Institute of Island Studies

The INSTITUTE OF ISLAND STUDIES is a research, education and public policy institute based at the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada. With an emphasis always on Prince Edward Island, the work of the Institute focuses on the culture, environment and economy of small islands.

The Institute's Advisory Board has adopted a four-point mandate:

To encourage a deep knowledge, understanding and expression of Prince Edward Island;
To serve as a bridge between the University and Island communities;
To contribute to the formulation of public policy in Prince Edward Island;
To undertake comparative studies of Prince Edward Island and other islands.

Since its founding in June 1985, the principal activity of the Institute has been the initiation and co-ordination of research projects. Areas of special interest have included Island culture, sustainable development, land use, and the knowledge economy. The topics dealt with have ranged from the present state of the Gaelic language on Prince Edward Island to a profile of traditional agricultural practices.

In partial fulfilment of its public policy mandate, the Institute organizes Public Forums on major contemporary issues such as environental policy, water quality, land use, economic development and electoral reform. Another popular program is the Island Lecture Series, co-sponsored with the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation. Up to 20 lectures are held in winter and spring in various Island communities. Focal issues for 2005-2006 will include international development on small islands, and sustainable forestry.

The publisher associated with the IIS, Island Studies Press, features books, videos, reports and brochures. A special component is the Island Studies Series, short monographs dealing with aspects of culture and environment of Prince Edward Island. The Institute also sponsors workshops, seminars and conferences.

Since 1990, the Institute has embarked on an active international program. An important defining event was the 1992 Conference, "An Island Living," devoted to jurisdictional and economic development issues in North Atlantic islands.

Inspired by the 1992 Conference, the Institute initiated a new inter-island research and exchange project. Founded in 1994, the North Atlantic Islands Programme (NAIP) originally focussed on four islands: Prince Edward Island Newfoundland, Iceland, and the Isle of Man. The NAIP has since expanded to include the Faroes, Åland, Cape Breton, Bermuda, the Western Isles of Scotland, and Tasmania.

In addition to participation in the NAIP, the Institute has carried out research with scholars and island-based academic institutions in all parts of the world.

In the fall of 2000, the University of Prince Edward Island offered its first academic courses in Island Studies. Courses can be credited toward an interdisciplinary Minor in Island Studies, a program designed to promote an understanding of selected features of the world's small islands, including their geographies, ecologies, cultures, political systems, histories, and societies.

The Institute of Island Studies promotes Island Studies as an emerging academic discipline, develops resources to support curriculum for the Minor and helps coordinate special summer course offerings. Since September 2003 the University of Prince Edward Island has also offered a Master of Arts degree in Island Studies (MAIS). IIS director Dr. Irene' Novaczek contributes to this program through guest lectures and praticipation in the MAIS steering committee.

The University of Prince Edward Island