Fulbright Program Information on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

11588-IC

Polar Law

Iceland

Europe and Eurasia

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Award Details

Award Activity

The University of Akureyri offers a unique masters program in Polar law – the study of governance in the Arctic and the Antarctic. It is a highly international program, with most students coming from outside of Iceland, including the other Arctic states.

Teach in the Polar law program (masters level)and potentially some teaching in the undergraduate program. Precise teaching duties will be agreed in cooperation with the scholar in light of his or her areas of expertise and the period of the visit. However, we envisage teaching in a selection of the following courses (depending on field of scholar):
Introduction to Circumpolar Studies (masters) (Fall 2021)
Antarctic Law and Policy (Fall 2021)
Arctic Security and Cooperation (masters) (Fall 2021)
Development Economics in the Arctic and Arctic Economies (Fall 2021)
Public International Law (undergraduate and masters) (Fall 2021)
Human Rights Law (undergraduate) (Fall 2021)
Model Arctic Council (Spring 2022)
International Environmental Law (masters) (Spring 2022)
Environmental Governance in the Arctic (masters) (Spring 2022)
The Rights of Indigenous Peoples (masters) (Spring 2022)
Law of the Sea (undergraduate and masters) (Spring 2022)
Comparative Legal Systems (undergraduate) (Spring 2022)
The teaching would take place in seminar format: the teacher should lead with introductions to the materials and stimulate discussion. Class sizes are usually between 10 and 30 students.
Our undergraduate courses and some of the graduate courses are taught by means of flexible learning. Students may attend in person, attend classes live on-line or listen to recorded classes.
Often, a mix of communication methods is employed.
Books are required for some courses (for example, basic textbooks in international law, law of the sea, environmental law, and an introductory textbook on Arctic governance,etc.) but for others, sufficient material is available free of charge online (e.g., the Arctic Human Development Reports, documents of the Arctic Council, etc.). Even when a textbook is required, most courses require students to go beyond this and access materials online (e.g., international treaties, case law, multilateral declarations, etc.) and to use research databases (e.g., leitir.is and heinonline.org).

We would encourage the visiting scholar to give at least one public talk at the University of Akureyri and to participate at local seminars and conferences, including the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík in Fall 2021 and the Polar Law Symposium (location yet to be determined). The University of Akureyri publishes the annual Yearbook of Polar Law and the scholar will be encouraged to submit work for peer review in that journal. The scholar may also be requested to supervise theses at masters and/or undergraduate level. We will consult with the scholar regarding program development, pertaining both to content and teaching methods for the Polar law courses.

We would also like to encourage the selected Fulbright scholar to teach on our general law program which includes comparative legal studies. A considerable number of our courses are taught in English and we welcome exchange students every year.

Award Length

Approximately 4 months

Award Dates

Fall Term: 20th August 2021 - 18th December 2021;

Spring Term: 4th January 2022 – 14th May 2022

Locations

University of Akureyri in North Iceland

Flex Option

Discipline Type

Applications are sought in all disciplines

Areas of Interest

Applications are sought in all appropriate disciplines, but law is preferred. Political science with an emphasis on the Polar regions will also be considered.

Special Features

Akureyri is a family friendly town of 17,000 people. All children have the right to free public education from age 6-20 and, from 2- 6 years of age, subsidized kindergarten. We have good access to outdoor pursuits, including skiing, hiking, running, and cycling. We also have an excellent swimming pool complex with two 25 meter pools and a variety of hot-tubs, slides, and a steam bath.

The visiting scholar would work closely with the Faculty on Polar law, especially Professor
Rachael Lorna Johnstone, S.J.D.. Professor Johnstone is an expert in Polar law, having
published Arctic Governance in a Changing World (Rowman and Littlefield, Inc., 2019), Offshore Oil and Gas in the Arctic under International Law: Risk and Responsibility (Brill, 2015) and numerous academic articles and book chapters on international law in the Arctic and Arctic governance more broadly. The scholar would also work with Dr Antje Neumann, lecturer and expert in Polar law (with an emphasis on environmental law and the rights of indigenous peoples) and Ragnheiður Þorsteinsdóttir, lecturer and expert in international law (especially environmental law and European Union law) as well as our many visiting professors in Polar law.

Award Requirements

Application Requirements

Invitation Requirement

A letter of invitation is preferred

Language Proficiency Requirements

None, English is sufficient.

Applicant Profile

Additional Qualification Information

A doctoral degree is preferred. However, a scholar with at least a masters degree and a proven
track record of research and/or work in the relevant fields may also be considered.
Teaching experience at an institution of higher education is desirable but not essential.

International Law with an emphasis on Polar law (the law in the Arctic and the Antarctic).
Especially welcome are any of the following sub-fields:
Law of the sea
International environmental law
The law of indigenous peoples
International human rights law
Natural resource governance

Additional Information

Additional Comments

For further details about the polar law program, please contact Professor Rachael Lorna Johnstone: rlj@unak.is
For further details about the University of Akureyri or life in Akureyri, please contact our Project Manager for International Relations, Rúnar Gunnarsson: runarg@unak.is

Contact at the Fulbright Commission in Reykjavik, Iceland: fulbright@fulbright.is.

In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars will be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities‎.

Helpful Links

University of Akureyri

Polar Law Program

Visit Akureyri

Stipend & Benefits

Stipend

$4,000 per month or $4,500 per month for grantees with a dependent or dependents, payable monthly.

A dependent must stay in Iceland for at least 80% of the grant period to be eligible for a dependent supplement.

The grant is denominated in U.S. dollars but paid in Icelandic krona (ISK), according to the current exchange rate.

The grant is intended to cover living costs in Iceland. No separate housing allowance provided ( the grantee pays for housing out of the stipend).

Grantees are responsible for arranging their own housing, but the host institution is expected to assist the grantee in finding housing and settling in. Grantees whose host institution is in a rural setting can in some instances expect that their institution may provide housing.

Estimated Travel and Relocation Allowance

Travel allowance is a lump sum, $1,500, payable with the first grant payment.
Baggage allowance is $400, payable at the end of the grant period.

No receipts are required for travel and baggage allowance.

All allowances are denominated in U.S. dollars but paid in ISK, according to the current exchange rate.

Dependent Tuition Allowance

Children can attend primary and lower-secondary public schools at little or no cost. A limited stipend for tuition or other costs associated with bringing children to Iceland may be available, maximum 5.000 USD per grantee.

Special Award Benefits

The scholar will be invited to monthly grantee enrichment events provided by the Fulbright Commission during the academic year. Also, the scholar will be taken out to lunch at the beginning and end of the grant period for briefing, debriefing.

Special funding for disabled grantees
Funding is available for US Fulbright scholars to Iceland with a disability, be it a structural or functional impairment or activity/participation limitation, that entails additional costs that are not covered specifically through the Fulbright Program. Funding may be available for a wide range of disabilities, including, for example, hearing, vision or movement impairment. The funding could, for example, be used to assist with specialized housing needs, in-country transport or specialized assistance. The extra funding amount will depend on need and will be decided by the Commission after consultation with the scholar and can be expected to be between 2.000 and 9.000 USD. Funding is provided through the Bruce A. Fowler Mobility Fund.

Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.

Country/Area Overview

Summary

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program to Iceland offers up to six Fulbright-NSF research grants for the 2021-22 academic year, up to two grants in cyber-security and critical infrastructure, a teaching grant in folkloristics and an open teaching or teaching/research grant in any field, as well as an exciting joint grant opportunity with Fulbright Greece focusing on post-economic crash policies as they relate to a wide number of academic fields.

Overview

Iceland is a small Nordic country, an island republic in the North Atlantic, between the U.S. and the European mainland. Iceland is technologically advanced, English is widely spoken and Americans find Icelandic society and culture relatively easy to navigate.

There has been tremendous growth in academia in Iceland in recent years. On the one hand, the Fulbright Program aims, through teaching grants, to enhance and develop key disciplines at the university level and encourage newer and smaller departments. Being a small country, it is very important to the Icelandic higher education system to have access to Fulbright Scholars who have an important role to play in terms of broadening curricula and offering courses that would otherwise not be available, as well as bringing new perspectives in research. Fulbright Scholars make a real difference and have a large role in shaping courses and curricula. Research collaboration is also highly valued by Icelandic academics, who are eager for opportunities to host and collaborate with U.S. colleagues. Through the Commission´s partnership with the National Science Foundation, the goal is on the one hand to strengthen Arctic research in Iceland and promote cooperation amongst scientists in a wide variety of Arctic fields and on the other to strengthen collaboration in the field of cyber-security and critical infrastructure.

Fulbright Scholars are generally pleased with their stay in Iceland and find it very useful for their careers back home. For those grants where Fulbright Scholars are expected to teach and advise, the program is designed to ensure an opportunity for scholars to do their own research as well, if they so desire. Iceland provides very interesting research opportunities in many fields. As a small, highly technologically advanced country, Iceland is ideal for many types of research. English is widely spoken and much used in academia. Scholars can generally expect good access to people, institutions and information for research purposes.

Those who receive research grants will have opportunities to engage in some teaching and lecturing, if they so desire. Many find that this enhances their experience and is useful also for their research.

Even if not teaching, scholars are required to present some talks while in Iceland.

Teaching awards are for three to five months in the fall or spring semester. The fall semester starts at mid-to-end of August and ends around mid-December. The spring semester is from early January through mid-May. Research awards are more flexible in terms of timeframe and length, but must be completed within the allotted timeframe.

Iceland has spectacular nature and offers scholars an opportunity for unique outdoor experiences, in addition to a vibrant cultural scene and a cuisine that has been gaining international recognition. There is a good public school system, and scholars with children have generally had positive experiences.

Since the Fulbright Program in Iceland is relatively small, the Commission is able to maintain close ties with scholars during their stay and provide a sense of community among Fulbright scholars and fellows. There are monthly grantee activities sponsored by the Commission, in addition to access to Fulbright alumni events and other social activities.

Application Deadline

Closed

Activity

Teaching/Research

Degree Requirements

Ph.D. (or other terminal degree) not required

Number of Recipients

Program Staff

Outreach and Recruitment Specialist

Phone:

202-686-4000

Email:

EuropeEurasia@iie.org

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