Experience Transformative Online Education
In staying true to our mission of providing transformative education with a community and place-based approach, our online courses allow you to continue your studies from anywhere in the world, while drawing on lessons and insight from Haida Gwaii.
Each course is 300-level which means they are well suited to students with at least two years of undergraduate experience but open to all kinds of lifelong learners. Reach out to our team to learn more about eligibility and registration.
Online Teaching & Learning Approach
We will implement a balanced approach of synchronous and asynchronous sessions in each of our courses, which includes live lectures, guest speakers, group discussions and activities blended with self-directed learning and exploration. Synchronous sessions will happen weekly over the course of a term. We work to build a sense of connection to place, through Haida Gwaii course materials and by centering local community voices.
Although apart, we will work together to create a sense of community in our online courses and look forward to building a unique and rewarding learning experience with you.
Eligibility
Our courses are 300-level or third year undergraduate, which means they cater to individuals with at least two years of post-secondary experience who are comfortable with the workload that comes with upper division courses. However, we do not have any set pre-requisites and as such our courses are open to individuals with other kinds of academic, personal, or professional experience that would make them well suited candidates for these courses. If you are interested in the content and are committed to the learning process, we invite you to register.
For questions or to discuss your eligibility, please reach out to our team.
There is only a tuition cost associated with each course: Approximately $575 CDN in tuition for each course based on enrolment as a domestic student; please note international student rates are higher
University of British Columbia Tuition
Tuition is paid to UBC directly and based on your enrolment as a domestic or international student. This can be paid once you are officially registered in the course(s). For more information, please see the UBC Undergraduate Tuition Fees page.
Registration & UBC Admission
HGI is committed to equity and diversity, we encourage registrations from Indigenous students, students from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, students from the LGBTQ+ community, mature students, and international students. We also value the participation and inclusion of Haida and local students and invite any interested people of Haida Gwaii to meet and learn more about opportunities to learn with us.
There are no co-requisites for our online courses, you are welcome to register for one or several. Seats are limited, so please consider applying early. We will confirm your registration on a first come first served basis until the class is full.
UBC students can complete our registration form and continue to register for the specific course directly with UBC, as they would any other course.
Non UBC students can complete our registration form and submit an application to the Non Degree Studies department as part of admissions.
To provide you with the correct, and appropriate, registration information please click the status below that best represents you:
Courses
HGSE 312 – Perspectives on Reconciliation
Instructed by Dr. Jen Gobby
May 12 to June 18, 2025
Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-12:30pm PST
Notions of reconciliation and restitution that have emerged in Canada across space and time; key principles, discourses, legal and constitutional mechanisms, actions, and actors.
HGSE 381 – Ecological Economics
Instructed by Dr. Katie Kish
May 13 to June 19, 2025
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-12:30pm PST
Building on successful experience in marine conservation through a series of online lectures and discussions, this course is designed to provide students the exposure to different perspectives and methodologies applied to the conservation of marine environments in BC. Selected guest speakers will provide speakers with opportunities for real-world experience of local culture, tradition and history, local and community-led conservation initiatives, and marine protected areas.
HGSE 373 – Community Planning & Development for Resilience
Instructed by Kris Olsen
May 13 to June 19, 2025
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-3:30pm PST
Community resilience is influenced by proactive community members, planning and development processes, community problem solving and active leadership to strengthen community cohesion around a common vision. From this perspective, community resilience requires an enhanced sense of self and place. This course will be informed by: the experiences of Haida Gwaii’s comprehensive community planning; a variety of local guest speakers; case studies of community responses to natural disasters; and success stories. Haida Gwaii is a real-world example of the challenges and opportunities of developing and diversifying resilient resource dependent cross-cultural, rural communities.
HGSE 313 – Reconciliation & Resource Management
July 2 to August 6, 2025
Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-12:30pm PST
What does reconciliation mean in the context of resource management, or more broadly, territorial governance? How is reconciliation unfolding in the resource management contexts of Haida Gwaii, BC, and beyond? What would decolonized territorial governance look like? This course will provide students with the opportunity to examine relationships and reconciliation processes in the context of land and sea governance. It will explore concepts and theory related to Indigenous and Crown legal traditions, colonization and resistance, reconciliation and decolonization, through the lens of resource management.
HGSE 383 – Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship
September to December, 2025
This course will focus on historical examples of ingenuity and innovation by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people blended with current theory, practice and application. Students will examine the relationships between culture, ingenuity, creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation through Indigenous and cross-cultural examples to understand and foster systems change; with a particular focus on Haida Gwaii. The course will offer learning opportunities that appeal to the heart as well as to the mind.
HGSE 394 – Marine Conservation in BC
Instructed by Dr. Lais Chaves
September to December, 2025
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-10:30am PST
Building on successful experience in marine conservation through a series of online lectures and discussions, this course is designed to provide students the exposure to different perspectives and methodologies applied to the conservation of marine environments in BC. Selected guest speakers will provide students with opportunities for real-world experience of culture, tradition and history, local and community-led conservation initiatives, and marine protected areas.
HGSE 311 – Law & Governance: Indigenous & European Traditions
Instructed by Dr. Viviane Weitzner
January to April, 2026
This course explores the distinct conceptions and practices of law and governance underpinning Indigenous and European ways of being and seeing the world, and the effects of encounters between these systems at different scales and moments in time, across Turtle Island. We root our analysis to place, privileging Indigenous legal orders and governance systems, and Indigenous perspectives and analysis of the impacts of European legal traditions and governance on Indigenous systems.
HGSE 354 – Diversifying Resource Dependent Communities
January to April, 2026
HGSE 371 – Re-Storying History: Indigenous Perspectives
Instructed by Spencer Lindsay
January to April, 2026
This course will have students explore the diversity of Indigenous peoples of British Columbia and Canada and consider the unique histories and relationships that Indigenous groups have with the federal, provincial and territorial governments.
“This experience definitely changed my life. It was my first time witnessing a cut block first-hand, and
seeing how difficult sustainable forestry is – both economically and environmentally – was very eye-opening. This idea of sustainability transferred across all of our courses (as well as across scientific, political and economic boundaries), and was the first time I really felt I understood all that this word entails. I’d absolutely recommend this experience to any and all students!”
“My experience with the Haida Gwaii Semesters is one that I cherish and reflect upon frequently. What I learned from my time there has affected many aspects of my life now: education and career goals, my drive to make change, and relationships – to name a few. I view my experience as being somewhat two-fold. On one hand, we had the opportunity to learn from amazing and inspiring teachers (both course professors and guest speakers), greatly build upon our transferrable skills in research, writing, collaboration and presenting, and conduct a variety of field work, while simultaneously exploring one the most beautiful places on earth. On the other hand, this program opens the door (and pushes you through it) for personal growth. Without the program I may never have known what it feels like to find a family within my peers, to be truly welcomed into a community with such a complicated past & vibrant culture, to realize my place in this world while peering at the full moon through the crowns of western red cedars, or to be drenched head-to-toe while surrounded by decaying salmon carcasses (bring good rain pants). I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without the time I spent on the edge of this world.”
“Doing the [Natural Resource Science] semester is one of the best things I have ever done. For me, [Haida Gwaii] was the perfect place to live and learn. Combining life and learning was quite seamless and happened organically […] I still aim to return to the islands as soon as I can.”
“Natural Resource Science with Haida Gwaii Semesters was an excellent experience for me […] Each student is treated as a valuable member of the school and there is an overwhelming sense of inclusiveness when on Haida Gwaii. The connections HGHES has to resources on Haida Gwaii are unparalleled and provide a unique field school setting. The school branches out to so many different people on Haida Gwaii to come speak to the class. As a class we were also brought to numerous locations around Haida Gwaii that provided excellent settings to learn about natural resource science such as estuaries, alpine meadows, forests, beaches, and bogs […] We were able to carry out activities such as analyzing acoustic recordings, setting up pit traps, using telemetry, and assessing habitat. It is neat to be able to do all of these things with the variety of people HGHES collaborates with.”
Looking for more information?
If you would like more information on this program, please contact hg.institute@ubc.ca
