Valedictory GEOG101 Lectures, Evaluation, Essays, Examinations and Futures

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Valedictory GEOG101Lectures, Evaluation,
Essays, Examinationsand Futures
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What are we doing today?

• We review the delivery of the course philosophy
  and design
• We carry out an assessment of the effectiveness
  of the course
• We provide feedback on the essays
• We look towards the chance you get to show what
  you have learned
• We suggest what might happen in 2005

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1. Remember these slides ... ?

• This introductory lecture is about the major
  disciplinary patterns of geography as they exist
  and as they have changed in recent times.
• We will look primarily at Geography in
  Aotearoa/New Zealand, exploring the patterns of
  secondary and tertiary work in the subject.
• The purpose is to establish a platform on which
  the rest of the course can build. You do not
  need to take notes, but the Powerpoint is on the
  server for reference.

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Prior knowledge in course GEOG101

• We assume a fair number of you will have done
  GEOG103-03A, and that you will have seen the mix
  of theory/concept and the case materials we
  present in Geography in this Department.
• The Resources and Environment paper replicates
  many taught in other departments, and covers
  familiar ground, while opening up some new lines
  of thought.

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The first lecture made points like

• We assume that most people will have had some
  contact with Geography as taught in secondary
  geography. The secondary syllabus is more formal
  than a university programme, but the links to
  what we do in a course like GEOG101 are
  significant.
• In the modern era (1945 -) Geography is
  significantly positivist, and geographic models
  (such as central place theory) are widely used.
  The critics of positivism advocated other ways of
  looking at the world (perspectives), and now
  Geography is much more pluralistic.

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Robyns lectures made some important points about
perspectives

• Geography is a created body of knowledge.
• It is not neutral it is not objective it is
  constantly changing. It is a CONSTRUCT.
• It is being created and recreated by geographers
  who are individuals who occupy particular class,
  ethnic, gender and institutional positions.
• What was orthodoxy in geography one hundred years
  ago, is no longer orthodox now. What is orthodox
  now will also date and be replaced.

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Examples of perspectives

• Robyn nominated at least five perspectives
  feminist, postmodern, post-structural,
  postcolonial and Maori, but made the point that
  there are many more.
• She illustrated this with the question what is
  Marxism? and offered a beginners guide to the
  terminology.

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• This was followed by three more perspectives
• postmodern and post-structural geographies power
  and place
• new cultural geographies placing gender,
  sexuality and race
• Maori geographies Pania, Kataraina and Wiki

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and then there was Russell

• Russells lectures used his cartographic
  expertise to explore the ways space is
  represented, and the political drivers of such
  representations.
• Russell used national and international examples
  to support his lectures.

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Finally, we spent some time looking at our
place in rural Waikato

• Science does not forget about people, but the
  detailed and remotely sensed views of rural
  Waikato need to be related to communities on the
  ground and integrated into planning processes
  with due care. Lecture 10 used the rural base of
  the Waikato as a gateway to explore a different
  geographical perspective, and one that is
  probably more familiar to you than the post
  colonial or postmodern. We talked about remote
  sensing and GIS.
• Lecture 11 looked at population, changing
  geographies and the lives of the rural elderly
  in Waikato. We discovered that research often
  uses a range of perspectives demography to
  qualitative work for social policy.

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2. Course evaluation

• We would like some feedback on the effectiveness
  of our efforts to deliver the course we planned.
• We have kept the evaluation simple, but (in line
  with our philosophy) we value whatever you might
  have to offer on the Please comment sections.
  Qualitative data are really important.
• Naturally, the forms are confidential

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3. The essay assignment

• There are lots of comments on your essays, some
  critical, some amplifications and some just plain
  admiration for originality and attempting to
  boldly go (in the classic split infinitive of
  Startrek.) In general, the essays were good and I
  thought that you understood what we were trying
  to say.
• There grades reported on most essays if you
  dont have a grade yet, we would like to talk to
  you at 100 pm today in I2.22.

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If I was going to make some general comments they
would include

• 1. The definition of perspectives was good,
  although if you did not use the Johnston
  dictionary you may have struggled with
  definitions not related to closely enough to
  their application in geography humanism was a
  bit of a problem. Robyns three perspectives
  didnt always help.

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• 2. The examples you choose where generally
  excellent in some cases taking large of complex
  places lead to problems about the
  generalisations they were too vague.
• 3. There was some outstanding field work and
  research on some places.

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• 4. The selection of citations from literature was
  also very well done I found some excellent
  quotes interpreted in new ways.
• 5. The down side was the failure to acknowledge
  I have not penalised these as heavily as I
  should.

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• 6. The listing of references in the bibliography
  was uneven there were awfully casual and poor
  efforts here. Most people did adequately.

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• 7. Your writing style was generally good. The
  best essays were beautifully prepared and
  wonderfully written.
• 8. I have used marginal notation like ð,
  expr or or even / to suggest you should
  look at your wording, and I have been quick to
  suggest alternative wording in some places.

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• 9. A few favorites (not!) 1970s, their not
  there, comas and possessives.
• I recommend Margaret McLarens Check it Out if
  you are getting similar comments on a lot of your
  submissions.

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4. Where to from here the examinationAfternoon
, 26 Octoberin MSB and PWC Lecture Theatres
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This is the front page of last years final
paper. Make sure you understand the
opportunities you have .
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Here is a sample from the 2002 GEOG101
paper. The short answer questions will be
different this year.
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These are the paragraph style questions. They
are different, too.
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and finally some essay topics.
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• 5. Where to from here?
• Celebrate your success, have a good summer break
  and come back prepared for a new range of second
  year courses in Geography.
• The six second year courses on offer (three in
  semester a in 2005, three in semester B) are as
  follows

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A Semester, 2005
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GEOG206A Principles of Environmental Planning

• Dr Mairi Jay 6040
• A core paper in the REP Programme. It relates to
  GEOG103 and introduces environmental planning
  under the RMA and provides valuable links to
  programmes in environmental science, management
  and tourism.

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GEOG210A Regional Geography Pacific Islands
Region

• Associate Professor John Campbell 6040
• Notes the links to the small island nations of
  Oceania focusing on social, economic and
  environmental change exploring the principles of
  sustainability. Paper links to both 101 and 103
  and qualifies for TRIP major.

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GEOG219A Maori Land and Communities

• Angeline Greensill 6040
• Examines geographical perspectives on
  colonisation, raupatu, planning in iwi and hapu
  frameworks, treaty claims and community
  development. Paper is one of two in the
  undergraduate programme exploring Maori
  geographies

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B Semester 2005
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GEOG209B Contemporary Cultural Geographies

• Associate Professor Robyn Longhurst 7030
• Examines developments in contemporary cultural
  geography, exploring critical theory in areas of
  feminism, postmodernism, and post colonialism
  among others. The geographies of places are
  explored. Direct links to GEOG101.

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GEOG224B Tourism Environments - Marine

• Dr Hamish Rennie 7030
• Notes the importance of the marine environment in
  tourism and the way it is managed as a resource.
  It notes competing uses and the competition for
  marine space. The paper is required for the BTour

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GEOG228B Information Technology and Cartography

• Associate Professor Lex Chalmers 1000
• Focuses on the production and understanding of
  maps using computer technology. The paper has an
  extensive computer laboratory program, starting
  from scratch and leading to the use of digital
  mapping in planning and environmental mapping.
  Links to GEOG103.

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An aerial view of campus, with GIS layers
superimposed GPS points, roads and campus
features from second year laboratory.
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Summer a long way from Te Whare Whananga o
Waikato