Courses - Faculty of Science
Geography
Stage I
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Understanding of the functioning of natural systems at the Earth's surface and human interactions with these systems. Examines the operation and interaction between Atmospheric, Hydrological, Ecological and Geomorphic systems. Environmental processes are an integrating theme. Topics include: climate and hydrological systems, ecological processes; surface sediment cycle; and processes governing development and dynamics of major landform types.
Geography of the Human Environment
Examines the relationships among personal geographies and global geographies of uneven development, economic, environmental and socio-cultural change. Using a variety of examples from New Zealand and the world we illustrate the connection between local places and global issues.
Mapping Our World
An introduction to contemporary geospatial technologies such as web-mapping, GPS and tracking devices (such as your phone), Remote Sensing and GIS. Covers key concepts and principles behind these tools and their use, along with practical experiences through laboratories. Critical and theoretical perspectives on the tools, their use, and their social impacts will be discussed.
Cities and Urbanism
What makes a great city? This course explores 'urbanism' in both historical and contemporary cities to determine the essence of urbanity and the way that citizens (and visitors) experience city life. The dynamics and character of cities are considered in terms of their built environment, environmental systems, population, social diversity, and planning policies and practices.
Geographic Information and Spatial Thinking
An introduction to the conceptual base of Geographic Information Science, the practical use of geo-spatial data and various societal issues related to the use of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems. Covers a range of contemporary geospatial technologies. It covers key concepts and principles behind the development and application of these technologies. The course exercises cover a range of application of GIS for analysis and display of spatial data, focusing on non-programmable solutions.
Restriction: EARTHSCI 210, GEOG 210, GISCI 140
Stage II
Cities, Regions and Communities
A critical examination of geographic processes and consequences in contemporary society. Topics are selected from the instructors' research interests, which include: the transformation of urban places and spaces; the forms and location of industries and retailing; social geographies of the city; New Zealand's linkages with the global economy and society; urban historical geographies; and demographic and social changes in New Zealand and the Pacific region.
Prerequisite: 60 points
Environment and Society
A critical exploration of the interconnectedness of environment and society. The course highlights the importance of understanding how different views and attitudes influence people's interactions with the environment. Key themes include governance, management and development, which are addressed through issues such as conservation, climate change adaptation, disasters and resource use. Classes draw on a variety of case studies from New Zealand and overseas.
Prerequisite: 60 points
Geographical Research in Practice
A critical exploration of the research experience in geography. Case studies and field work demonstrate approaches to understanding the complex interactions of social and environmental processes. Students will develop practical skills in problem identification, research methodologies, ethics and analytical practices.
Prerequisite: 60 points
Climate and Society
Exploration of themes in climatology, meteorology, hydro-climatology and oceanography with a focus on the nature and role of key processes. These will be examined in relation to key issues for society such as extreme weather events, drought, floods, air pollution and climate change.
Prerequisite: GEOG 101
Restriction: EARTHSCI 261
Geomorphology
Introduces fundamental concepts in geomorphology for geologists and physical geographers. Key aspects of geomorphology, sedimentology, and earth surface processes are introduced by studying the temporal and spatial development of coastal and river landforms. Applied techniques for earth and environmental sciences, including field, remote sensing, GIS mapping, and modelling.
Prerequisite: GEOG 101
Restriction: EARTHSCI 262
Stage III
Population, Health and Society
A survey of major themes in population, health and social geography. An examination of the dynamics of population complements analyses of health and healthcare, the education sector, the welfare state, and the changing character of urban places.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Urban Geography
Analysis of key processes shaping socio-cultural geographies of contemporary cities. Using international and local examples, issues such as the economy of cities, the culture of cities, home and housing, segregation and polarisation, the imaging of cities and sustainability are explored.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Geographies of Pacific Development
Examines development processes and issues in the countries of the Pacific. Themes will include development theory, colonialism, environment, population, economic systems, migration, gender, ethnicity and identity, geopolitics and international linkages, and development strategies.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Resources and Environmental Management
Examines the development and conservation of the environment in its use as a resource base, with particular reference to the way in which institutional structures in society determine provision and allocation. Attention is balanced between international experience and the policy framework in New Zealand. The course provides an understanding of key concepts, practices and methods.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Culture and Environment in East Asia
Takes a topical and regional approach to the geography of East Asia. The unity and diversity of East Asia, environment and cultural development, industrialisation and urbanisation, population problems and environmental management are emphasised.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Critical Perspectives on Sustainable Development
A critical evaluation of the challenges of sustainable development emphasising the structural and political factors that contribute to unequal development relations. Introduces a variety of theoretical frameworks to interrogate sustainable development strategies and solutions. The course focuses on integrating research and theory into practical learning.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
The Human Dimension of Disasters
An overview of the human dimension of disasters which covers crucial concepts and theories, vulnerability and the causes of disasters, disaster risk reduction and management, post-disaster recovery and transversal issues such as culture and gender. The discussions encompass not only theoretical but also policy and practical materials and draw on examples and case studies from throughout the world with a particular focus on the most vulnerable and marginalised areas and communities.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Politics, Markets and Economies
Uses geographical insights to explore the interrelationships between politics, economy and culture. The course focuses attention on institutions, subjectivity and the making of markets. It examines political projects and economic spaces such as higher education, food and creative economies at the regional, national, and global level.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Fluvial Geomorphology
An integrated study of hydrological and fluvial processes in a river basin context. Content includes interpretation of channel and floodplain landforms, flow and sediment transport relationships, and analysis of landscape evolution. Scientific principles are applied to selected practical problems.
Prerequisite: 45 points at Stage II, including EARTHSCI 262 or GEOG 262, or equivalent
Climate and Environment
Introduction to the concept that climate, although often perceived as a hazard, is in fact an important resource. Ways in which climate processes can create hazards or provide a range of resources will be explored. Knowledge concerning how observation systems and climate information can used for decision making, for example in urban planning, economic development and disaster risk reduction, will also be developed as will the procedures associated with the assessment of societal sensitivity to climate.
Prerequisite: 45 points at Stage II, including EARTHSCI 261 or GEOG 261, or equivalent
Environmental Change
An exploration of the nature and causes of change in selected aspects of the physical environment. Key themes are: a) natural processes driving environmental change and variability; b) humans as agents of change, and; c) biophysical and societal sensitivity to change. Course content will include past, present, and future interactions between society and environmental change, with examples primarily drawn from climatology, hydrology/water resources, and ecology.
Prerequisite: 45 points at Stage II, including EARTHSCI 261 or GEOG 261, or equivalent
Technology, Power and Social Change
Technology, algorithms, and Big data are changing our relationships with reality, space and power. This course explores how we know each other, society, and ourselves in this period of unprecedented technological change
Prerequisite: 45 points at Stage II
Coastal and Marine Studies
Focuses on the development of coastal landforms across a range of temporal and spatial scales. Introduces natural processes such as waves, tides and circulation, as well as geological-scale coastal evolution driven by changes in sea level and sediment supply. The course has an applied focus with specific emphasis on coastal management problems that affect society. Issues considered include coastal erosion during storms, the impacts of shoreline engineering, climate change and accelerating sea level rise.
Prerequisite: 45 points at Stage II, including EARTHSCI 262 or GEOG 262, or equivalent
Landscape, Environment and Heritage
An examination of environmental change from a historical geography perspective. Approaches to investigating and understanding the transformation of environments are explored, and processes driving creation of different types of landscapes including heritage places are considered. The course enables students to place the modern environment within a historical context.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II
Capstone: Geography
An engagement with the research process, as practised in geography. Students will undertake an independent research project and communicate their findings, with due attention to research design, methodology, research ethics, information sources, field practise, data analysis, and research communication. Independent or small group research projects may involve residential or local fieldwork, laboratory analysis, desktop analysis or other research activities.
Prerequisite: GEOG 250 and 30 points at Stage III in Geography
Postgraduate 700 Level Courses
Research in Practice
A reflection on the process of developing research projects from theory to methods, analysis, and the presentation of findings. Attention is directed to the ways in which research is shaped by intellectual histories, pressing social and environmental challenges, and contemporary academic and political debates. The course allows students to develop specialised interests in geography or environmental management.
Land, Place and Culture
Contemporary geographic perspectives on society and culture, focusing on a review of traditional and new cultural geographic approaches to the constructions of place and environment, ethnicity, gender and identity. No formal prerequisite, but an understanding of material in Stage III courses in human geography will be assumed.
Mobilities and Wellbeing
An exploration of place-based human mobilities and their influence on health and wellbeing, employing current theoretical perspectives. No formal prerequisite, but an understanding of material in Stage III courses in human geography will be assumed.
Development and New Regional Geographies
'Development' is place-dependent and takes place at a range of scales. This course considers economic, socio-cultural, geopolitical and environmental transformations of nations, regions, communities, and emerging or post-foundational political spaces focussing on examples from Pacific, Asia and New Zealand.
Contemporary Issues in Human Geography
A critical review of selected issues and debates in contemporary human geography.
Geographies of Housing and Urban Change
Advanced study of housing and urban issues, including the topics of homeownership, asset-based welfare, the politics of housing affordability, housing reforms and the changing dynamics of gentrification. Contemporary issues such as mortgage market dynamics and social rented housing reforms are examined. The course will consider also urban governance, office property investment and development processes, and sites of consumption and spectacle.
People, Participation and Development
A critical overview of issues associated with people’s participation in development in their geographical context, including processes and outcomes, accountability, empowerment and transformation in the context of livelihood strengthening, resource management, health and sanitation, education and disaster risk reduction. The course provides the students with theoretical knowledge but also practical skills through the use in class of participatory tools as both contents and teaching aids. Discussions rely upon concrete examples from throughout the world with a particular focus on marginalised places.
Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future
An exploration of the character and causes of past, present, and future climate change. Content includes examination of how and where climate is (or is not) currently changing, and uncertainties associated with future projections. The temporal focus will be on the Holocene and the Anthropocene, through to the end of the twenty-first century. A human society context will feature throughout.
Geographies of Public Policy
Exploring ‘policy’ — an all too familiar and taken for granted term — by focusing on how policies get made, how different actors and varieties of expertise influence the policy process, and how policies shape people and place. It introduces students to transdisciplinary conversations involving geographers, anthropologists, sociologists and urbanists.
Future Food and Biological Economies
Investigates contemporary understandings, issues and strategies relating to the development of biological economies and food networks in the context of the globalising food economy. Addresses transformations in agro-food complexes and questions of nature-society relationships to do with 'sustainable' and 'resilient' food production and consumption.
Research Topics in Geography
Directed research on an approved topic or topics.
Prerequisite: Approval of the Programme Coordinator
Applied Fluvial Geomorphology
Catchment-scale perspectives are used to analyse spatial and temporal variability in river forms and processes. River responses to disturbance are placed in a longer-term evolutionary context. Prospective river futures are appraised using field analyses and numerical modelling applications. These principles and techniques are used to discuss management options. No formal prerequisite but final year undergraduate experience in a related field required.
Applied Coastal Geomorphology
An advanced course on the process-form relationships that shape coastlines over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Coastal processes are examined with field experiments in which principles of experiment design and field deployment are demonstrated. Long-term evolutionary perspectives are examined using a range of field techniques. These short- and long-term approaches are then merged to address examples of applied coastal management problems. No formal prerequisite but an understanding equivalent to GEOG 351 will be assumed.
Current Issues in Coastal Management
Critical consideration of contemporary issues in coastal management. Topics may include: competition for coastal space and resources; vulnerability of coastal communities to climatic variability; scientific uncertainty in the decision making process; understanding the legacies of past planning decisions. Case studies are used to explore complexities of the physical and social dimensions of coastal management approaches within the context of current regulatory frameworks.
Applied Climate Science
An examination of climate themes relevant to society. Themes will vary but may include hydrology and water resources, agriculture, human health, ocean-atmosphere interaction and energy in the climate system. The sensitivity of selected biophysical and human activity systems to climate will be explored and the actual and potential impacts of climatic variability and change (past and future) investigated.
Environment and Landscape
Environmental change in New Zealand since European settlement, including exploitation of natural resources, the creation of different cultural landscapes, and recognition of places as natural and cultural heritage. Different approaches to investigating and understanding recent environmental change are addressed. The course is suitable for physical and social science students, and will enable them to place the modern environment within a historical context. The course may include short guided walks and a one day or two half-day fieldtrips.
Research Topics in Geography
Directed research on an approved topic or topics.
Prerequisite: Approval of the Programme Coordinator
Directed Study in Geography
Directed studies on an approved topic or topics.
Prerequisite: Academic Head approval
GIS and Spatial Data Handling
Advances spatial data handling, visualisation, and analysis methods as components of GIS as a methodology for approaching spatial problems (planning, resource management, spatial decision support, etc.) in Geography, providing postgraduate students with the ability to develop transferrable skillsets that they can use to support their independent research projects. No formal prerequisites but an understanding of introductory geographic information science equivalent to GEOG 210 or 242 will be presumed.
Restriction: GEOG 318
Spatial Analysis and Geocomputation
Approaches and challenges to analysing spatial data. Specific techniques will include spatial autocorrelation, geographical regression, point pattern analysis, interpolation, overlay analysis, and newer geocomputation methods. Students will gain an advanced knowledge of spatial analysis and be well-prepared for postgraduate research or professional practice. No formal prerequisite but an understanding equivalent to GEOG 318 will be assumed.
Advanced Raster Data Analysis
Concepts and theories underpinning digital analysis of raster data, including remotely sensed data, LiDAR data and digital elevation models. Sources, nature and accuracy of raster data, analysis and integration of raster data from diverse sources, and applications of raster data analysis in hydrology and environmental modelling. No formal prerequisite but an understanding equivalent to GEOG 317 or GISCI 341 will be assumed.
Visualisation and Cartography
Introduction to field of cartography, drawing contrasts with new approaches to geovisualisation facilitated by information visualisation and statistical graphics. Human perceptual and cognitive systems as related to visual displays. Principles of sound perceptual and cognitive map design. Planning, creation and delivery of cartographic and visualisation-based projects. Review of emerging and future trends in this fast-changing field.
Advanced Spatial Data Handling
Advanced approaches to spatial data handling (processing, management, visualisation, and analysis) in web-based environments, including theoretical debates and implications as well as applications for spatial data handling in integrated open-source and web-based mapping/GIS environments. There will be an applied laboratory component and lecture/seminar component where the broader social and theoretical implications of developments in spatial data handling will be engaged. No formal prerequisite, but an understanding equivalent to GEOG 318 will be assumed.
Programming, GIS Customisation and Web-mapping
Spatial databases, spatial data structures and algorithms and converting and handling spatial data. Introduction to programming (in Python). Principles of object- and component-oriented architectures including details relating to ArcGIS as an example. Open source and open standards, web-mapping as a case-study. No formal prerequisite but 15 points from GEOG 317-319, 342, GISCI 341-343 or equivalent will be assumed.
Honours Research Project - Level 9
To complete this course students must enrol in GEOG 789 A and B, or GEOG 789
