University of Canterbury

This course examines the sociology of gangs, focusing on the historical development of gangs in New Zealand and the methods which have been taken to control them.

This course examines tree measurement, stand variables, growth and yield modelling, sampling, forest Inventory, log measurement, surveying and area measurement, mapping and aerial photography, and global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS).

This course examines a wide range of Maori writing in English, and situates these works within a vast and vibrant whakapapa of Maori creative production in Aotearoa and beyond. Key themes within the course include: purakau and their contemporary retellings, Maori futurism(s), representations of kai and palate politics, the relationship between birds, writers, and the written word, and narrative sovereignty.

This course examines the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be able to investigate and report on the sustainability of proposed site-specific land-uses in the context of dynamic Earth surface system behaviors. Specific topics studied will include principles of landscape evolution; the use of remote sensing data and computer simulations to analyze and understand surface processes; geomorphological mapping; response of rivers to changing environmental conditions; and synthesis of knowledge and skills in technical report production. 

This course examines classic and contemporary theory and research in personality psychology. It covers a variety of perspectives on personality, such as: psychoanalytic, genetic and evolutionary, cultural, biological, humanistic, trait and behavioral. In the laboratory sessions, students will take various personality assessment instruments and participate in experiments to gain first-hand insight into cutting-edge personality research.

This course provides foundational knowledge, understanding and practical skills aligned to complex challenges of the modern era from an Earth Science perspective. It covers geoscientific data collection, analysis and visualization, hazard analysis, and spatial mapping.

This course examines the genre of film as a key medium for the representation of children’s literature.  It will take a number of children’s ‘classics’, as well as three key 21st century novels for young readers, and considers how they have been adapted and interpreted in diverse ways, using varied film technologies, as entertainment objects for children, family and adult audiences. Topics will include: the emergence of cinema as a storytelling tool; development and impact of animation and special effects technologies; the importance of fairy tales in the development of children’s media; theories of adaptation; child-centred storytelling; theories of audiences and spectatorship; genre; fantasy; gender; humor and the grotesque; horror and the uncanny; and contemporary dystopian film and fiction. 
 

This course examines environmental hazards and disasters, with a particular focus on flooding and coastal hazards and the related impacts on human communities. Examples will be drawn from New Zealand, which will include a consideration of Maori experiences of and responses to disasters, and from overseas.

This course examines short-form prose storytelling with a focus on the short story. It covers a wide range of short story forms and structures. 

This course examines Indigenous literature which presents Indigenous creative production in Aotearoa in relation to Indigenous literatures around the globe.