arctic Circle Assembly. Students have to attend one class shortly before the Assembly and one class shortly after the Assembly.

The course starts with five excursion days in Southwest and South Iceland. The excursions are always in the first week before official start of the semester at the School of Engineering and Natural sciences. Thus students attending the course must make sure that they arrive to Iceland in good time. The excursions focus on both constructive and destructive geological processes. Following the excursions an intensive program of lectures covering the main aspects of Icelandic geology occupy five additional weeks. The themes of the lectures are on volcanology, tephrochronology, tectonics, petrology, glacier, glacial geology, oceanography, geochemistry, Cenozoic climate, history, and natural hazards

The course gives a comprehensive summary of the environmental change that occurred during the Quaternary period with special reference to Iceland. Topics include the characteristics of the Quaternary and geological evidence for global climatic change; variations of Earth's orbital parameters; dating methods; glacial debris transport and glacial sedimentation on land and in water; evidence for climate change in glacier ice and marine and lake sediment; volcanic activity and the environment; the history of ice on Earth; paleoclimate reconstruction; and the glacial and climatic history of Iceland and the North Atlantic Ocean.

Emphasis is placed on students’ acquisition of vocabulary through reading and writing, particularly the submission of assignments relating to specific topics. The focus is on word formation with particular emphasis placed on compounds. The course covers various types of texts, both utilitarian and literary, short stories, and novels. Language usage is practiced through a series of written exercises. 

The course focuses on anthropological research on nature and the environment, as well as ideas from other human and social sciences, on the relationship between people and their environment. Various basic terms and theories central to environmental anthropology and related fields are introduced and discussed.