Social-Ecological
Change


Haida Gwaii Semester in Social-Ecological Change

Next offering to be decided. Please contact hg.institute@ubc.ca for more information.

The Haida Gwaii Semester in Social-Ecological Change introduces students to the conceptual and theoretical foundations of systems thinking and change, innovation, and transformation. Through a look at local, national and global economic systems, Canadian and Aboriginal law and governance, social innovation and entrepreneurship; and the application of the pedagogical principles of transformative learning and critical self-reflection, students will explore systems change and reconciliation initiatives/processes on Haida Gwaii and beyond, and learn how to apply innovative tools for social-ecological change in their own lives and communities.



HGSE 380 - Systems Thinking and Social-Ecological Change

Students are introduced to theories of systems change, including complex systems thinking, resilience and transformation, transition management and other social science-based change theories. Students will apply conceptual and reflective tools with which to explore the complexity of the systems change across scales, from the level of the individual to the national and international. This course is intended to provide a framework and lens in which to approach the subsequent courses of the Haida Gwaii Semester In Social-Ecological Change.


HGSE 381 - Ecological Economics

The emerging discipline of ecological economics has been influenced by the intersection of political, economic and ecological systems. Students will look at the underlying philosophy and principles of ecological economics, including the cascading effects of change, unintended consequences of change, and why it might be difficult to separate our ecological goals from our political realities.


HGSE 382 - Political and Legal Aspects of Systems Change

This course explores the complex terrain of constitutional, legal, political-economic and ethical implications of Aboriginal law in Canada. The course will focus on the development of Aboriginal law as an innovation in shaping new contexts for Federal-, Provincial- and Corporate-Indigenous relations and its implications for systems transformation. This course will also provide students with the opportunity to understand the complexity of Indigenous-settler relationships and reconciliation processes across Canada with specific examples from Haida Gwaii.


HGSE 383 - Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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.


HGSE 384 - Case Studies in Social-Ecological Change

This course grounds the theories, concepts and practices of systems change and transformation presented in the other courses of the Haida Gwaii Semester in Social-Ecological Change. Students explore complex issues of social-ecological change in the current social-economic-political context of reconciliation initiatives and Indigenous governance; highlighting the Haida worldview and Haida ways of knowing and being with western understandings of social-ecological systems.