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Overview
Course structure
The Master of Geography is a 200-point program.
The course can be taken as coursework only, or as coursework with a minor or major research thesis. Depending on the option you choose, this is what your course structure will look like:
Subject type | Coursework only | Coursework + minor thesis | Coursework + major thesis |
---|---|---|---|
Discipline core | 25 points | 25 points | 25 points |
Geography practical | 12.5 points | – | – |
Discipline electives | 137.5 points | 100 points | 50 or 62.5 points |
Professional skills | 25 points | 25 points | 12.5 or 25 points |
Research thesis | – | 50 points | 100 points |
You’ll select your elective subjects from the large range on offer, in one of three streams:
- Physical geography
- Human geography
- Integrated geography.
There’s plenty of opportunity to get out into the field, with a number of fieldwork electives on offer, including field classes to China, East Timor, central Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.
If you’d like to gain experience in an environment-related workplace, one of your electives can be a 200-hour international internship in environment.
If you choose the coursework-only stream of the Master of Geography, you’ll complete a geography practical subject that provides masters-level training in desktop, field or laboratory techniques.
If you choose a stream with a research thesis, you’ll work on a real-world geography research question over 12 or 24 months, with the support of an expert supervisor. There’s incredible diversity in what you can study: from flood management in Bangladesh, to love and marriage practices in India, to the politics of climate change mitigation in Australia. Read about potential research projects.
We know that you’ll need professional skills to give you the edge in the workplace, so you’ll be able to select from a wide range of high-level professional subjects, including science communication, modelling, business, ethics and more.
Explore this course
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this degree.
All students
- Contemporary Geographical Thought12.5 pts
This subject is concerned with the history and philosophy of geography and is designed to introduce students to key debates, both past and present, on the nature and scope of geography as an academic discipline. It therefore sets out an essential context for understanding contemporary research in human and physical geography, as well for understanding the nature of interdisciplinary research. Students who complete this subject will be able to think critically about different schools of geographical thought; be able to evaluate theoretical concepts from geography and elsewhere; and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic and contested nature of the discipline. Students will also gain insights into a selected issue at the leading-edge of contemporary geographical research. Finally, via a seminar diary, students will critically evaluate how contemporary geographic research is communicated via research seminars within the School and, where relevant, in other schools/departments of the university.
- Research Methods in Geography12.5 pts
The subject provides a conceptual and practical overview of the diverse research methods used in geography. It is designed to help commencing Master of Geography students (or equivalent) prepare for their research projects, and is taught in intensive mode in February. Topics covered include the scope of geographical research, the socio-political context of research, research design, sampling design and data collection, data analysis and presentation, project feasibility and management, ethics, oral and written presentation skills. Practical skills will include a range of quantitative and qualitative methods used by geographers.
Coursework-only
- Geography Practical12.5 pts
The subject will provide Masters-level training in desktop, field and/or laboratory techniques that serve as preparation for the completion of a capstone subject in the Master of Geography. Students will choose a topic area/project from a list provided by School of Geography academic staff.
Physical Geography Stream
- The Disaster Resilient City12.5 pts
This subject examines the impacts of disasters in cities. It will explore why some groups are more vulnerable to particular hazards than others, while considering the role of social capital and adaptation for increasing the resilience of urban communities to disasters.This is important because the trend towards increasing urbanisation and larger cities is a major contributor to the rising toll of disaster losses globally. In addition, climate change predictions indicate that natural hazards such as bushfires, floods, storms and cyclones are likely to increase in intensity and possibly also frequency in many places, including cities. Contemporary cases will be used to highlight key issues and policy debates. Implications for urban planning and disaster planning and management in cities and at the rural-urban interface will be considered.
Cases and examples will be drawn from around the world, primarily from developed countries. Students will have the opportunity to examine case/s of their own choosing (with approval from the subject coordinator), and will undertake locally based research in preparation of the field report. There will be a local field trip associated with this subject.
- Riverine Landscapes: Hydrology & Ecology12.5 pts
This subject examines principles in the two disciplines of hydrology and ecology, emphasising the application of both to understand how to solve environmental management problems in river ecosystems. The subject examines water in terms of quantity and quality; and the physical channel and floodplain systems in which it is conveyed and stored, along with transported materials such as sediments and organic matter. The subject also examines population, community and ecosystem dynamics of riverine organisms and their geographical distributions and diversities. Through practicals and fieldwork, students should develop skills in acquiring, analysing and presenting hydrological and ecological data, and in the identification and proper field sampling of stream biota. Students should become aware of the multidisciplinary nature of environmental management and the need for critical examination of ideas in the literature.
- Local Sites, Global Connections12.5 pts
This field class subject, combining on-campus classes with periodic off-campus field work in the Melbourne area, asks the question: in what ways are local sites globally connected? Sites selected for field study around Melbourne will vary year by year, as will the specific processes studied geographically at those sites. For example, study might be made of a selection of places and communities damaged by recent bushfire or flood, investigating how globally-sourced advice, personnel and equipment played a part in responding to those events, forging lasting links between those local places and the sources of their global assistance. Or, the global sources of contamination of local ocean sites might be studied. Or, the global worlds of social media might be mapped, by looking at a set of local social media users within particular urban populations. Or, the manner in which local environmental or urban policies may be drawn from overseas situations might be examined and critiqued, involving investigation of governance sites/settings in our local area and the ways they connect globally.
This is a field class subject, for which the field work will be conducted in Melbourne or its immediate environs. It is not an intensive subject.
Note this subject may be taken as the Capstone subject in the Geography major of the BA and BSc. All students, whether they are capstone students or not, will be required to complete online introductory learning materials that are common across all field classes.
- Climate Change Politics and Policy12.5 pts
This subject introduces and analyses critical concepts and terms central to debates over climate change, including risk and uncertainty, adaptation and mitigation, burden sharing, and problems and issues relating to regimes, strategies and policy instruments for addressing global warming. The subject considers the rise of climate change as a policy problem. It reviews and analyses the history of climate change policy as it has evolved nationally and internationally. It examines the interactions between national and regional climate policy, including in Australia, the United States, the European Union and China. It analyses debates and concerns that have led to the evolution of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and more recent arrangements. Students will consider a range of policy instruments, including carbon taxes and emissions trading, and technologies that have been proposed or deployed to address this issue. This subject enables students to understand the evolution of a critical global environmental issue. It offers insights into technical, political, ethical and ecological issues that have framed climate change policy, particularly since 1992, and enables students to think critically about and participate in developing policy in this domain.
- Environmental Policy12.5 pts
This subject provides an introduction to critical concepts and issues related to environmental policy development and implementation, with specific reference to national and international policy domains. Students are introduced to relevant concepts, theoretical issues and practical tools for policy makers. They consider case studies relating to climate change, ozone depletion, water, land degradation, forest preservation, waste and 'sustainability planning'. These case studies include Australian, developing country and international dimensions and considerations. The subject is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will gain a practical understanding of issues confronting policymakers for a range of environment problems and solutions available to them.
- Environmental Impact Assessment12.5 pts
This subject prepares students for environmental management roles by providing them with the principles of how human impacts on the environment might be detected and managed. The principles will be placed within the legal and social contexts of environmental impact assessment. At the completion of the subject, students should understand three aspects: prediction of the kind of changes that might occur with human activities; the design and implementation of proper monitoring programs that can detect changes; and assessment of those changes. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on the practical implementation of principles.
- Environmental Risk Assessment12.5 pts
Environmental Risk Assessment aims to provide you with the skills to undertake and critically evaluate environmental risk assessments. We outline the history and social context of risk and explore the psychology of risk perception. You will be introduced to quantitative and qualitative tools with the objective of giving you the ability to select, apply and assess technical and socially based risk assessment. The subject is structured to develop your skills in writing reports and participating in group exercises.
While the contact period is six intensive days, the learning period is longer. Reading materials are distributed in September and a small assessment task is set to encourage you to be fully prepared. You will be required to complete a take-home examination and a substantial practical report in the weeks following the course.
The subject is made up of lectures in the mornings and practical exercises in the afternoons. It assumes no formal background in quantitative methods. An understanding of basic statistical concepts (means, medians, standard deviations, confidence intervals, basic linear regression) is an advantage. If you have not been involved in an undergraduate statistics class before, contact the subject coordinator to discuss your options.
- Sustainable Food Production12.5 pts
Currently, there is more than sufficient food produced on a global scale to feed the population. This has been an upward trend throughout agricultural history, whereby humans have altered their cultivation habits to produce more. However, the continued rise in productivity is unlikely to continue under current systems within which resources are finite. The full impacts of this on a global scale are yet to be experienced by much of the population, largely in developed areas, although viability has dropped in many food producing systems due to increases in input costs of fuel, water, fertilizers and pest and disease control. Meanwhile, at the regional scale, food production systems are already found to be unsustainable with dropping productivity in previously fertile and highly productive areas. The reasons for the production declines are varied and complex, ranging from climate impacts to unsustainable cultivation methods leading to land degradation, reduced fertility and biodiversity required for healthy ecosystems. This subject will explore the biological issues contributing to the reduction of productivity we are currently observing in these fragile agricultural systems and explore the future issues that are likely to impact on systems thought to currently be more stable. We will thereby understand the components that contribute to sustainable food productivity and learn which of these are most unsustainable and will require future investment in systems change to maintain productivity.
- Integrated River & Catchment Management12.5 pts
Rivers are amongst the hardest of natural resources to manage. They are long and thin, and so maximise the impact of catchment changes; they also focus environmental, social and production pressures. Rivers are the archetypal example of the conflict between private and public goods. In most western countries we have done an effective job of degrading these resources. The last 20 years has seen a transformation in the way rivers have been managed. We are now less concerned with protecting people from rivers (via flood mitigation), and more focused on environmental rehabilitation and protection. This subject equips students to manage rivers more effectively by integrating catchment management activities. In reality, there are not many things that we do to manage rivers: change landuse, change flow, change water quality, change riparian vegetation, or make structural changes to the river. In this course we concentrate on (a) how much do you have to alter each of these management levers in order to produce the most cost effective improvements in river condition and sustainability; (b) how do we integrate the management of many levers at different scales; and (c) how do we evaluate whether we have had any effect. The subject has a strong emphasis on how to develop strong and successful policy for managing natural systems. The principles for managing rivers apply to managing most natural resources, so students can be confident of learning general management and policy principles.
- China Field Class PG25 pts
This subject consists of a two-week field class in China in July with some pre-departure (in semester 1) and post-field-trip (in semester 2) workshops/seminars in Melbourne. The subject is designed to develop students' interests in Asia, in China in particular, and in the interactions between society, economy, government, and the environment. While in China, students will interact with local communities, academics and environmental managers who will inform them about issues and processes in China. These interactions will be supplemented by site visits and household interviews. The field trip will be under the supervision of the subject coordinator. Students are responsible for the cost of travel, accommodation and food.
- International Internship in Environment25 pts
International Internship in the Environment is an elective subject available to students in the Master of Geography, Master of Environment or Master of Ecosystem Management and Conservation. Eligible students gain subject credit for a placement with an organisation based in another country. It provides students with the opportunity to gain exposure to a different cultural setting and to think critically about the nature of the relationship between theory and practice.
The broad aim of the internship is to provide the opportunity for graduate students to gain invaluable practical experience and to build their networks with industry, government or NGOs in order to further enhance their knowledge and skills in their chosen area of study. Students will have the chance to make a positive contribution to the host organisation by applying their previous experience, skills and knowledge gained through study.
To enrol into this subject students will be in the final 100 points of their Masters’ degree in the semester they intend to enrol. Students will also seek coordinator permission one semester prior to enrolling into this subject.
Students will complete all necessary internship and travel paperwork PRIOR to enrolment in the subject.
Students will generally need to meet the cost of travel and subsistence in the destination country.
Completion of Internship Placement and Risk Assessment form and the on-line Student Travel Registration https://safety.unimelb.edu.au/management/implement
- Coastal Landforms and Management12.5 pts
This subject provides a detailed understanding about the dynamics of coastal landforms, the processes driving change and the impact on human occupation of the coastal zone. The coast is one of the most intensively utilised landscapes worldwide and Australia is no exception. Population densities and development pressures are all rapidly rising providing ever increasing stress on the landscape. Intense human development is however a relatively recent phenomena. Coastal landforms operate over much longer timescales than people. Beaches and dunes have natural cycles of erosion and deposition of decadal to centennial scales while cliffs may have a history of several thousand years. It is therefore impossible to successfully manage, or simply enjoy this environment without knowledge of how it evolved and operates. During this course we will explore the operation and management of the key landforms found at the shore.
- Global Climate Change In Context12.5 pts
This subject examines the nature and causes of past changes in Earth’s climate during the Quaternary Period (the last 2.7 million years), with a particular emphasis on the last glacial-interglacial cycle. It aims to place modern climate and the projections of future global warming into a longer-term perspective, and will allow students to understand why human interference in the climate system may be a legitimate cause for concern. Emphasis is placed on how Earth materials (ice, rocks, sediments, biological materials) record past climate changes, the techniques used to extract this ‘palaeoenvironmental information’, and the principles that govern how this information is interpreted. A series of lectures covering the theoretical elements of the subject will immediately precede 10 days of field study (in either Tasmania, mainland SE Australia or New Zealand). The field component focuses on how particular environments (e.g. coastal, lake, fluvial, cave, and glacial) preserve evidence of past climate change. Additional lectures and practicals following completion of the field work will focus on the types of analytical methods employed in this field, the nature of the data that are produced and how these are processed and interpreted. By the end of the subject, students will not only appreciate the dynamics of Earth’s past climate and the mechanisms that have forced it, but also the way in which we practice this important and growing field of study.
Student numbers are subject to a quota. . The estimated cost of the field trip is in the vicinity of $900.
- Biogeography and Ecology of Fire12.5 pts
Fire is one of the most important controls over the distribution of vegetation on Earth. This subject examines the role of fire in natural systems, with a particular emphasis on the importance of fire in determining global vegetation patterns and dynamics over long periods of time. The aim is to understand how terrestrial systems have evolved to cope with and exploit fire, and to place the extreme flammability of Australia's vegetation within a global context. The subject will examine concepts such as resilience, positive feedback loops, hysteresis and alternative stable states. The use of fire by humans to manipulate environments will be examined, with a particular emphasis on the variety of approaches employed by people across a diversity of environments over long periods of time, allowing an exploration of the social and cultural dynamics of fire and environmental management. A March field excursion in Tasmania will visit a number of sites which will exemplify the subject themes. The practical exercises leading up to the field trip will focus on how to gather fire-related ecological data. The practical exercises following the field trip will be devoted to processing, analysing, interpreting and reporting on the field data. At the end of the subject, students will have gained an understanding of the way in which fire has shaped natural systems, as well as acquiring the skills necessary to formulate and test hypotheses.
More information about the subject and field trip can be seen at: http://michaelsresearch.wordpress.com/GEOG30025/
The estimated additional cost of the 7 day field trip to Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, is in the vicinity of $750.
- Foundations of Spatial Information12.5 pts
AIMS
This is an introductory subject to Geograhpic Information Systems (GIS) and Geographic Information Science, both practically and theoretically, at postgraduate level. Spatial information is ubiquitous in decision making. Be it in urban planning, in traffic or disaster management, in way-finding, in issues of the environment, public health and sustainability, or in economic contexts: the question of 'where' is a fundamental one. Spatial information is also special in many respects, such as its dimensionality and autocorrelation, its volume, its links to the Internet of Things (things are always located somewhere), to social networks (which exist in space and time), to streaming data from sensors everywhere, or to intelligent (location-aware) systems. The subject provides the foundations for more specialized subjects on spatial data management, spatial data analysis and spatial data visualization, and is of particular relevance to people wishing to establish a career in the spatial information industry, the environmental or planning industry. It is also suited for every postgraduate student who is looking for solid GIS skills.
INDICATIVE CONTENT
We will discuss representations and analysis of this information in spatial information technologies, from location-based services to geographic information systems. Topics addressed are observing the environment; spatial and spatiotemporal data representations, spatial analysis and spatial communication. The practical part will introduce to GIS in a hands-on manner, starting in individual software training and then applying new skills in a team-designed GIS project.
- Climate Science for Decision-Making12.5 pts
Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time. This subject covers the basics of climate science - including climate change, natural variability, extremes, climate scenarios, and detection and attribution - and how this translates into impacts on society, ecosystems and economies. The subject focuses on the production of climate science and data and how its creation, analysis, and use informs decisions made from multiple perspectives and across multiple levels, including governments, industry and communities. The subject has a particular focus on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. To develop practical skills, students are required to apply knowledge from the course to develop and justify various stakeholder positions, policies, or business cases. Students will build climate profiles for relevant stakeholders in order to assess and debate how national or other circumstances frame responses at the local, state and international level.
- Indigenous Land Management12.5 pts
As Australian landscapes continue to degrade under current land management practices, land managers and stake-holders are looking toward alternative and more sustainable land management strategies, such as indigenous land management and traditional knowledge. This subject looks at how indigenous people in Australia manage their environment and how management practices vary across the Australian landscape. The subject will examine indigenous land management in Australia and abroad, and evaluate how traditional knowledge and beliefs guide approaches to land management. We will examine examples where indigenous land management has been reintroduced to landscapes in Australia and investigate the potential application of similar schemes across different parts of Australia. The subject will be taught as a 14-day intensive during the mid-semester break, comprising lectures and field observations in western Victoria and the Northern Territory. These two very different regions will be used to examine the relationship between environmental context, indigenous land management and post-colonial history. Lectures will provide the necessary conceptual framework with which to engage and understand the different environmental contexts and indigenous land management practices of these regions.
More information about this subject and the field trips can be seen at: http://michaelsresearch.wordpress.com/geog90019/
This subject will incur additional fees in the vicinity of $900 per student to cover travel.
- East Timor Field Class12.5 pts
This subject consists of a 12-day field trip to East Timor in mid-year break with a series of compulsory pre-departure information sessions in semester 1 and a post-trip workshop in early Semester two. The subject is designed to develop students’ understanding of the Asia-Pacific region and in particular of the complex geographies of sm. all island and post-conflict states. Students will gain an in situ appreciation of the historical and contemporary issues relevant to East Timor and develop their empirical and analytical research skills while carrying out small group research into the impacts of conflict, climate and culture on social and economic development and the environment. While in East Timor, students will participate in a number of rural, urban and remote site visits during which time they will interact with local communities, civil society leaders, academics, government and aid organizations. The field trip will be under the supervision of the subject coordinators. Students are responsible for the cost of airfares, internal travel, accommodation and food.
The East Timor field subject (GEOG30026/ GEOG90025) involves a full program of activities comprising travel to and around East Timor, including across remote and rough terrain using various modes of transportation (car, boat, foot). Students will be provided with privileged access to local Timorese communities and experiences, in both an urban, regional and rural setting. The East Timor Field Course can be emotionally and physically demanding and will include a level of personal intensity and challenge, and students are expected to manage their own personal health and safety.
Human Geography Stream
- Sustainable Development12.5 pts
Everyone knows what ‘Sustainable Development’ is, but if you stop to think, it may become less clear. Sustainable development has become a chameleon, suiting different needs and fulfilling different roles for different people with different interests. In this subject, we will explore this appealing-yet-slippery idea with the aim of deciding whether it is a suitable concept with which to explore the cultural, environmental, and economic challenges facing society. Is sustainable development a useful idea, do we need to move on, or can we take it back?
In addition to the debates over sustainable development, this subject will provide students with the skills needed to examine, analyse, and report on challenges related to their interests. At its heart, the subject explores the primary question of sustainable development, which is whether it can be useful in a world (seemingly) approaching numerous catastrophic tipping points. The climate is changing, the oceans are acidifying, the soils cannot keep producing our food, and wealth is being concentrated amongst a smaller and smaller segment of the world. Is sustainable development helpful in understanding, and ideally changing, these trends?
There are also more practical considerations surrounding the debate over sustainable development. Some people might be interested in having a greater impact on the world through development projects, micro-credit, or volunteering. Is sustainable development helpful? Can the concept help individuals seeking to improve our world (or at least trying)? Does it help ensure that their efforts are beneficial and not perverted by opposing interests and processes?
It is also worth considering whether sustainable development might not be better thought of as an analytical framing: as a way of pulling apart problems or projects in order to better understand or assess their impact on ecological sustainability, development, or economics? Is sustainable development an analytical tool for making sense of ‘wicked’ problems?
In this subject we will review the history of sustainable development, which draws together literature from Geography, Sociology, Engineering, Psychology, Economics, and the Sciences. We will explore critiques of sustainable development, and force ourselves to consider whether it is possible, practical, or even useful in the ‘real world’. We will explore several key challenges, using sustainable development as a lens or framing. And finally and most creatively, we will attempt to reinterpret sustainable development in a world of growing inequality.
For more information see: http://briansresearch.wordpress.com/teaching/sustainable-development/
- The Disaster Resilient City12.5 pts
This subject examines the impacts of disasters in cities. It will explore why some groups are more vulnerable to particular hazards than others, while considering the role of social capital and adaptation for increasing the resilience of urban communities to disasters.This is important because the trend towards increasing urbanisation and larger cities is a major contributor to the rising toll of disaster losses globally. In addition, climate change predictions indicate that natural hazards such as bushfires, floods, storms and cyclones are likely to increase in intensity and possibly also frequency in many places, including cities. Contemporary cases will be used to highlight key issues and policy debates. Implications for urban planning and disaster planning and management in cities and at the rural-urban interface will be considered.
Cases and examples will be drawn from around the world, primarily from developed countries. Students will have the opportunity to examine case/s of their own choosing (with approval from the subject coordinator), and will undertake locally based research in preparation of the field report. There will be a local field trip associated with this subject.
- Riverine Landscapes: Hydrology & Ecology12.5 pts
This subject examines principles in the two disciplines of hydrology and ecology, emphasising the application of both to understand how to solve environmental management problems in river ecosystems. The subject examines water in terms of quantity and quality; and the physical channel and floodplain systems in which it is conveyed and stored, along with transported materials such as sediments and organic matter. The subject also examines population, community and ecosystem dynamics of riverine organisms and their geographical distributions and diversities. Through practicals and fieldwork, students should develop skills in acquiring, analysing and presenting hydrological and ecological data, and in the identification and proper field sampling of stream biota. Students should become aware of the multidisciplinary nature of environmental management and the need for critical examination of ideas in the literature.
- Africa: Environment, Development, People12.5 pts
This subject introduces students to the physical environment, history and development challenges facing contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa. Students will examine in detail intellectual and ethical debates surrounding the strategies undertaken by postcolonial African states and the overseas development “industry” to tackle poverty, inequality, environmental change and the colonial legacy. Students will consider how Africa’s problems are portrayed and understood by the rest of the world. Topics may include: the physical environment and competing understandings of environmental change; the history and governance of the continent; regional case studies (West Africa and the D.R. Congo); agrarian transformations and rural livelihoods; development projects and rise of the NGO; military conflict and mineral wealth; hunger, famine, and the controversies of the relief industry; forestry; wildlife conservation; and urban geographies.
- Local Sites, Global Connections12.5 pts
This field class subject, combining on-campus classes with periodic off-campus field work in the Melbourne area, asks the question: in what ways are local sites globally connected? Sites selected for field study around Melbourne will vary year by year, as will the specific processes studied geographically at those sites. For example, study might be made of a selection of places and communities damaged by recent bushfire or flood, investigating how globally-sourced advice, personnel and equipment played a part in responding to those events, forging lasting links between those local places and the sources of their global assistance. Or, the global sources of contamination of local ocean sites might be studied. Or, the global worlds of social media might be mapped, by looking at a set of local social media users within particular urban populations. Or, the manner in which local environmental or urban policies may be drawn from overseas situations might be examined and critiqued, involving investigation of governance sites/settings in our local area and the ways they connect globally.
This is a field class subject, for which the field work will be conducted in Melbourne or its immediate environs. It is not an intensive subject.
Note this subject may be taken as the Capstone subject in the Geography major of the BA and BSc. All students, whether they are capstone students or not, will be required to complete online introductory learning materials that are common across all field classes.
- The Political Ecology of Development12.5 pts
The subject will help students understand human-environment relationships and key development issues using a political ecology perspective, with cases from developing and developed countries. Political ecologists use a variety of approaches to understand complex human-environment problems, and these are applied to concrete situations. We critically analyze a number of development initiatives that are reconstituting human-environment relationships and, in some cases, promoting new forms of ‘environmental governance’. The range of topics covered does change, and some indicative ones are; supporting rural livelihoods; water management; conservation policy; urban environmental governance; the environmental outcomes of corporate misdeeds; global land grabbing; and environmental movements. Through a seminar presentation, reading, and participation, students will learn how different institutions, and the politics surrounding them, impose constraints upon, and present opportunities for, the promotion of sustainable and equitable development.
- Climate Change Politics and Policy12.5 pts
This subject introduces and analyses critical concepts and terms central to debates over climate change, including risk and uncertainty, adaptation and mitigation, burden sharing, and problems and issues relating to regimes, strategies and policy instruments for addressing global warming. The subject considers the rise of climate change as a policy problem. It reviews and analyses the history of climate change policy as it has evolved nationally and internationally. It examines the interactions between national and regional climate policy, including in Australia, the United States, the European Union and China. It analyses debates and concerns that have led to the evolution of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and more recent arrangements. Students will consider a range of policy instruments, including carbon taxes and emissions trading, and technologies that have been proposed or deployed to address this issue. This subject enables students to understand the evolution of a critical global environmental issue. It offers insights into technical, political, ethical and ecological issues that have framed climate change policy, particularly since 1992, and enables students to think critically about and participate in developing policy in this domain.
- Environmental Policy12.5 pts
This subject provides an introduction to critical concepts and issues related to environmental policy development and implementation, with specific reference to national and international policy domains. Students are introduced to relevant concepts, theoretical issues and practical tools for policy makers. They consider case studies relating to climate change, ozone depletion, water, land degradation, forest preservation, waste and 'sustainability planning'. These case studies include Australian, developing country and international dimensions and considerations. The subject is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will gain a practical understanding of issues confronting policymakers for a range of environment problems and solutions available to them.
- Social Impact Assessment and Evaluation12.5 pts
This subject develops the skills to understand and assess the social impacts of development, including international development projects, resource management, and proposed infrastructure or new policies. We do this in two ways: by looking at how to assess the impacts of proposed projects, and through evaluation techniques for existing developments or projects. In each case we develop practical skills and interdisciplinary techniques to appraise and evaluate impacts. These techniques draw from anthropology, development studies, and the policy sciences, and move beyond simple summative assessments and financial accounting. We consider the social and environmental contexts in which any form of appraisal is embedded, and the capacities of different actors (from the state to NGOs and community groups) to avert or mitigate negative impacts through learning, negotiation, and citizen participation. Examples, some presented by guest speakers, are drawn from Australia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. At the completion of the subject students will have developed the conceptual skills to understand the impacts of development; be familiar with the range of methodologies and techniques used in impact assessment; understand development evaluation; and will be able to apply this in critical evaluation of the impact of projects and programmes.
- Environmental Impact Assessment12.5 pts
This subject prepares students for environmental management roles by providing them with the principles of how human impacts on the environment might be detected and managed. The principles will be placed within the legal and social contexts of environmental impact assessment. At the completion of the subject, students should understand three aspects: prediction of the kind of changes that might occur with human activities; the design and implementation of proper monitoring programs that can detect changes; and assessment of those changes. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on the practical implementation of principles.
- Environmental Risk Assessment12.5 pts
Environmental Risk Assessment aims to provide you with the skills to undertake and critically evaluate environmental risk assessments. We outline the history and social context of risk and explore the psychology of risk perception. You will be introduced to quantitative and qualitative tools with the objective of giving you the ability to select, apply and assess technical and socially based risk assessment. The subject is structured to develop your skills in writing reports and participating in group exercises.
While the contact period is six intensive days, the learning period is longer. Reading materials are distributed in September and a small assessment task is set to encourage you to be fully prepared. You will be required to complete a take-home examination and a substantial practical report in the weeks following the course.
The subject is made up of lectures in the mornings and practical exercises in the afternoons. It assumes no formal background in quantitative methods. An understanding of basic statistical concepts (means, medians, standard deviations, confidence intervals, basic linear regression) is an advantage. If you have not been involved in an undergraduate statistics class before, contact the subject coordinator to discuss your options.
- Sustainable Food Production12.5 pts
Currently, there is more than sufficient food produced on a global scale to feed the population. This has been an upward trend throughout agricultural history, whereby humans have altered their cultivation habits to produce more. However, the continued rise in productivity is unlikely to continue under current systems within which resources are finite. The full impacts of this on a global scale are yet to be experienced by much of the population, largely in developed areas, although viability has dropped in many food producing systems due to increases in input costs of fuel, water, fertilizers and pest and disease control. Meanwhile, at the regional scale, food production systems are already found to be unsustainable with dropping productivity in previously fertile and highly productive areas. The reasons for the production declines are varied and complex, ranging from climate impacts to unsustainable cultivation methods leading to land degradation, reduced fertility and biodiversity required for healthy ecosystems. This subject will explore the biological issues contributing to the reduction of productivity we are currently observing in these fragile agricultural systems and explore the future issues that are likely to impact on systems thought to currently be more stable. We will thereby understand the components that contribute to sustainable food productivity and learn which of these are most unsustainable and will require future investment in systems change to maintain productivity.
- China Field Class PG25 pts
This subject consists of a two-week field class in China in July with some pre-departure (in semester 1) and post-field-trip (in semester 2) workshops/seminars in Melbourne. The subject is designed to develop students' interests in Asia, in China in particular, and in the interactions between society, economy, government, and the environment. While in China, students will interact with local communities, academics and environmental managers who will inform them about issues and processes in China. These interactions will be supplemented by site visits and household interviews. The field trip will be under the supervision of the subject coordinator. Students are responsible for the cost of travel, accommodation and food.
- Risk Management and Citizen Science12.5 pts
Interactions between risk managers and publics represent the ‘coalface’ for disaster risk reduction. Despite the centrality of these relationships, they are rarely the focus of teaching and learning. This challenge is acute in the context of ‘risk management’, where competing theories and the diversity of cases and factors contribute to masses of content, often with little connection to skill development for students. Furthermore, risk is by its nature difficult to study and often dangerous, making experience-based inquiry exceptionally rare but desperately needed. This subject addresses this gap by providing students with active participation and experience with community engagement through self-directed field research.
This subject will train students to utilise the Community Engagement for Disaster Risk Reduction (CEDRR) methodology, which uses traditional door-knocking between the emergency services and publics, but alters those interactions in order to nurture inter-personal relationships. The subject and method is premised on research that demonstrates that publics do not respond to ‘top-down instructions’ nor to awareness raising. In this subject, students will learn community engagement by doing it with individuals in their social networks (e.g., friends, neighbours, family).
Students will use the web-application for data collection, producing data that will form the basis of their assessments. The subject will deliver skills not currently taught in Australian universities, skills that organisations are increasingly seeking given acceptance that community engagement, participation, and citizen science are required for effective governance.
- Conservation and Cultural Environments12.5 pts
This subject provides students with advanced level analysis and interpretation of the range of issues associated with the conservation and management of cultural environments. The subject advances student knowledge of cross cultural issues as they relate to natural and cultural resource management in diverse socio-cultural environments and examines specific issues pertaining to the evaluation and management of cultural resources. The range of topics includes conservation trends; world heritage cultural landscapes; heritage and conservation management tensions; valuing nature through diverse knowledge interfaces; and the reclamation of ethnographic images and objects by indigenous and local peoples
- International Internship in Environment25 pts
International Internship in the Environment is an elective subject available to students in the Master of Geography, Master of Environment or Master of Ecosystem Management and Conservation. Eligible students gain subject credit for a placement with an organisation based in another country. It provides students with the opportunity to gain exposure to a different cultural setting and to think critically about the nature of the relationship between theory and practice.
The broad aim of the internship is to provide the opportunity for graduate students to gain invaluable practical experience and to build their networks with industry, government or NGOs in order to further enhance their knowledge and skills in their chosen area of study. Students will have the chance to make a positive contribution to the host organisation by applying their previous experience, skills and knowledge gained through study.
To enrol into this subject students will be in the final 100 points of their Masters’ degree in the semester they intend to enrol. Students will also seek coordinator permission one semester prior to enrolling into this subject.
Students will complete all necessary internship and travel paperwork PRIOR to enrolment in the subject.
Students will generally need to meet the cost of travel and subsistence in the destination country.
Completion of Internship Placement and Risk Assessment form and the on-line Student Travel Registration https://safety.unimelb.edu.au/management/implement
- Foundations of Spatial Information12.5 pts
AIMS
This is an introductory subject to Geograhpic Information Systems (GIS) and Geographic Information Science, both practically and theoretically, at postgraduate level. Spatial information is ubiquitous in decision making. Be it in urban planning, in traffic or disaster management, in way-finding, in issues of the environment, public health and sustainability, or in economic contexts: the question of 'where' is a fundamental one. Spatial information is also special in many respects, such as its dimensionality and autocorrelation, its volume, its links to the Internet of Things (things are always located somewhere), to social networks (which exist in space and time), to streaming data from sensors everywhere, or to intelligent (location-aware) systems. The subject provides the foundations for more specialized subjects on spatial data management, spatial data analysis and spatial data visualization, and is of particular relevance to people wishing to establish a career in the spatial information industry, the environmental or planning industry. It is also suited for every postgraduate student who is looking for solid GIS skills.
INDICATIVE CONTENT
We will discuss representations and analysis of this information in spatial information technologies, from location-based services to geographic information systems. Topics addressed are observing the environment; spatial and spatiotemporal data representations, spatial analysis and spatial communication. The practical part will introduce to GIS in a hands-on manner, starting in individual software training and then applying new skills in a team-designed GIS project.
- Climate Science for Decision-Making12.5 pts
Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time. This subject covers the basics of climate science - including climate change, natural variability, extremes, climate scenarios, and detection and attribution - and how this translates into impacts on society, ecosystems and economies. The subject focuses on the production of climate science and data and how its creation, analysis, and use informs decisions made from multiple perspectives and across multiple levels, including governments, industry and communities. The subject has a particular focus on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. To develop practical skills, students are required to apply knowledge from the course to develop and justify various stakeholder positions, policies, or business cases. Students will build climate profiles for relevant stakeholders in order to assess and debate how national or other circumstances frame responses at the local, state and international level.
- Indigenous Land Management12.5 pts
As Australian landscapes continue to degrade under current land management practices, land managers and stake-holders are looking toward alternative and more sustainable land management strategies, such as indigenous land management and traditional knowledge. This subject looks at how indigenous people in Australia manage their environment and how management practices vary across the Australian landscape. The subject will examine indigenous land management in Australia and abroad, and evaluate how traditional knowledge and beliefs guide approaches to land management. We will examine examples where indigenous land management has been reintroduced to landscapes in Australia and investigate the potential application of similar schemes across different parts of Australia. The subject will be taught as a 14-day intensive during the mid-semester break, comprising lectures and field observations in western Victoria and the Northern Territory. These two very different regions will be used to examine the relationship between environmental context, indigenous land management and post-colonial history. Lectures will provide the necessary conceptual framework with which to engage and understand the different environmental contexts and indigenous land management practices of these regions.
More information about this subject and the field trips can be seen at: http://michaelsresearch.wordpress.com/geog90019/
This subject will incur additional fees in the vicinity of $900 per student to cover travel.
- East Timor Field Class12.5 pts
This subject consists of a 12-day field trip to East Timor in mid-year break with a series of compulsory pre-departure information sessions in semester 1 and a post-trip workshop in early Semester two. The subject is designed to develop students’ understanding of the Asia-Pacific region and in particular of the complex geographies of sm. all island and post-conflict states. Students will gain an in situ appreciation of the historical and contemporary issues relevant to East Timor and develop their empirical and analytical research skills while carrying out small group research into the impacts of conflict, climate and culture on social and economic development and the environment. While in East Timor, students will participate in a number of rural, urban and remote site visits during which time they will interact with local communities, civil society leaders, academics, government and aid organizations. The field trip will be under the supervision of the subject coordinators. Students are responsible for the cost of airfares, internal travel, accommodation and food.
The East Timor field subject (GEOG30026/ GEOG90025) involves a full program of activities comprising travel to and around East Timor, including across remote and rough terrain using various modes of transportation (car, boat, foot). Students will be provided with privileged access to local Timorese communities and experiences, in both an urban, regional and rural setting. The East Timor Field Course can be emotionally and physically demanding and will include a level of personal intensity and challenge, and students are expected to manage their own personal health and safety.
- Climate Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas12.5 pts
This subject will integrate ethical, technical, geopolitical and economic perspectives to examine the moral challenges climate change raises.
In a first introductory module, we will delve into fundamental ethical questions raised by climate change: (i) our moral duties towards future generations and the planet as a whole (ii) the moral duties of past and current major polluters, (iii) the collective and personal responsibilities in addressing its effects.
In the second module, we’ll review current perspectives and evidence from climate change science, the processes contributing to global emissions and their potential mitigation, and the impact climate change has on the environment. We will specifically address climate skepticism, exploring the role of the media, political propaganda and willful ignorance in sustaining it.
The subject’s core module will focus on specific ethical dilemmas we face in mitigating and adapting to the future effects of climate change:
- energy policy: How should we weigh costs, benefits, risks and uncertainties associated with low pollution solutions such as blue carbon, biofuels or nuclear energy?
- animals and food: How do we decide which food industries should be promoted to help mitigate climate change? What moral duties do we have in this context toward animal species, freedoms of choice, open markets?
- planning our future cities: Should we reduce emissions and build resilience to climate change impacts within our cities by creating dense, high-rise communities disconnected from nature?
- the global South: how should the burden of reducing global emissions be shared among states, and reconciled with the legitimate aspirations to economic development of the global South (and South East Asia more specifically)? Is there an obligation to assist small-island nations or poor and more vulnerable countries?
In a coda, we’ll explore how climate change migration might challenge our post-WW2 understanding of refugees and their rights to protection. We will examine how the issues of poverty and climate change intersect to produce new waves of mass migration, and what are Australia's obligations when it comes to responding to that challenge.
- China and the Environment12.5 pts
This subject provides an introduction to the key environmental challenges in contemporary China and to China’s environmental governance. The subject is structured around four topics: water resources, land resources, air pollution, and energy and climate change. For each of these topics lectures and tutorials will analyse impacts, policy and governance arrangements, citizen and NGO involvement, government and media discourse, and international linkages. Students will be introduced to key theoretical debates in China studies, development studies and human geography to help them understand the complexities of China’s environmental challenges. Using the environment as a lens, students will gain an understanding of politics and state-society relations in contemporary China.
Integrated Geography Stream
- Sustainable Development12.5 pts
Everyone knows what ‘Sustainable Development’ is, but if you stop to think, it may become less clear. Sustainable development has become a chameleon, suiting different needs and fulfilling different roles for different people with different interests. In this subject, we will explore this appealing-yet-slippery idea with the aim of deciding whether it is a suitable concept with which to explore the cultural, environmental, and economic challenges facing society. Is sustainable development a useful idea, do we need to move on, or can we take it back?
In addition to the debates over sustainable development, this subject will provide students with the skills needed to examine, analyse, and report on challenges related to their interests. At its heart, the subject explores the primary question of sustainable development, which is whether it can be useful in a world (seemingly) approaching numerous catastrophic tipping points. The climate is changing, the oceans are acidifying, the soils cannot keep producing our food, and wealth is being concentrated amongst a smaller and smaller segment of the world. Is sustainable development helpful in understanding, and ideally changing, these trends?
There are also more practical considerations surrounding the debate over sustainable development. Some people might be interested in having a greater impact on the world through development projects, micro-credit, or volunteering. Is sustainable development helpful? Can the concept help individuals seeking to improve our world (or at least trying)? Does it help ensure that their efforts are beneficial and not perverted by opposing interests and processes?
It is also worth considering whether sustainable development might not be better thought of as an analytical framing: as a way of pulling apart problems or projects in order to better understand or assess their impact on ecological sustainability, development, or economics? Is sustainable development an analytical tool for making sense of ‘wicked’ problems?
In this subject we will review the history of sustainable development, which draws together literature from Geography, Sociology, Engineering, Psychology, Economics, and the Sciences. We will explore critiques of sustainable development, and force ourselves to consider whether it is possible, practical, or even useful in the ‘real world’. We will explore several key challenges, using sustainable development as a lens or framing. And finally and most creatively, we will attempt to reinterpret sustainable development in a world of growing inequality.
For more information see: http://briansresearch.wordpress.com/teaching/sustainable-development/
- The Disaster Resilient City12.5 pts
This subject examines the impacts of disasters in cities. It will explore why some groups are more vulnerable to particular hazards than others, while considering the role of social capital and adaptation for increasing the resilience of urban communities to disasters.This is important because the trend towards increasing urbanisation and larger cities is a major contributor to the rising toll of disaster losses globally. In addition, climate change predictions indicate that natural hazards such as bushfires, floods, storms and cyclones are likely to increase in intensity and possibly also frequency in many places, including cities. Contemporary cases will be used to highlight key issues and policy debates. Implications for urban planning and disaster planning and management in cities and at the rural-urban interface will be considered.
Cases and examples will be drawn from around the world, primarily from developed countries. Students will have the opportunity to examine case/s of their own choosing (with approval from the subject coordinator), and will undertake locally based research in preparation of the field report. There will be a local field trip associated with this subject.
- Riverine Landscapes: Hydrology & Ecology12.5 pts
This subject examines principles in the two disciplines of hydrology and ecology, emphasising the application of both to understand how to solve environmental management problems in river ecosystems. The subject examines water in terms of quantity and quality; and the physical channel and floodplain systems in which it is conveyed and stored, along with transported materials such as sediments and organic matter. The subject also examines population, community and ecosystem dynamics of riverine organisms and their geographical distributions and diversities. Through practicals and fieldwork, students should develop skills in acquiring, analysing and presenting hydrological and ecological data, and in the identification and proper field sampling of stream biota. Students should become aware of the multidisciplinary nature of environmental management and the need for critical examination of ideas in the literature.
- Africa: Environment, Development, People12.5 pts
This subject introduces students to the physical environment, history and development challenges facing contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa. Students will examine in detail intellectual and ethical debates surrounding the strategies undertaken by postcolonial African states and the overseas development “industry” to tackle poverty, inequality, environmental change and the colonial legacy. Students will consider how Africa’s problems are portrayed and understood by the rest of the world. Topics may include: the physical environment and competing understandings of environmental change; the history and governance of the continent; regional case studies (West Africa and the D.R. Congo); agrarian transformations and rural livelihoods; development projects and rise of the NGO; military conflict and mineral wealth; hunger, famine, and the controversies of the relief industry; forestry; wildlife conservation; and urban geographies.
- Local Sites, Global Connections12.5 pts
This field class subject, combining on-campus classes with periodic off-campus field work in the Melbourne area, asks the question: in what ways are local sites globally connected? Sites selected for field study around Melbourne will vary year by year, as will the specific processes studied geographically at those sites. For example, study might be made of a selection of places and communities damaged by recent bushfire or flood, investigating how globally-sourced advice, personnel and equipment played a part in responding to those events, forging lasting links between those local places and the sources of their global assistance. Or, the global sources of contamination of local ocean sites might be studied. Or, the global worlds of social media might be mapped, by looking at a set of local social media users within particular urban populations. Or, the manner in which local environmental or urban policies may be drawn from overseas situations might be examined and critiqued, involving investigation of governance sites/settings in our local area and the ways they connect globally.
This is a field class subject, for which the field work will be conducted in Melbourne or its immediate environs. It is not an intensive subject.
Note this subject may be taken as the Capstone subject in the Geography major of the BA and BSc. All students, whether they are capstone students or not, will be required to complete online introductory learning materials that are common across all field classes.
- The Political Ecology of Development12.5 pts
The subject will help students understand human-environment relationships and key development issues using a political ecology perspective, with cases from developing and developed countries. Political ecologists use a variety of approaches to understand complex human-environment problems, and these are applied to concrete situations. We critically analyze a number of development initiatives that are reconstituting human-environment relationships and, in some cases, promoting new forms of ‘environmental governance’. The range of topics covered does change, and some indicative ones are; supporting rural livelihoods; water management; conservation policy; urban environmental governance; the environmental outcomes of corporate misdeeds; global land grabbing; and environmental movements. Through a seminar presentation, reading, and participation, students will learn how different institutions, and the politics surrounding them, impose constraints upon, and present opportunities for, the promotion of sustainable and equitable development.
- Climate Change Politics and Policy12.5 pts
This subject introduces and analyses critical concepts and terms central to debates over climate change, including risk and uncertainty, adaptation and mitigation, burden sharing, and problems and issues relating to regimes, strategies and policy instruments for addressing global warming. The subject considers the rise of climate change as a policy problem. It reviews and analyses the history of climate change policy as it has evolved nationally and internationally. It examines the interactions between national and regional climate policy, including in Australia, the United States, the European Union and China. It analyses debates and concerns that have led to the evolution of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and more recent arrangements. Students will consider a range of policy instruments, including carbon taxes and emissions trading, and technologies that have been proposed or deployed to address this issue. This subject enables students to understand the evolution of a critical global environmental issue. It offers insights into technical, political, ethical and ecological issues that have framed climate change policy, particularly since 1992, and enables students to think critically about and participate in developing policy in this domain.
- Environmental Policy12.5 pts
This subject provides an introduction to critical concepts and issues related to environmental policy development and implementation, with specific reference to national and international policy domains. Students are introduced to relevant concepts, theoretical issues and practical tools for policy makers. They consider case studies relating to climate change, ozone depletion, water, land degradation, forest preservation, waste and 'sustainability planning'. These case studies include Australian, developing country and international dimensions and considerations. The subject is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will gain a practical understanding of issues confronting policymakers for a range of environment problems and solutions available to them.
- Social Impact Assessment and Evaluation12.5 pts
This subject develops the skills to understand and assess the social impacts of development, including international development projects, resource management, and proposed infrastructure or new policies. We do this in two ways: by looking at how to assess the impacts of proposed projects, and through evaluation techniques for existing developments or projects. In each case we develop practical skills and interdisciplinary techniques to appraise and evaluate impacts. These techniques draw from anthropology, development studies, and the policy sciences, and move beyond simple summative assessments and financial accounting. We consider the social and environmental contexts in which any form of appraisal is embedded, and the capacities of different actors (from the state to NGOs and community groups) to avert or mitigate negative impacts through learning, negotiation, and citizen participation. Examples, some presented by guest speakers, are drawn from Australia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. At the completion of the subject students will have developed the conceptual skills to understand the impacts of development; be familiar with the range of methodologies and techniques used in impact assessment; understand development evaluation; and will be able to apply this in critical evaluation of the impact of projects and programmes.
- Environmental Impact Assessment12.5 pts
This subject prepares students for environmental management roles by providing them with the principles of how human impacts on the environment might be detected and managed. The principles will be placed within the legal and social contexts of environmental impact assessment. At the completion of the subject, students should understand three aspects: prediction of the kind of changes that might occur with human activities; the design and implementation of proper monitoring programs that can detect changes; and assessment of those changes. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on the practical implementation of principles.
- Environmental Risk Assessment12.5 pts
Environmental Risk Assessment aims to provide you with the skills to undertake and critically evaluate environmental risk assessments. We outline the history and social context of risk and explore the psychology of risk perception. You will be introduced to quantitative and qualitative tools with the objective of giving you the ability to select, apply and assess technical and socially based risk assessment. The subject is structured to develop your skills in writing reports and participating in group exercises.
While the contact period is six intensive days, the learning period is longer. Reading materials are distributed in September and a small assessment task is set to encourage you to be fully prepared. You will be required to complete a take-home examination and a substantial practical report in the weeks following the course.
The subject is made up of lectures in the mornings and practical exercises in the afternoons. It assumes no formal background in quantitative methods. An understanding of basic statistical concepts (means, medians, standard deviations, confidence intervals, basic linear regression) is an advantage. If you have not been involved in an undergraduate statistics class before, contact the subject coordinator to discuss your options.
- Sustainable Food Production12.5 pts
Currently, there is more than sufficient food produced on a global scale to feed the population. This has been an upward trend throughout agricultural history, whereby humans have altered their cultivation habits to produce more. However, the continued rise in productivity is unlikely to continue under current systems within which resources are finite. The full impacts of this on a global scale are yet to be experienced by much of the population, largely in developed areas, although viability has dropped in many food producing systems due to increases in input costs of fuel, water, fertilizers and pest and disease control. Meanwhile, at the regional scale, food production systems are already found to be unsustainable with dropping productivity in previously fertile and highly productive areas. The reasons for the production declines are varied and complex, ranging from climate impacts to unsustainable cultivation methods leading to land degradation, reduced fertility and biodiversity required for healthy ecosystems. This subject will explore the biological issues contributing to the reduction of productivity we are currently observing in these fragile agricultural systems and explore the future issues that are likely to impact on systems thought to currently be more stable. We will thereby understand the components that contribute to sustainable food productivity and learn which of these are most unsustainable and will require future investment in systems change to maintain productivity.
- Integrated River & Catchment Management12.5 pts
Rivers are amongst the hardest of natural resources to manage. They are long and thin, and so maximise the impact of catchment changes; they also focus environmental, social and production pressures. Rivers are the archetypal example of the conflict between private and public goods. In most western countries we have done an effective job of degrading these resources. The last 20 years has seen a transformation in the way rivers have been managed. We are now less concerned with protecting people from rivers (via flood mitigation), and more focused on environmental rehabilitation and protection. This subject equips students to manage rivers more effectively by integrating catchment management activities. In reality, there are not many things that we do to manage rivers: change landuse, change flow, change water quality, change riparian vegetation, or make structural changes to the river. In this course we concentrate on (a) how much do you have to alter each of these management levers in order to produce the most cost effective improvements in river condition and sustainability; (b) how do we integrate the management of many levers at different scales; and (c) how do we evaluate whether we have had any effect. The subject has a strong emphasis on how to develop strong and successful policy for managing natural systems. The principles for managing rivers apply to managing most natural resources, so students can be confident of learning general management and policy principles.
- China Field Class PG25 pts
This subject consists of a two-week field class in China in July with some pre-departure (in semester 1) and post-field-trip (in semester 2) workshops/seminars in Melbourne. The subject is designed to develop students' interests in Asia, in China in particular, and in the interactions between society, economy, government, and the environment. While in China, students will interact with local communities, academics and environmental managers who will inform them about issues and processes in China. These interactions will be supplemented by site visits and household interviews. The field trip will be under the supervision of the subject coordinator. Students are responsible for the cost of travel, accommodation and food.
- Risk Management and Citizen Science12.5 pts
Interactions between risk managers and publics represent the ‘coalface’ for disaster risk reduction. Despite the centrality of these relationships, they are rarely the focus of teaching and learning. This challenge is acute in the context of ‘risk management’, where competing theories and the diversity of cases and factors contribute to masses of content, often with little connection to skill development for students. Furthermore, risk is by its nature difficult to study and often dangerous, making experience-based inquiry exceptionally rare but desperately needed. This subject addresses this gap by providing students with active participation and experience with community engagement through self-directed field research.
This subject will train students to utilise the Community Engagement for Disaster Risk Reduction (CEDRR) methodology, which uses traditional door-knocking between the emergency services and publics, but alters those interactions in order to nurture inter-personal relationships. The subject and method is premised on research that demonstrates that publics do not respond to ‘top-down instructions’ nor to awareness raising. In this subject, students will learn community engagement by doing it with individuals in their social networks (e.g., friends, neighbours, family).
Students will use the web-application for data collection, producing data that will form the basis of their assessments. The subject will deliver skills not currently taught in Australian universities, skills that organisations are increasingly seeking given acceptance that community engagement, participation, and citizen science are required for effective governance.
- Conservation and Cultural Environments12.5 pts
This subject provides students with advanced level analysis and interpretation of the range of issues associated with the conservation and management of cultural environments. The subject advances student knowledge of cross cultural issues as they relate to natural and cultural resource management in diverse socio-cultural environments and examines specific issues pertaining to the evaluation and management of cultural resources. The range of topics includes conservation trends; world heritage cultural landscapes; heritage and conservation management tensions; valuing nature through diverse knowledge interfaces; and the reclamation of ethnographic images and objects by indigenous and local peoples
- International Internship in Environment25 pts
International Internship in the Environment is an elective subject available to students in the Master of Geography, Master of Environment or Master of Ecosystem Management and Conservation. Eligible students gain subject credit for a placement with an organisation based in another country. It provides students with the opportunity to gain exposure to a different cultural setting and to think critically about the nature of the relationship between theory and practice.
The broad aim of the internship is to provide the opportunity for graduate students to gain invaluable practical experience and to build their networks with industry, government or NGOs in order to further enhance their knowledge and skills in their chosen area of study. Students will have the chance to make a positive contribution to the host organisation by applying their previous experience, skills and knowledge gained through study.
To enrol into this subject students will be in the final 100 points of their Masters’ degree in the semester they intend to enrol. Students will also seek coordinator permission one semester prior to enrolling into this subject.
Students will complete all necessary internship and travel paperwork PRIOR to enrolment in the subject.
Students will generally need to meet the cost of travel and subsistence in the destination country.
Completion of Internship Placement and Risk Assessment form and the on-line Student Travel Registration https://safety.unimelb.edu.au/management/implement
- Coastal Landforms and Management12.5 pts
This subject provides a detailed understanding about the dynamics of coastal landforms, the processes driving change and the impact on human occupation of the coastal zone. The coast is one of the most intensively utilised landscapes worldwide and Australia is no exception. Population densities and development pressures are all rapidly rising providing ever increasing stress on the landscape. Intense human development is however a relatively recent phenomena. Coastal landforms operate over much longer timescales than people. Beaches and dunes have natural cycles of erosion and deposition of decadal to centennial scales while cliffs may have a history of several thousand years. It is therefore impossible to successfully manage, or simply enjoy this environment without knowledge of how it evolved and operates. During this course we will explore the operation and management of the key landforms found at the shore.
- Global Climate Change In Context12.5 pts
This subject examines the nature and causes of past changes in Earth’s climate during the Quaternary Period (the last 2.7 million years), with a particular emphasis on the last glacial-interglacial cycle. It aims to place modern climate and the projections of future global warming into a longer-term perspective, and will allow students to understand why human interference in the climate system may be a legitimate cause for concern. Emphasis is placed on how Earth materials (ice, rocks, sediments, biological materials) record past climate changes, the techniques used to extract this ‘palaeoenvironmental information’, and the principles that govern how this information is interpreted. A series of lectures covering the theoretical elements of the subject will immediately precede 10 days of field study (in either Tasmania, mainland SE Australia or New Zealand). The field component focuses on how particular environments (e.g. coastal, lake, fluvial, cave, and glacial) preserve evidence of past climate change. Additional lectures and practicals following completion of the field work will focus on the types of analytical methods employed in this field, the nature of the data that are produced and how these are processed and interpreted. By the end of the subject, students will not only appreciate the dynamics of Earth’s past climate and the mechanisms that have forced it, but also the way in which we practice this important and growing field of study.
Student numbers are subject to a quota. . The estimated cost of the field trip is in the vicinity of $900.
- Biogeography and Ecology of Fire12.5 pts
Fire is one of the most important controls over the distribution of vegetation on Earth. This subject examines the role of fire in natural systems, with a particular emphasis on the importance of fire in determining global vegetation patterns and dynamics over long periods of time. The aim is to understand how terrestrial systems have evolved to cope with and exploit fire, and to place the extreme flammability of Australia's vegetation within a global context. The subject will examine concepts such as resilience, positive feedback loops, hysteresis and alternative stable states. The use of fire by humans to manipulate environments will be examined, with a particular emphasis on the variety of approaches employed by people across a diversity of environments over long periods of time, allowing an exploration of the social and cultural dynamics of fire and environmental management. A March field excursion in Tasmania will visit a number of sites which will exemplify the subject themes. The practical exercises leading up to the field trip will focus on how to gather fire-related ecological data. The practical exercises following the field trip will be devoted to processing, analysing, interpreting and reporting on the field data. At the end of the subject, students will have gained an understanding of the way in which fire has shaped natural systems, as well as acquiring the skills necessary to formulate and test hypotheses.
More information about the subject and field trip can be seen at: http://michaelsresearch.wordpress.com/GEOG30025/
The estimated additional cost of the 7 day field trip to Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, is in the vicinity of $750.
- Foundations of Spatial Information12.5 pts
AIMS
This is an introductory subject to Geograhpic Information Systems (GIS) and Geographic Information Science, both practically and theoretically, at postgraduate level. Spatial information is ubiquitous in decision making. Be it in urban planning, in traffic or disaster management, in way-finding, in issues of the environment, public health and sustainability, or in economic contexts: the question of 'where' is a fundamental one. Spatial information is also special in many respects, such as its dimensionality and autocorrelation, its volume, its links to the Internet of Things (things are always located somewhere), to social networks (which exist in space and time), to streaming data from sensors everywhere, or to intelligent (location-aware) systems. The subject provides the foundations for more specialized subjects on spatial data management, spatial data analysis and spatial data visualization, and is of particular relevance to people wishing to establish a career in the spatial information industry, the environmental or planning industry. It is also suited for every postgraduate student who is looking for solid GIS skills.
INDICATIVE CONTENT
We will discuss representations and analysis of this information in spatial information technologies, from location-based services to geographic information systems. Topics addressed are observing the environment; spatial and spatiotemporal data representations, spatial analysis and spatial communication. The practical part will introduce to GIS in a hands-on manner, starting in individual software training and then applying new skills in a team-designed GIS project.
- Climate Science for Decision-Making12.5 pts
Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time. This subject covers the basics of climate science - including climate change, natural variability, extremes, climate scenarios, and detection and attribution - and how this translates into impacts on society, ecosystems and economies. The subject focuses on the production of climate science and data and how its creation, analysis, and use informs decisions made from multiple perspectives and across multiple levels, including governments, industry and communities. The subject has a particular focus on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. To develop practical skills, students are required to apply knowledge from the course to develop and justify various stakeholder positions, policies, or business cases. Students will build climate profiles for relevant stakeholders in order to assess and debate how national or other circumstances frame responses at the local, state and international level.
- Indigenous Land Management12.5 pts
As Australian landscapes continue to degrade under current land management practices, land managers and stake-holders are looking toward alternative and more sustainable land management strategies, such as indigenous land management and traditional knowledge. This subject looks at how indigenous people in Australia manage their environment and how management practices vary across the Australian landscape. The subject will examine indigenous land management in Australia and abroad, and evaluate how traditional knowledge and beliefs guide approaches to land management. We will examine examples where indigenous land management has been reintroduced to landscapes in Australia and investigate the potential application of similar schemes across different parts of Australia. The subject will be taught as a 14-day intensive during the mid-semester break, comprising lectures and field observations in western Victoria and the Northern Territory. These two very different regions will be used to examine the relationship between environmental context, indigenous land management and post-colonial history. Lectures will provide the necessary conceptual framework with which to engage and understand the different environmental contexts and indigenous land management practices of these regions.
More information about this subject and the field trips can be seen at: http://michaelsresearch.wordpress.com/geog90019/
This subject will incur additional fees in the vicinity of $900 per student to cover travel.
- East Timor Field Class12.5 pts
This subject consists of a 12-day field trip to East Timor in mid-year break with a series of compulsory pre-departure information sessions in semester 1 and a post-trip workshop in early Semester two. The subject is designed to develop students’ understanding of the Asia-Pacific region and in particular of the complex geographies of sm. all island and post-conflict states. Students will gain an in situ appreciation of the historical and contemporary issues relevant to East Timor and develop their empirical and analytical research skills while carrying out small group research into the impacts of conflict, climate and culture on social and economic development and the environment. While in East Timor, students will participate in a number of rural, urban and remote site visits during which time they will interact with local communities, civil society leaders, academics, government and aid organizations. The field trip will be under the supervision of the subject coordinators. Students are responsible for the cost of airfares, internal travel, accommodation and food.
The East Timor field subject (GEOG30026/ GEOG90025) involves a full program of activities comprising travel to and around East Timor, including across remote and rough terrain using various modes of transportation (car, boat, foot). Students will be provided with privileged access to local Timorese communities and experiences, in both an urban, regional and rural setting. The East Timor Field Course can be emotionally and physically demanding and will include a level of personal intensity and challenge, and students are expected to manage their own personal health and safety.
- Climate Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas12.5 pts
This subject will integrate ethical, technical, geopolitical and economic perspectives to examine the moral challenges climate change raises.
In a first introductory module, we will delve into fundamental ethical questions raised by climate change: (i) our moral duties towards future generations and the planet as a whole (ii) the moral duties of past and current major polluters, (iii) the collective and personal responsibilities in addressing its effects.
In the second module, we’ll review current perspectives and evidence from climate change science, the processes contributing to global emissions and their potential mitigation, and the impact climate change has on the environment. We will specifically address climate skepticism, exploring the role of the media, political propaganda and willful ignorance in sustaining it.
The subject’s core module will focus on specific ethical dilemmas we face in mitigating and adapting to the future effects of climate change:
- energy policy: How should we weigh costs, benefits, risks and uncertainties associated with low pollution solutions such as blue carbon, biofuels or nuclear energy?
- animals and food: How do we decide which food industries should be promoted to help mitigate climate change? What moral duties do we have in this context toward animal species, freedoms of choice, open markets?
- planning our future cities: Should we reduce emissions and build resilience to climate change impacts within our cities by creating dense, high-rise communities disconnected from nature?
- the global South: how should the burden of reducing global emissions be shared among states, and reconciled with the legitimate aspirations to economic development of the global South (and South East Asia more specifically)? Is there an obligation to assist small-island nations or poor and more vulnerable countries?
In a coda, we’ll explore how climate change migration might challenge our post-WW2 understanding of refugees and their rights to protection. We will examine how the issues of poverty and climate change intersect to produce new waves of mass migration, and what are Australia's obligations when it comes to responding to that challenge.
- China and the Environment12.5 pts
This subject provides an introduction to the key environmental challenges in contemporary China and to China’s environmental governance. The subject is structured around four topics: water resources, land resources, air pollution, and energy and climate change. For each of these topics lectures and tutorials will analyse impacts, policy and governance arrangements, citizen and NGO involvement, government and media discourse, and international linkages. Students will be introduced to key theoretical debates in China studies, development studies and human geography to help them understand the complexities of China’s environmental challenges. Using the environment as a lens, students will gain an understanding of politics and state-society relations in contemporary China.
- 12.5 pts
This subject will give an overview of the tools required to operate successfully in an organisational environment. The focus of the subject is the internal workings of an organisation and specifically addresses three main areas: working with people, managing budgets and understanding basic accounting, and managing processes and projects.
- 12.5 pts
This subject will give an overview of the tools that businesses use to manage their external environment. The subject addresses three main areas: negotiation skills, marketing and competitivestrategy. Students will use case studies and simulations to practice negotiation skills. Topics in marketing will include an overview of brands, creating a marketing plan and understanding customers. Finally the competitive strategy component of the subject will focus on the topics of gains from trade, how to price and how to understand and change the competitive environment.
- 12.5 pts
Modern science and business makes extensive use of computers for simulation, because complex real-world systems often cannot be analysed exactly, but can be simulated. Using simulation we can perform virtual experiments with the system, to see how it responds when we change parameters, which thus allows us to optimise its performance. We use the language R, which is one of the most popular modern languages for data analysis.
- 12.5 pts
What is conflict of interest? What should a scientist do when he or she finds fraud is occurring on a scientific research team? How does a scientist write and defend an animal ethics submission and get it approved? What are the ethical issues associated with peer review? This subject is intended to give students a broad overview of research ethics in a scientific context. It will include topics on scientific integrity; conflicts of interest; data recording management; authorship and peer review; animal experimentation and regulations; privacy and confidentiality of records; and, finally, research in humans.
- 12.5 pts
What conclusion can be drawn from a pool of data? How can a scientist draw meaningful conclusions while not overreaching? How can modelling help the scientist interpret data? This subject will address these questions by teaching students critical thinking and data analysis skills. After completing this subject students will understand the basic principles of sampling and experimental design, how the results of statistical analyses are reported, the statistical thinking behind common statistical procedures and will be able to carry out a range of standard statistical techniques.
- 12.5 pts
Why is it essential that scientists learn to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences? What makes for engaging communication when it comes to science? How does the style of communication need to change for different audiences? What are the nuts and bolts of good science writing? What are the characteristics of effective public speaking?
Weekly seminars and tutorials will consider the important role science and technology plays in twenty-first century society and explore why it is vital that scientists learn to articulate their ideas to a variety of audiences in an effective and engaging manner. These audiences may include school students, agencies that fund research, the media, government, industry, and the broader public. Other topics include the philosophy of science communication, talking about science on the radio, effective public speaking, writing press releases and science feature articles, science performance, communicating science on the web and how science is reported in the media.
Students will develop skills in evaluating examples of science and technology communication to identify those that are most effective and engaging. Students will also be given multiple opportunities to receive feedback and improve their own written and oral communication skills.
Students will work in small teams on team projects to further the communication skills developed during the seminar programme. These projects will focus on communicating a given scientific topic to a particular audience using spoken, visual, written or web-based communication.
- 12.5 pts
As a scientist, it is not only important to be able to experiment, research and discover, it is also vital that you can communicate your research effectively in a variety of ways. Even the most brilliant research is wasted if no one knows it has been done or if your target audience is unable to understand it.
In this subject you will develop your written and oral communication skills to ensure that you communicate your science as effectively as possible. We will cover effective science writing and oral presentations across a number of formats: writing a thesis; preparing, submitting and publishing journal papers; searching for, evaluating and citing appropriate references; peer review, making the most of conferences; applying for grants and jobs; and using social media to publicise your research.
You will have multiple opportunities to practice, receive feedback and improve both your oral and written communication skills.
Please note: students must be undertaking their own research in order to enrol in this subject.
- 12.5 pts
This subject will provide practical insights into the role of science and scientific thinking within business, and the successful application of this perspective, along with communication and business tools, to work environments. Students will be assigned to syndicate groups to address a practical industry challenge/issue which has been identified by industry. In addressing this task students will draw upon on their discipline knowledge and the skills provided in the professional tools subjects. On commencement of the project, students will be required to spend a specific time in the business setting and to then maintain regular contact with the business, as well as the project supervisor, across the duration of the subject.
Coursework plus minor research thesis (50 points)
- Geography Minor Research Project Part 112.5 pts
The Geography Minor Research Project allows students to develop advanced research skills by carrying out an independent research project in a field of Geography. The thesis will demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Minor Research Project Part 125 pts
The Geography Minor Research Project allows students to develop advanced research skills by carrying out an independent research project in a field of Geography. The thesis will demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Minor Research Project Part 225 pts
The Geography Minor Research Project allows students to develop advanced research skills by carrying out an independent research project in a field of Geography. The thesis will demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Minor Research Project Part 237.5 pts
The Geography Minor Research Project allows students to develop advanced research skills by carrying out an independent research project in a field of Geography. The thesis will demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
Coursework plus major research thesis (100 points)
- Geography Research Project Part 112.5 pts
The Geography Research Project is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Geography. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Research Project Part 212.5 pts
The Geography Research Project is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Geography. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Research Project Part 325 pts
The Geography Research Project is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Geography. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Research Project Part 337.5 pts
The Geography Research Project is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Geography. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Research Project Part 437.5 pts
The Geography Research Project is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Geography. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.
- Geography Research Project Part 450 pts
The Geography Research Project is designed for students to develop advanced skills in carrying out independent and sustained research in Geography. The thesis should demonstrate a critical application of specialist knowledge and make an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.