Geography

This course examines interactions of individual plants and plant communities with their abiotic environment, including ground and surface water regimes and biogeochemistry at the local scale. It looks at how these interactions are linked to hydrological processes at the catchment scale and how these interactions can be applied to conserve or restore water-dependent vegetation and habitats at the local level.

The course introduces field study and geological surveying methods. The teaching material is lecture based and includes the concept of field geological surveying and the Heng-Chun Peninsula, which the class embarks on a four-day trip to Southern Taiwan to examine the rock and land formations of the area. Field practice is held during the semester, and performance during the field observation is the main determinant for performance assessment. Students who cannot participate in the field trip should not enroll in the course.

The course provides an introduction to the key concepts and applications of geomorphology, with particular reference to the understanding of fluvial, slope, coastal/marine systems. The course builds upon the basic understanding of earth systems and environmental change acquired during first year students, and facilitates a deeper appreciation of the conceptual and technical issues involved in understanding how landform morphology evolves at various time and space scales. Topics include a brief history of geomorphology, showing how it has emerged from geological origins as a distinct geoscience in its own right; key concepts related to the analysis of landform morphology and the understanding of temporal and spatial scales of landform change (including computer practicals); processes of sediment entrainment, transport, and deposition, illustrated in the context of hillslope, aeolian, fluvial and coastal landforms; and the concept of morphodynamics.

This course explores the changing roles of cities in an age of globalization. The first part examines cities as part of urban networks at the national, regional and international levels, and focuses on the implications arising from the rise of mega-cities and global cities. The second half investigates the challenges facing cities on the ground, including issues of the revitalization and re-imaging of city cores, changing retail landscapes, and the impact of telecommunications on the location of urban activities and peoples' mobility.

The course introduces students to the concepts, terminology, and methods related to analysis of spatial and temporal patterns in digital data. The course discusses and analyzes how patterns can be identified, measured, and tested statistically through a series of lectures, hands-on exercises, and student presentations.

The course provides an interdisciplinary overview of Irish society from the Restoration of the Established Church and monarchy in 1660 to Vatican II, c.1960, focusing on social, cultural, and political change, so as to further understanding of the shaping of modern Ireland. The course introduces students to the variety and complexities of the lives of people who lived in Ireland drawing on themes in cultural, political, and historical geographies, and including analysis of class, religion, place, patronage, politics, and territorial organization, the impact of landlordism and landscape transformation, the distribution of secular and religious institutions, and nation-building and state formation.

This course examines the relationships among personal and global geographies of environmental, economic and socio-cultural change. Using a variety of examples from New Zealand and the world, it illustrates the connections between local places and global issues.