University of Auckland

This course examines historical and contemporary drivers of design as a maker of socio-cultural meaning. Students will learn fundamental design principles used for communication and sense-making, applied across a variety of mediums and technologies. Students will be introduced to tikanga Māori and to the main ethical, socio-cultural, economic and environmental propellants of design.

This course examines human-centred design methods and tools that range from problem framing to prototyping, modelling, and validating solution ideas. Students will address a variety of briefs based on real-world problems and contexts, exploring their personal creative potential through a series of hands-on projects supported by presentations.

In this course, students will undertake a studio art project that responds to the challenges of the Anthropocene and climate change. The course explores related art and ideas from Aotearoa and overseas.

This course examines enterprising behavior in a multi-disciplinary manner relevant to understanding and addressing real world challenges of today. It introduces skills needed to identify and assess opportunities, solve problems creatively, communicate persuasively, work effectively in teams, and understand individual and organizational impact.

This course examines humans as social beings. It covers topics such as social cognition, attitudes, group processes, interpersonal relationships, and language communication. 

This course examines Pacific history from the Indigenous occupation of the Pacific to the late 1900s. It introduces the major narratives of the Pacific, using historical examples from all over the Pacific to highlight keys events and trends in Pacific history. It also focuses on the ways in which this history has been constructed and seeks to analyze Indigenous Pacific ways of telling history. 

This course examines the human dimension of disasters which covers crucial concepts and theories, vulnerability and the causes of disasters, disaster risk reduction and management, post-disaster recovery and transversal issues such as culture and gender. The discussions encompass not only theoretical but also policy and practical materials and draw on examples and case studies from throughout the world with a particular focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized areas and communities.

This course examines principles and best practices for effective communication within workplaces and organizations. It focuses on students’ skills in key areas including: professionalism in communication; listening skills; conflict resolution; and negotiation skills. Particular emphasis is given to the skills required for developing coherent and consistent communication strategies.