SUMMER INSTITUTES
Expert-led professional development for a world with complex borders.
Our Summer Institutes are specialised, practitioner-oriented professional development programmes designed for border professionals, policy makers, and advanced scholars working at the front lines of global change.
Bringing together real-world policy expertise, world-leading research, and an international community of peers to help you deepen your expertise and increase your professional impact, the Summer Institutes are purpose-built for depth, credibility, and practical insight.
Borders are evolving, so must our expertise.
Join us online or in person at the University of Victoria to experience our annual summer institutes exploring contemporary borders. Learn from academics and policy experts from organizations around the world, collaborate with your peers, and earn a certificate in one of three areas of border management.
Micro-credential Programs
Earn a University of Victoria accredited credential.
Our Summer Institutes are flexible by design and structured for impact. Enrol in an individual summer institute as a standalone professional development experience, or choose to progressively stack institutes to work towards one of our three micro-credentials.
Navigate the complexities of border laws through a comprehensive exploration of diverse legal concepts. From territorial delimitations and international obstacles to the intricacies of managing cross-border regions, this is a unique opportunity to explore the evolving nature of modern border laws. If you want to further your professional development and gain an in-depth understanding of global border management and cross-border laws, this program is for you.
Borders and
Cross-border Law
Trade & Customs
This program will deepen your knowledge about the regulatory environment of trading networks, the practical trade applications and concerns related to artificial intelligence and machine learning and the challenges and opportunities in managing cross border regions. The courses in the program are facilitated by professionals from the Canada Border Services Agency, the Pacific North West Economic Region, and the World Customs Organization, as well as leading academics in the field of border studies.
3 weeks intensive
(Im)migration & Mobility
The credential in (Im)migration and Mobility examines the politics and policies of cross border regions and transboundary people, the complex global migration system and key and innovative aspects of border law. The program engages with scholars, industry experts, and civil society practitioners on contemporary challenges associated with cross border management.
3 weeks intensive
Micro-Credit Streams
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Border and Cross-Border Law
Follow the evolution of legal thinking about borders and assess the ways in which borders are used in legal and political spaces.
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Trade and Customs
Learn to evaluate and describe trade flows and the policy issues affecting trade in a globalizing world.
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(Im)migration and Mobility
Gain an understanding of the complex global migration system, the challenges to this system, & the migrants within it.
Individual Summer Courses
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Cross-Border Management in Comparative Perspective
Discover the challenges and opportunities in managing cross-border regions and transboundary people using case studies such as the Pacific Coast Cascadian region.
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Border Law and Border Disputes in the 21st Century
Explore the juridical complexity of borders and border disputes across disciplines including history, public and international law and cartography. Learn how to minimize friction between borderland communities during ongoing disputes over over territorial sovereignty, resource access, and more.
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Managing Borders and Migration
Learn about the complex and inter-related global migration regimes that facilitate easy movement for some and enforce restricted mobility for others.
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Trade and Customs Borders
Discover the regulatory environment of international trading networks and the practical trade applications of artificial intelligence.
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Border Security Management
Enhance your understanding of the protocols and governance structures that foster collaboration among states to address shared security challenges.
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Artificial Intelligence in Border Management
Learn about the practical applications of artificial intelligence in the facilitation of border activity and the enforcement of regulations.
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Indigenous Internationalisms and Border Crossings
Examine the ways that Indigenous nations express their relationships to lands and waters through complex diplomacies and forms of engagement.
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Ecological Border Management
Deepen your knowledge of the various approaches used across the world to tackle climate change at the global and cross-border levels as management issues rise beyond state boundary lines.
What our alumni say
Paola Malaspina
Educator and Policy Researcher
Italian Cultural & Community Center Houston, Texas
The Borders in Globalization Summer Institutes played a central role in shaping my research and professional path. The program strengthened my research and academic writing skills in English and helped focus my work on border-related issues in contexts such as Italy, France, and Switzerland. BIG’s interdisciplinary and collaborative approach has had a direct impact on my policy-oriented research and publications.
Yuriy Kosmyna
Migration and Border Governance Senior Programme Specialist IOM Mission in Ukraine Kyiv, Ukraine
The BIG Summer Institutes program delivered an exceptionally practical learning experience led by engaging, well-chosen lecturers who are true professionals from industry—a rare and valuable combination. The diverse, global perspectives of fellow participants enriched discussions and created a dynamic, case-driven learning environment. The practical insights I gained have had a meaningful impact on my daily work. Without hesitation, I would enthusiastically return to this program.
M.L. Chikomo
Lecturer, Development, Programming and Management Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University Bindura, Zimbabwe
The fellowship has greatly broadened my understanding of global border issues and strengthened my commitment to advancing inclusive and interdisciplinary approaches in my own work. I am truly thankful for the support, mentorship, and collaborative environment that the BIG Lab fosters.