University of Otago

This course is an introduction to the role of the director, with emphasis on script analysis and interpretation.

This course examines institutions and processes of the New Zealand political system. It covers the way things work (like the voting system), what the major institutions are and what they do (like Parliament), and New Zealand’s political history. It will also encourage students to think critically about public policy, political parties, politicians, elections, social and political inequality, media, and to discuss major policy issues such climate change, student fees and debt, and New Zealand’s foreign policy.

This course examines the marketing environment, customer types, buyer behavior, market segmentation and product, pricing, distribution and promotion issues in the context of domestic and international product and service markets. Taking a firm centric perspective, it considers how marketing management creates value for an organization through the integration of market and customer information.

The course covers the foundational mathematical techniques (algebra, matrices, and calculus) required to understand finance, with an emphasis on applications (time value of money, portfolio optimization, and derivative securities).

The course introduces the psychology of religion, focusing on insights from contemporary cognitive and evolutionary psychology into human religious belief and behavior. It explores questions such as: Can science explain religious belief? What do cognitive and evolutionary theories reveal about belief in God? Is religion universal or a product of human evolution? How does religious belief develop in childhood? What social functions does religion serve? The course combines research from psychology and religious studies to examine topics including the psychology of atheism, terrorism, and the effects of religion on prejudice and tolerance.

This course examines theoretical concepts, debates and worldviews relevant to envisaging ‘just’ urban sustainability, based on comparative critical analyses of city transformations led by Indigenous, environmental and/or equity imperatives.

The course explores key theories that inform film and media studies and the discourses that define these disciplines. It offers an overview of theoretical approaches to moving images and visual cultures, interrogating theories of and through images alongside the politics of visibility, invisibility, and hypervisibility. The course covers topics such as third cinema, media spectacles, and video activism.

The course explores healthy and valuable soil systems, focusing on the soil microbiome, carbon sequestration, water retention, and sustainable production. It examines the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of soil and emphasizes strategies for soil regeneration.

This course examines biopsychology, sensation and perception, and cognitive processes. Topics will include sensation and perception, learning and memory, executive function and motor control. It considers these abilities and their underlying brain mechanisms across the developmental spectrum (from infancy to advanced ageing), as well as in populations with neurological conditions.