 Price$150 |  Duration2 hours |  DeliveryOnline |  StartsAnytime |
About this course
Explore Antarctica's human history, from the earliest ideas about the far south to the international cooperation that has made it a continent for peace and science. The course examines how imagination, exploration, exploitation and scientific discovery have shaped our relationship with Antarctica, beginning with the Indigenous connections to the Southern Ocean that long predate European voyages.
This comprehensive short course is part of the Antarctic Insights Course Series, an educational partnership between HX and the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). The series brings peer-reviewed polar science to anyone with an interest in the far south, whether you are preparing for a voyage, remembering one, or simply curious. This course stands alone, so no prior HX | UTAS study is required.
The course is organised into eight parts. It follows the history through sealing, whaling and early exploration, the 'Heroic Era' and the 'Mechanical Era', and the effects of World War II and the Cold War, before examining how international diplomacy led to the Antarctic Treaty System and how that history continues to shape debates about governance and conservation. Where a topic is covered in more depth elsewhere, you will be directed to the relevant companion course.
The course takes around two hours to complete. By taking this course, you are helping to fund the next generation of Antarctic researchers. A portion of your enrolment supports travel grants that enable researchers to reach departure ports, join HX expedition vessels and conduct new research, contributing to Antarctica's future as a continent for peace and science.
Course Structure
Explore Indigenous connections to the Southern Ocean and the early cultural and scientific ideas that shaped perceptions of a southern continent. Discover how these ideas evolved through exploration and mapping.
Learn how sealing and whaling drove early commercial activity in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. Explore the environmental consequences of these industries and the historical traces they left behind.
Discover the expeditions that charted Antarctic waters and helped establish knowledge of the continent. Explore the challenges of early exploration and the uncertainty surrounding the first sightings and landings.
Meet the explorers and expeditions associated with the race to the South Pole and hear their extraordinary survival stories. Learn about the ambitions, hardships and scientific discoveries that defined this period.
Explore how aircraft and mechanical transport transformed Antarctic exploration in the early twentieth century. Discover the successes and setbacks of pioneers who sought to explore the continent from above.
Discover how World War II and the Cold War heightened strategic interest in Antarctica, from Britain’s secret Operation Tabarin to expanding military and scientific activity. Examine the competing territorial claims and geopolitical tensions that threatened to turn the continent into a site of international conflict.
Learn how international scientific cooperation during the International Geophysical Year helped pave the way for the Antarctic Treaty. Explore how the Treaty and its associated agreements support peaceful cooperation, scientific research and environmental protection.
Discover how sled dogs supported Antarctic exploration, transport and scientific fieldwork for almost a century. Explore their close relationships with expeditioners, their changing role as technology advanced, and the environmental concerns that ultimately led to their removal from Antarctica.
What you will learn
This course explores Antarctica’s long human history, from early ideas about the far south and the industries that exploited its wildlife to the expeditions, scientific discoveries and international agreements that have shaped the continent. Discover how exploration and exploitation influenced Antarctica’s development, how the Antarctic Treaty System established a framework for international collaboration, and how people and sled dogs contributed to life in the frozen continent.
You can work through around two hours of content across eight parts, at your own pace and in one sitting or one part at a time. The course includes interviews with researchers, a glossary to help you understand specialist terminology, and a quiz that allows you to test your understanding. Completing the quiz with a score of 50% or higher makes you eligible for a Certificate of Completion, and you can attempt the quiz as many times as you like.
You can also combine this course with others in the Antarctic short course series to build your own bespoke Antarctic learning journey.
Interested in further study?
Expand your Antarctic knowledge with our Antarctic Insights Course Series.