University of Auckland

This course looks at the ways that people and cultures construct meaning for musics, and the ways they understand and transform those meanings. We look at how we make decisions about music and its production and the kinds of value that we all attach to different kinds of music; the personal, communal, religious, patriotic, emotional and economic roles that music may play in the lives of musicians, composers and listeners; and we consider examples and case studies are drawn from around the globe, encompassing contemporary urban and remote village settings.

This course explores the various facets of Maori knowledge, including genealogy - cosmic, theogenic and anthropogenic (whakapapa), traditional songs (moteatea), proverbs (whakatauki). The aim is todevelop an understanding of a Maori worldview and a "te ao marama" paradigm through studying Maori epistemology.

This course uses the life and legacy of Mao Zedong (1893-1976) as a way to navigate China’s tumultuous history. Mao is generally acknowledged as a towering figure in Chinese history whose personal legacy and political ideology continue to influence national and world politics today; yet a careful study of China’s 20th-century history reveals the limits and extent of the influence of a “revolutionary” such as Mao Zedong. What was life like for ordinary people? How did transnational flows of migration and culture alter Chinese society? How did women’s lives change as feudal patriarchal family systems began to share authority with the modern nation-state? How did people seek common cause and define life’s meaning? The course gives the context for China’s rise as a new global superpower.

This course introduces students to spoken and written French. It is delivered through two 90-minute sessions per week on campus, blended with an on-line component that uses up-to-date methodology and extensive multimedia materials. It is open to beginners or near beginners.

This course offers a cultural approach to social life, focusing on the way we experience the world and taking account of what we see, hear, and consume, and how we communicate. Sociological theory is explored through investigating various cultural media including film, advertizing, art, social media, sports, and video games.

Introduces design practice and tools to develop a user-centered approach to innovation. Students learn about design and, through cycles of empathy, creativity and prototyping, learn to design for innovation.

Tikanga, the customary system of values and practices that have developed over time and are deeply embedded in the social context, are dynamic and creative, constantly changing over time. This course explores how tikanga Maori have evolved since the first arrival of the tupuna in Aotearoa from the Pacific, and the arrival of settlers from Europe, Asia and elsewhere; trace historical debates among Maori and with other New Zealanders; and how tikanga Maori might contribute to pathways into the future.

This course provides an introduction to the physical and biological structure of the oceans, sea floor, coastlines, and the biological communities that inhabit them. Topics include an overview of the nature and scope of marine science globally and within the New Zealand and Auckland contexts. A wide coverage of marine science issues are presented with an emphasis on multidisciplinary examples.