GEOG 102 : Geography of the Human Environment

Science

2024 Semester Two (1245) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

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.

Course Overview

Human geography is a diverse discipline that examines the complex relationships between people and places in the world we live in. This course introduces geographic approaches to environmental, economic, cultural, and social practices and processes in Aotearoa / New Zealand and beyond. What are their impacts on patterns of human development, socio-cultural change, and environmental contestation and transformation at local, national, and international scales? Geographic processes and outcomes are explored through a discussion of the social and political geographies, reconciling development and the environment, and geographies of the built environment.

GEOG 102 is a required course for Geography majors in a BA and BSc.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Science

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an introductory understanding of the breadth and depth of human geography (Capability 3 and 4)
  2. Critically evaluate theoretical geographical ideas using place-based case studies (Capability 1, 3 and 4)
  3. Perform reflectively and reflexively, ethical behaviour within academic practice (Capability 4, 6 and 8)
  4. Investigate, critique and resolve complex geographical problems in Aotearoa and beyond (Capability 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6)
  5. Actively work to organise, negotiate and synthesise geographical knowledge (Capability 3, 4, 5 and 7)
  6. Engage with diverse stakeholder positions by distinguishing multiple ways of seeing and valuing situated knowledges (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Quizzes 3% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination
Essay 20% Individual Coursework
Tutorial Participation 7% Group & Individual Coursework
Test 10% Individual Coursework
Exercise 10% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Quizzes
Final Exam
Essay
Tutorial Participation
Test
Exercise

This course does not contain plussage.

Tuākana

Tuākana Science is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/study-with-us/pacific-in-our-faculty.html
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/study-with-us/maori-in-our-faculty.html

As part of the University-wide Tuākana community, The School of Environment Tuākana Programme aims to provide a welcoming learning environment for, and enhance the success of, all of our Māori and Pacific students. We are led by the principles of tautoko (support) and whanaungatanga (connection), and hope you find a home here at the School. Students who have identified as Māori and/or Pacific will receive an invitation to our online portal introducing the Programme, the resources we have available, and how you can get involved.

Māori and Pacific students are encouraged to contact Sonia Fonua (s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz) for information about the Tuākana programme.

Special Requirements

Attendance at on-campus tutorials are required in this course.

Workload Expectations

The course is designed with a budget of 150 hours of a student’s time. This conforms to the University and the Ministry of Education guidelines for a 15-point course. There are 30 hours of lectures, approximately 24 hours of reading accompanying the lectures, and 10 hours of tutorials. These leaves 86 hours to complete the coursework and study for your exam.  

At a University level, students must manage their own workload. Please be aware that poor time management is a key cause of student anxiety. There are key crisis points, such as Weeks 5, 7, and 10, when assessment due dates often overlap in multiple courses. Please try and be proactive and plan to avoid this by completing your coursework as early as possible.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

  • Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including tutorials and lectures.
  • Lectures will be available as recordings. Tutorials will not be available as recordings.
  • The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Course texts: there is NO set textbook for this course. This course has made a commitment to reduce costs where possible for students. All readings are electronically available through Reading Lists on Canvas. Thus University publishes the reading list once the semester begins. The required reading should be completed after the relevant lecture.

Lectures provide a comprehensive introduction to the topics to be examined but your grade will be greatly enhanced by reading widely and critically. We strongly urge you to take personal responsibility for your own learning and increase your understanding and appreciation of the subject by following up on lecture material with your own study program.

At a minimum, you are expected to complete the required readings as part of your course workload (additional readings can be recommended by staff upon request). The best practice is to attend the lecture first and then read the required reading. Try to do this as close to the lecture time as possible when the information is still fresh. You should only be spending about an hour per reading. Each lecture usually has one required reading or two short required readings. 

Student Feedback

During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.

At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.

Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.

 

Other Information

 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

You must not have previously submitted your GEOG 102 coursework in this or any other subject.
Please note:
  • It is the student's responsibility to read and adhere to the University's policies, which can be viewed at: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/teaching-learning/academic-integrity/tl-about-academic-integrity.html
  • Staff encourage students to work together but do not share electronic copies of their coursework. Enabling another to cheat is also a form of academic misconduct
  • Referen©ite – this web resource provides guidance on correctly acknowledging sources of information: http://www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/
For the purposes of this course, no coursework should contain quoted material (quotes will not be marked). When critically engaging with academic sources, we want to see your understanding of these sources. All coursework must be paraphrased (put in your own words) with the appropriate in-text citation. Quotes without “quote marks”, even if there is an in-text citation, are plagiarised!

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

 

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.

You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

 

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

GEOG 102 strives to be a safe, inclusive and equitable space that supports the University of Auckland's commitment to Zero Tolerance for Discrimination. See the inclusive learning link on the Canvas Syllabus Page for further information.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

  

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

 

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Please note:
  • This page is designed to provide information for non-enrolled students. Please see Canvas two weeks prior to the start of the semester once enrolled. The key document is the Course Guide under modules.
  • For Bachelor of Arts students, please ignore the above link to the Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Science. Unfortunately, this link cannot be removed. The capabilities for this course were mapped to the University of Auckland Graduate Profile not the Bachelor of Science Graduate Profile: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/graduate-profile.html 
  • The learning outcomes are mapped to the University of Auckland Graduate Profile themes. The learning outcomes of this course seek to deliver either all or part of the identified University of Auckland Graduate Profile theme(s).
  • Information provided above was correct on the 20 October 2022.
  •  Please contact the Course Coordinator, Salene Schloffel-Armstrong , for further details (s.schloffelarmstrong@auckland.ac.nz).