Graduate Courses
The Department's programme of courses for graduate research students can be accessed by clicking on this link. Each course listed on the programme should normally run at least once every two years. The list of courses and/or their scheduling may be updated from time-to-time. The Department will release information on the final scheduling of courses just before the start of each academic year.
All Courses
Workload: 0-2.5-2.5-5-0
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s):: Nil
A seminar presentation focusing on the relevance of the course to their thesis or on thesis topic is expected.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 0-3-0-3-4
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course explores globalisation and its impacts on urban identities, places and politics. Global processes connect cities and shape urbanisation and urban life. Yet, not all urban dwellers are affected the same way by these processes. Furthermore, cities and people respond to, and may even be actively involved in, the shaping of these global flows and processes. In this module, attention is paid to the webs of relations at different scales, from the global to the local, and even those at the micro-scale, such as intimate relations, to consider their implications for the remaking of cities and urban social life.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1.5-1.5-0-3-4
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course is intended for students keen on pursuing post-graduate tourism research. It is multidisciplinary in approach with the broad aim of addressing the complex processes at play when tourism is harnessed for economic growth. Using examples from the Asia-Pacific, the module explores tourism initiatives at the governmental level, comparing them with the efforts by NGOs and other informal collectives. The course will also examine the real and perceived impacts of tourism on regional economies, environments, societies, cultures and political systems. The course will be structured around discussion points in seminar presentations.
C.A.: 70%; Duration of examination: 2 hrs
Workload: 1-2-0-3-4
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course situates geography within the field of knowledge constituted by the social and natural sciences. It focuses on the way that geographic thought has developed through a dialogue with other disciplines. Students will learn about some key social theorists and how geography may be enriched through careful engagement with their works. This course is targeted at all interested in thinking critically about the spatiality of everyday life.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-2-0-5-2
Preclusion: GE6215 Pre-requisite(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course is intended to provide an introduction to integrative aspects of earth environmental sciences, varying from climatology, geomorphology, hydrology to ecology, at the research level. Environmental systems are studied at several scales and research design is examined within the context of experimental methods in physical geography. The course includes lectures, reading assignments and seminars. Students are expected to participate actively throughout. This course is for all graduate students during the first semester in which they are registered in the department of geography. A formal research proposal for beginning graduate students (MA and PhD level) is expected at the end.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 3-0-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course challenges students to analyse the practical problems encountered in using the various methods available in human geography research. It builds upon the undergraduate course in research methods and includes an evaluation of the construction and design of research questions in various field contexts, weighing between the major methods of data collection (e.g. quantitative and qualitative), and the practical problems of data and information analysis. Common research methods such as surveys, case studies, interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation will be carried out so that students can benefit from first hand experience in the field. Students will also be exposed to archival and map materials. Students will also be taught what sponsors look for in research proposals. As the course is entirely project-based, students are expected to have full-scale participation in the course.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-0-2-4-3
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course is designed for students with some experience in geographic information systems (GIS) who want to learn how to extend GIS to perform custom analyses, to automate common GIS tasks, or just to learn how spatial data is structured and managed “under the hood”. Topics will include the fundamentals of programming (in Python), geo-processing function libraries, spatial data structures and access, and geometry and spatial algorithms. No prior programming experience is required.
Workload: 1-1-1-4-3
Preclusion(s): Students with prior GIS training should consult with the lecturer in charge to decide if the module is suitable.
This course aims to introduce students the fundamental concepts and components of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Fundamental concepts covered include spatial data models, data quality, cartographic principles, and spatial analysis. Hands-on training provided includes spatial data development, attribute management, geovisualization, and spatial analysis operations. Some selected cases of GIS applications in social sciences, humanities, environmental studies, and management will be introduced.The role of GIS as an integrated platform for decision making will be highlighted. The course is for students who have no prior GIS background but wish to apply geospatial techniques in their respective fields of interest.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 3-0-0-0-7
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course aims to guide students in the selection and development of an appropriate MSc thesis topic. The importance of a thorough evaluation of relevant literature to the process of identifying live research problems and of effective project management will be stressed. Students will obtain the necessary training to plan and implement a research thesis and evaluate the various available research approaches. The primary output of this module will be a detailed research proposal, presented in written and oral forms as a prelude to GE6225 Research Thesis.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-1-3-3-2
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in GIS applications across a range of different subject areas, including geography, geology, environmental science, ecology, civil engineering, urban planning, real estate, health sciences, social sciences and humanities. Through this course, students are expected to explore different modelling approaches, discuss applications of the models, and work on lab exercises and research projects.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-1-3-3-2
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course provides state-of-the-art training in Internet GIS technologies and spatial theories for mapping and comprehending activities in virtual space, real space, and the intersections of the two spaces. It sees Internet as an integral part of social life and provides students a venue to explore the implications of the digital transformations brought forth by the Internet. Major topics that will be covered include 1) web-based GIS mapping, 2) Internet of Things, 3) social sensing and social web, and 4) social dynamics of the Internet.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-1-3-3-2
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in applying geospatial big data analytics to complex spatiotemporal problems that challenges sustainability of our society and environment, including but not limiting to disease outbreaks, traffic patterns, urban dynamics, and environmental changes. Major topics that will be covered include 1) nature of spatial big data, 2) volunteered geographic information, 3) spatial analytical approaches for discovering patterns, 4) data-driven geography, and 5) big data ethics.
C.A.: 100%
Units: 4
Workload: 0-3-0-3-4
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
Political ecology is a vibrant interdisciplinary field for critically investigating complex relations between environment and society, paying close attention to power and politics. This course traces the foundations of the field, particularly within geography, and its diverse epistemological approaches, which address how capitalism, knowledge, gender, race, and more shape human interactions with biophysical natures. The course covers current themes such as decolonization, urbanization, and climate change and is intended for graduate students with and without a political ecology background. Students will gain the theoretical tools and analytical skills necessary to understand, and address, urgent contemporary environmental and social problems.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: Minimum 10 hours per week.
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
The level 5000 Independent Study Course is designed to enable a graduate student or small group of graduate students to explore an approved topic relating to their planned area of research. Students should normally expect to meet with their mentor three times over the duration of the course. A proposal must be drawn up between the student(s) and advisor and approved by the Graduate Coordinator/Deputy Graduate Coordinator before the end of week 3 of the semester. This study proposal must state clearly the obligations of the student, the agreed-upon mode of assessment, the relevance of the chosen topic to his/her studies, and provide a clear guarantee that the assignment is in addition to work envisaged as part of their thesis. A culminating piece or pieces of written work (report and/or essay) is/are required. Where students have worked as a group, members of the group may submit individual pieces of written work or, alternatively, may work collectively on a joint piece of written work, depending on the approved agreement.
C.A.: 100%
NOTE
To comprise written work with a length that, under normal circumstances, falls within the range 4000-6000 words (excluding references and any appendices but including tables and figure and table captions) for individual reports or essays, or 6000-8000 words (excluding references and any appendices but including tables and figure and table captions) for a group-based, single (collective) piece of written work.
All CA will be double-marked. Where there is a large and unresolved discrepancy between the marks awarded by the two markers (>10%), work may be evaluated by a third marker.
Workload: 0-2-0-3-5
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
Pre-requisite(s): GE5223 - Introduction to Applied GIS, or with lecturer's consent
This course familiarizes students with advanced spatial data science techniques and literature in the emerging field of digital geography. Topics examined include spatiotemporal data mining, geospatial simulation, spatial statistics and machine learning techniques, and spatial data quality. Upon completion of the course, students will be expected to be able to apply these spatial data science techniques to their field(s) of interest, and critically assess the analysis outcomes and implications to human everyday life and the physical environment. Students are required to undertake an independent project, and their work will be presented in a seminar format.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1.5-1.5-0-2-5
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course examines the complex debates on economic globalization and assesses the contributions of human geography to these debates. In particular, we will discuss and evaluate the spatial processes and ramifications of global economic change that is associated with globalization tendencies. We will also analyze the role of states, labour, capital, technology, and politically contested discourses of globalization in shaping global economic change. This course will be a graduate seminar comprising student presentations and discussions. Attendance and full preparation are the basic requirements. Ph.D. candidates will be expected to cope with additional written materials, as well as added responsibility in the seminar context.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 3-0-0-3-4
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course is intended for students pursuing post-graduate tourism research. It uses a geographical lens to explore the tourism phenomenon, examining how spaces are shaped from various human and physical perspectives, as well as discussing the consumption of such landscapes within particular social relations. In the critical investigation of planned and spontaneous landscapes, not only will the production of consumptive spaces of tourism be evaluated but the capacity for reflexivity in consumption will also be emphasized. In this way, the concept of sustainable tourism can be evaluated. The course is structured around seminars, including a departmental seminar by the students.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-3-0-0-6
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course will provide a forum for discussing key concepts relating to interactions between humans and their environment, from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Important classic and recent publications relating a range of subject matter that includes the following will be discussed:
- foundational concepts, theories and issues relating to the human-environment interface;
- conceptual framing of human-environment interactions and methodological approaches to their study;
- the ways through which human-environment interactions have been and are viewed, produced and commodified;
- anthropogenic environmental changes, and their separation from natural variability environmental hazards;
- Policy and management implications and responses.
C.A.: 100%
Units: 4
Workload: 1-2-0-2-5
Pre-requisite(s)/ Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
Transnationalism studies draw attention to social processes and relations that simultaneously transgress borders while remaining in some ways anchored on territorially defined spaces. This course examines the theoretical foundations, historical perspectives, methodological premises and innovative developments of transnationalism studies through empirically grounded analyses of transnational phenomenon. Topics offered may include but are not limited to transnational migration, institutional governance, socio-political mobilisations, corporations, urbanism or popular culture and media. Comparative examples from Asia and beyond will be drawn upon to inform discussions.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 3-0-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This 6000-level graduate course is focused upon giving students particular skills in linking geographical science (both physical and human) to management and policy changes. Areas of focus include developing salient projects, partnering with decision makers, synthesizing existing findings, building local capacity, engaging in political and management processes, involving non-scientists in data collection, developing key scientific messages, and communicating science to the general public.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 3-0-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This course is an advanced level course in concepts, approaches and methods in political geography. The teaching and learning objectives involve a sophisticated understanding and appreciation of the trajectory, approaches and contents of political geography; A grounding in research methods and concepts in political geography and an appreciation of the relationship of political geography to allied fields both in geography and the wider social sciences and humanities. The major topics to be covered are the modes of thinking in political geography; Contested concepts: power, territory, boundaries, scale and place; Critical geopolitics; States, territory and identity; Geographies of political and social movements and Geographies of environmental politics.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-0-0-1-28
Pre-requisite(s): GE5223, GE5219, GE5225, GE6211
Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
Following on from GE5225 Thesis Planning and Preparation, GE6225 provides students with an opportunity to conduct an in depth research project as part of their MSc (Applied GIS). Students are required to apply relevant research approaches and techniques under the guidance of an advisor to a live problem in the field, as outlined in their original, and to write the research thesis in the form of a thesis (10,000 words maximum).
C.A.: 100%
Workload: 1-0-0-1-18
Pre-requisite(s): GE5223, GE5219, GE5226, GE6211
Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
GE6226 GIS Research Project course provides students on the project track of the MSc in Applied GIS with an opportunity to conduct a professional GIS project that typically involves in-depth analysis of spatial/spatiotemporal data or develop new GIS tools or databases. Students are required to apply relevant GIS approaches and techniques under the guidance of an advisor to a live problem in the field.
C.A.: 100%
Workload: Minimum 10 hours per week.
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
To comprise written work with a length that, under normal circumstances, falls within the range 4000-6000 words in total (excluding references and any appendices but including tables and figure and table captions).All CA will be double-marked. Where there is a large and unresolved discrepancy between the marks awarded by the two markers (>10%), work may be evaluated by a third marker.
Workload: 3-0-0-0-7
Pre-requisite(s)/Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
This is a required course for all research Masters and PhD students admitted from AY2004/2005. The course provides a forum for students and faculty to share their research and to engage one another critically in discussion of their current research projects. The course will include presentations by faculty on research ethics and dissertation writing. Each student is required to present a formal research paper. Active participation in all research presentations is expected. The course may be spread over two semesters and will be graded "Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory" on the basis of student presentation and participation.
C.A.: No C.A.; graded on S/U
Workload: 0-2-0-3-5
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s)/Cross-listing(s): Nil
The content of this course will vary according to the research interests and availability of the staff who may be a visiting professor. Students will be expected to attend lectures and seminars conducted by the staff. Written assignments and seminar presentations constitute part of the evaluation in this course. The course will address advanced research topics in such areas as environmental studies, GIS, hazards, transport, regional studies, economic geography, geopolitics, population and urban and regional planning. These topics will be more substantial and analytical than those covered in GE5880.
C.A.: 100%