GEOG 202 : Cities, Regions and Communities

Science

2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

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.

Course Overview

The course explores changes in contemporary societies and explains these using core concepts and methods in human geography. Lectures and readings focus on central geographical concepts such as space and scale and the processes that shape social organisation and drive change at different scales. Topics offer a foretaste of the more advanced courses available in Stage III Human Geography. Tutorials, labs and assignments introduce students to techniques for analysing social change.
The course is valuable for any student preparing to work in educational, government, community or private sector occupations where it is important to be able to understand and engage with contemporary social change. It will complement and enrich the study programmes of students majoring in other social sciences such as political studies, history, economics, sociology and psychology. Students studying the environmental and natural sciences will find that this course offers a valuable introduction to the social processes with which they will have to engage in their future work, such as governance, management and economy.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 60 points

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Science

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify, describe and account for key social processes driving social and economic change (Capability 1, 2 and 6)
  2. Relate empirical observations from data analysis to theoretically-informed explanations of social, economic and cultural processes (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 6)
  3. Apply techniques for analysing and interpreting geographical data and social landscapes (Capability 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6)
  4. Debate with others a key contemporary issue shaping geographical processes (Capability 2, 3, 4 and 6)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Quizzes 3% Individual Coursework
Exercises 27% Individual Coursework
Test 10% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 60% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4
Quizzes
Exercises
Test
Final Exam

Special Requirements

Students are expected to attend tutorials and laboratories where the course exercises will be explained and debates about the material will be developed through group work.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 22 hours of lectures and 7 hours of tutorials and laboratories. We estimate that students will undertake approximately 73 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and 48 hours of work on assignments and/or test or exam preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled classes including lectures and laboratories/tutorials to complete components of the course. Lectures will be available as recordings but other learning activities including laboratories/tutorials will not be available as recordings.
Attendance on campus is required for the final examination.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable

Special advice for Offshore students
This course is available online to students resident offshore. The assessment and learning delivery mechanisms may differ from that presented in this Digital Course Outline. Please contact the Course Coordinator for further details: David Hayward (d.hayward@auckland.ac.nz).


Learning Resources

Learning resources will be provided section by section. There is no single set text for the paper. All resources will be available on-line through Canvas.

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.

Digital 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.

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 against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

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

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 your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

This course has been designed to continue under all Covid-19 alert levels. Under Level 1 the course will be delivered normally as specified in delivery mode. Under Level 2 you will not be required to attend in person. All teaching and assessment will have a remote option. Under Levels 3 and 4 all teaching activities and assessments will be delivered remotely.

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 you may be asked to submit your 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. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 04/03/2021 01:02 p.m.