GEOG311-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

Coastal Studies

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

This course explores the processes that form and change coastal environments in New Zealand, the Pacific and worldwide. Topics examined include a selection of: sea level change today and into the future, waves and currents, the role of sediments in how beaches work to protect land and interact with oceans, plus sessions focussed on the wonders and practical realities of wetlands, tropical reefs, and human interactions with coastal environments. You will gain an understanding of models of the coastal zone, as well as an experience of field methods and laboratory techniques used in coastal investigations. The course was developed based on direct industry feedback and involvement. There is also an optional one-day field-trip, where there is an opportunity to put your learnings into practice and measure waves, currents and beach profiles, and to collect sediment and ecological data for analysis in labs, all using up-to-date professional techniques.

Prerequisites

30 points of 200-level Geography, including GEOG201, or
in special cases with approval of the Head of Department.

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Online quizzes (5) 10% Due dates to be advised
Essay 25% Due 6pm, Thursday of Week 6
Research Project 25% Due 6pm, Thursday of Week 11
FInal Exam 40%

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

Komar, Paul D; Beach processes and sedimentation ; 2nd ed; Prentice Hall, 1998 (A fantastic text, well suited to the more technically (mathematical, engineering, COSC) minded).

Masselink, Gerhard. , Hughes, Michael G., Knight, Jasper; Introduction to coastal processes & geomorphology ; 2nd ed; Hodder Education, 2011 (A good first basic coastal text).

Woodroffe, C. D; Coasts : form, process, and evolution ; Cambridge University Press, 2003 (Like an encyclopaedia of all things coastal, with great coastal environment coverage (including GEOL and BIOL)).

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $942.00

International fee $4,988.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Earth and Environment .

All GEOG311 Occurrences

  • GEOG311-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025