Course syllabus

 

Afio mai, haere mai, aloha mai and welcome to Pacific Studies 200!

This is a course designed to broaden and deepen your knowledge of the Pacific, and of Pacific Studies as an interdisciplinary way of knowing the Pacific. Where Pacific 100: Introduction to Pacific Studies focused on an introductory knowledge of the Pacific, introducing you to its history, cultures, economics, politics and contemporary issues, Pacific 200: Pacific Studies develops further your understanding of key debates, influential thinkers, and critical issues in the Pacific.

SEMESTER 1, 2019 15 points

 

Teacher:         Dr Lisa Uperesa, Course Convenor

Office:             Room 102J, Building 273, Centre for Pacific Studies

Office Hours:  T 3:00-4:00 and by appointment

Phone:            09 373 7599 extn 84291

Email:             l.uperesa@auckland.ac.nz

 

Course Tutor:  Brittany Tapusoa

Office:             Room 108, Building 273, Centre for Pacific Studies

Office Hours:  Th 10-11am and by appointment

Email:             btap398@aucklanduni.ac.nz

 

Course delivery format: 2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial

LECTURE TIME/VENUE:     Tuesday 1-2 pm & Wednesday 12-1 pm

TUTORIAL TIME/VENUE:   Tutorial 1: Wednesday 1-2pm 273-104 ; Tutorial 2: Thursday 9-10am HSB North-211 

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

 

Course Schedule (short):

Date	Topic
05 March	Class Orientation
06 March	What is Pacific Studies?
Unit 1:  Pacific Thinkers
12 March	1.1 Pacific Thinkers and Genealogies
13 March	1.2 Project Workshop 1: Pacific Thinkers
19 March	1.3 The Development of Pacific Studies
20 March	1.4 Indigenous Research Methods (Tiatia-Seath)
26 March	1.5 Project Workshop 2: WordPress
27 March	1.6 Fashion Activism: Pacific Sisters (Auckland Art Gallery)
02 April	1.7 Project Workshop 3: Finalizing
Unit 2:  Studying the Contemporary Pacific & Unit 3: Critical Debates
03 April	2.1 Indigenous Knowledge
09 April	2.2 Film and Visual Production
10 April	3.1 Culture and Creativity: Representing Moana
	Mid-Semester Break
30 April	2.3 Researching Pacific Health and Wellbeing
01 May	Vaka Moana
07 May	3.2 Pacific Youth and Mental Health
08 May	Test
14 May	2.4 Development and Aid (Salesa)
15 May	3.4 Aid in the Pacific
21 May	3.5 Mauna Kea & TMT: Natural Resources, Geoscience, and Culture
22 May	3.6 Militarization and the American Pacific
28 May	3.8 New Zealand’s Pacific Futures (Salesa)
29 May	2.5 Science and Indigenous Knowledge: Land & Climate
04 June	3.7 Climate Change Warriors and Refugees
05 June	Conclusion & Wrap Up

Course Description:       

Covering a vast expanse of the globe, the Pacific Ocean and Islands is an area of interconnected regional societies and identities.  In this course, we build students’ core knowledge by introducing key debates and interdisciplinary methods, drawing on different media and texts produced within and outside the Pacific.  In approaching the region as the global Pacific, we learn about local issues and challenges within a global context, including those of its peoples, transnationalism and globalization, government and economy, health, wellbeing and climate.

In the first part of the course, we test the depth and breadth of the currents of Pacific thought through the writings of key Pacific thinkers.  This semester we are experimenting with a “flipped classroom” where student-led research groups choose a Pacific thinker on which to focus and develop their own projects around the thinker’s work. In the second part of the course we have integrated Unit 2 on approaches to studying the Pacific with Unit 3 on current issues and debates.    Here, case studies highlight the localized and global aspects of current debates.  For example, in our study of Disney’s Moana and Pacific scholar Vilsoni Hereniko’s Moana, we examine representation of the Pacific by the corporate culture industry and indigenous artistic productions, with consideration of wider debates about cultural appropriation.  The case of Mauna Kea and the Thirty Meter Telescope highlights visions of development and land use across the Pacific, including the treatment of sacred sites and the way Pacific islands have been used to advance scientific projects.  Grounded in the poetry of Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, we build our understanding of climate change, its specific and pressing impacts on Pacific societies, and activism by organizations like Pacific 350. 

Course outcomes:

The aims of the course are: first, to develop students’ knowledge of the contemporary Pacific Studies, including distinctive ways of studying/analysing the Pacific that incorporate Pacific knowledge frameworks and worldviews.  This is built upon robust knowledge of Pacific scholars and scholarship, and can be applied to current issues and debates of importance to Pacific communities.  At the end of the course, students will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of Pacific Studies
• Identify key contributions of Pacific Studies approaches to research in and with Pacific communities
• Create a resource based on a selected Pacific thinker’s work
• Understand, analyze, and evaluate selected current issues and/or debates
• Demonstrate critical analysis skills

 Assessment Summary:

• Coursework: 60%
  • 25% Group Project (1000 words) in Weeks 2-5 
  • 15%: Midterm Test in Week 10
  • 10% Issue Response (500 words x 2) in Weeks 11-14
  • 10% Tutorial Assignments and Participation in Weeks 1-14
• Final Exam: 40% 

Further details will be distributed in class and made available via CANVAS. Test dates are indicated on the class schedule.

 

Course Structure:

Unit 1: Pacific Thinkers

This unit traces the development of Pacific Studies as a field of inquiry, and a diverse field, by concentrating on the genealogies of Pacific Studies. Drawing on an important and representative set of Pacific Studies scholars, and setting their work in the context of the field, we learn both how it developed and as it currently stands. Students will be directing their learning in this section, doing group projects on a Pacific thinker of their choice.  Some potential candidates are:

• Teresia Teaiwa
• Tupua Tamasese Efi
• Haunani Kay Trask
• Craig Santos Perez
• Yuki Kihara
• Tarcisius Kabutaulaka
• Noenoe Goodyear Kaopua
• Alice Te Punga Somerville
• Unaiasi Nabobo-Baba
• Sean Mallon
• Tevita Kaili
• Cresantia Frances Koya

Unit 2: Studying the Contemporary Pacific & Unit 3: Critical Contemporary Debates

Uni 2 focuses on approaches to contemporary issues in the Pacific, with an emphasis on how this analysis happens: what frameworks, theories, disciplines and methods are used in research about the Pacific.  This year these key methods include:

• ‘Pacific research methods’ such as talanoa
• Ethnographic, anthropological, cultural studies
• Health research, interviews, longitudinal study
• Quantitative, economic, policy research
• Political and historical analysis
• Arts and creative production

Structured to intertwine with Unit 2, Unit 3 introduces some of the key debates in Pacific Studies today. This allows students to see different methods, and different scholars, engaging with critical  concerns, thus integrating unit 1 and 2, and developing deeper understandings of core issues and material. The ‘critical debates’ we have chosen are:

• Development and Aid
• Representation and Film
• Health and Wellbeing
• Cultural Knowledge and Appropriation
• Cultural Heritage and Resource Management
• Climate Change and Activism
• Geopolitics, Security, and Militarization

This section prepares students for thinking about, and developing, ideas about their own research, as well as engaging them in the key streams of current Pacific Studies, and deepening their understanding of the Pacific, the region, and its people and cultures.

Required Texts:

A series of introductory readings will be provided along with additional material as is required, all accessible here on the Reading Lists tab (linked to the course Talis list held by the library). 

 

Course Policies and Expectations:

Attendance. The number one predictor of success in this course (and many others) is class attendance.  It is expected that you will attend all lectures and tutorials.  Occasional absences for illness or emergency are acceptable, but chronic absence will make it difficult for you to do well in or even pass this class.

Fa’aaloalo/Respect. Respect each other.  Respect the instructor, and the institution.  Respect the knowledge we are developing and learning.  Respect other cultures and ways of being and doing.  Honour the work of your colleagues, support them in their learning, and contribute to the learning of others and yourself. (This includes refraining from using cellphones, tablets, and laptops in ways that distract your instructor, your colleagues or get in the way of your own learning.)

Preparation. Be prepared.  Being prepared for class is an essential part of research, learning and teaching.  Being unprepared prevents you from learning; it also inhibits the work of others, and the class, and prevents your full development as a student in the course.  The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. 

Knowledge. Universities exist to teach, and to research.  In Pacific Studies we teach and research Pacific peoples, communities and places, knowledge that has at times been neglected or maligned, or which in many cases has only recently been recognized by academic scholars.  Our communities and people hold this knowledge dear, value it deeply, and we expect our students to do the same.

Coursework. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due.  Late assignments without a pre-approved extension will be penalised by loss of marks.  Access the Pacific Studies Late Policy.pdf here.

Support. Student Health and Counselling Services is able to certify both compassionate and medical issues.  These services are confidential and also provide support and expertise that your lecturers and tutors are unable to.  The Pasifika Counsellor is Sarah Va'afusuaga McRobie; please register for an

APPOINTMENT HERE 

 

Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism. The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence.   The work that a student submits for grading must be the student’s work, reflecting his or her learning.  Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web.  A student’s assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms.  Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review. For more detailed information, see the University’s guidelines. 

Referencing. Ensure APA style referencing is used for assignments. Click on the following link to access an APA guide.