Welcome to the Course
Welcome to the Ocean Leaders: Grand Challenges in Ocean Leadership course handbook. Here you will find the course syllabus, expectations, assignments, readings, digital resources, and more.
The Ocean Leaders course handbook is based on the original Training Our Future Ocean Leaders (Ocean Leaders) program at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF), University of British Columbia (UBC). The Ocean Leaders program was designed to train the next generation of marine researchers, focusing on graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. This handbook was created for the IOF Courses in the UBC Vancouver Summer Program 2023. The two courses, Grand Challenges Facing the Ocean and How to be an Ocean Leader are based on the original Ocean Leaders program, adapted to the 4-week undergraduate summer course format. These courses combined create the Ocean Leaders: Grand Challenges in Ocean Leadership undergraduate program.
Your Schedule (2024 coming soon)
Course Schedule 2023: The schedule is subject to changes as needed. Your instructors will keep you updated regarding any schedule changes.
Your Instructors
Meaghan Efford
m.efford@oceans.ubc.ca
Website
Julia Adelsheim
j.adelsheim@oceans.ubc.ca
Website
We will also have several Guest Speakers from the IOF Faculty, who will be supporting the Course.
Program Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain key challenges facing our oceans, and the people who need to manage them.
- Integrate a diverse array of information to develop nuanced appreciation of specific issues related to ocean futures, taking international agreements and obligations into account.
- Produce analyses on specific issues that can inform policy decision-making.
- Turn critical concerns about ocean issues into constructive contributions to progress toward sustainability.
- Propose, plan, and take action on ocean issues.
- Act to translate knowledge into policy action, drawing on mentorship and collaboration.
- Deploy new skills in communication (e.g. policy briefings, public presentations) in preparation for professional careers.
Course Description:
These courses will develop leadership and advocacy skills that are required to address key challenges facing the ocean, from overexploitation and marine pollution to climate change and ocean acidification. Students will address real-world challenges from the research and analysis stage through to the response and action stage under the guidance of the instructors. Through lectures, workshop activities, and a central project, students will learn about integrating and synthesizing disparate knowledge, project development, policy analysis and briefing, public communication, and knowledge translation.
The instructors focus on developing transferable capacity to improve the future of the ocean, rather than teaching technical skills that are specific to particular disciplines. Students will develop skills in oral presentations, written reports, novel legacy products, policy briefings, conventional and social media, working in interdisciplinary teams, integrating and synthesizing disparate knowledge, project development, policy analysis and briefing, public communication, and knowledge translation.
Students are mentored by instructors and collaborators with particular expertise and interest in the ocean challenge the students are addressing. Student work and initiatives will be presented at a “Making Waves” policy event. This will provide an opportunity to contribute to management and policy discussions, to engage with stakeholders and to collect feedback from the community.
Prerequisites:
This course is adapted from a graduate level course. Students are encouraged to have an interest in ocean leadership and issues relating to oceans generally, but are not expected to have any professional or educational experience in the topic.
