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    Overview

    We face significant challenges including population growth, uneven development, over/under consumption, climate change, poverty, racism, and food security. Human Geography helps us to understand these challenges and imagine sustainable futures.

    Climate change, environmental degradation, pollution, violence, poverty, racism and food security are all pressing global and local issues that have implications for peoples’ everyday lives. Human geography explores these issues, identifying the root causes, and posing solutions.  Geographers draw on a range of concepts based on peoples’ relationships with the environment or places they live, and how being in different places and contexts shapes the problems, how they are experienced and the solutions posed. We explore how change is possible even when some of these crises seem overwhelming.

    Human geography is highly relevant to contemporary issues, and in this course, we will use a variety of case studies to help you develop your geographical knowledge, and your analytical and problem solving skills. These skills are of value to a range of professions, including (but not limited to) policy makers, planners, community developers, politicians, resource and environmental management consultants, local authority officers, and researchers.

    About this paper

    Paper title Geographies of Sustainable Futures
    Subject Geography
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period Semester 2 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $1,243.65
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music, Science
    Contact

    geography@otago.ac.nz

    Teaching staff

    Co-ordinator: To be confirmed.

    Teaching Fellow: Ben Varkalis

    Paper Structure

    Lectures cover four modules:

    • People, urbanisation and the economy
    • People, place and power
    • People, power and territory
    • People, food and sustainability
    Teaching Arrangements

    Three lectures per week and a tutorial every second week.

    Textbooks

    Textbooks are not required for this paper: a course reader can be purchased from the University copy shop or accessed from the Central Library.

    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Environmental literacy, Teamwork.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes

    Students who successfully complete this paper will:

    • Have a good understanding of the content, key concepts and core sub-disciplines in contemporary Human Geography
    • Be familiar with, and be able to apply, basic methods of study and techniques of analysis in Human Geography
    • Be able to interact and communicate effectively as a member of a small group
    • Be able to analyse critically and to communicate your analysis effectively, both orally and in writing
    • Be well prepared to progress to second-year papers in Geography and to apply geographical perspectives in other subjects you may be studying
    Assessment details

    Assessment is 50% internal (on-going during the semester) and 50% external (final examination)

    Timetable

    Semester 2

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard

    Lecture

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend
    A1 Tuesday 13:00-13:50 29-35, 37-42
    Wednesday 12:00-12:50 29-35, 37-42
    Thursday 11:00-11:50 29-35, 37-42

    Tutorial

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend one stream from
    A1 Thursday 16:00-16:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A2 Friday 15:00-15:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A3 Wednesday 16:00-16:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A4 Thursday 15:00-15:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A5 Friday 14:00-14:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A6 Thursday 14:00-14:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A7 Wednesday 14:00-14:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A8 Friday 12:00-12:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A9 Tuesday 16:00-16:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A10 Thursday 13:00-13:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A11 Friday 13:00-13:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A12 Tuesday 15:00-15:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A13 Tuesday 14:00-14:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
    A14 Wednesday 15:00-15:50 30-31, 33-35, 37-39
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