Program Overview

Course Overview

The course GEOG 114, Sustainability: People and Environment, focuses on the relationships between people and the environment, examining contemporary ways of thinking about these relationships using local and international examples. This course brings together the social and physical sciences to help understand key environmental issues and work towards possible solutions.

Course Details

• Dates: 23 February 2026 to 21 June 2026
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,095.15 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,058.00 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Monday 11.00am
  • Tuesday 11.00am
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 15

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: None
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Taught By

The School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences — Faculty of Science and Engineering

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.

Key Dates

Important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, can be found on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be announced once the course has begun.

About This Course

This course explores the difference between climate and weather, how physical and biological processes contribute to climate change, and how people impact the environment. It combines insights from the physical and social sciences to address environmental problems and solutions, focusing on the earth's physical and biological processes and human impacts on the environment.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course will be able to:

1. Describe important biological and physical components of the Earth System and identify the ways in which they are interdependent.
2. Describe how the disruption of these biological and physical components arising from human activity can lead to environmental degradation.
3. Trace the long-term and evolving relationship between people and the environment in pre-history and history and show how this knowledge can help address environmental challenges today.
4. Describe demographic, economic, and cultural developments in modern society and explain their implications for global environmental issues, such as climate change.
5. Provide examples of initiatives that can be employed to promote sustainability and environmental protection.
6. Using the case of climate change, provide examples of the interrelationships between humans and the environment.

How This Course Is Taught

This course is designed for in-person study, with all assessment items completable online. It is delivered through a series of two 1-hour lectures per week and 2-hour tutorials spread out over the trimester. The lectures cover research and insights about environmental issues, while the tutorials cover skills-based content.

Assessment

• Test #2 (in person): 30%
• Tutorials: 20%
• Sustainability Report: 35%
• Test #1 (online): 15%

Lecture Times and Rooms

Lecture times are from 23 February 2026 to 5 April 2026 and 20 April 2026 to 31 May 2026.

What You'll Need to Get

No specific texts or equipment are required for this course.

Mandatory Requirements

There are no mandatory requirements for this course.