Central Washington University - Winter Quarter 2010

GEOG 415

Geography of Oceania

Tuesday & Thursday 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Dean Hall Room 202

Instructor: Dr. Robert Kuhlken
Office: Dean Hall Room 310
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Phone: 963-2795
E-mail: kuhlkenr@cwu.edu

Required Texts:

A Traveller's History of Australia

by John H. Chambers

A Traveller's History of New Zealand
and the South Pacific Islands

by John H. Chambers

About this course

Geography 415 investigates the physical and cultural geography of what is perhaps earth's most widespread and wondrous region. Oceania comprises the island continent of Australia, along with the myriad islands of New Zealand, New Guinea, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. Topics covered in this course include landforms, climate, flora and fauna; ecological adaptations of indigenous people; historical and political geography; natural resources and patterns of livelihood; and the creation of distinctive landscapes and regions.

Course Outline & Required Readings

Required readings are from the two Chambers books and the websites listed below.

Week 1 January 5 & 7

Introduction: A Vast Geographic Realm, Contemporary Political Territories

Web Resources

Historical map of Australia & New Zealand

Australia's size comparisons

Australasia physical map

Oceania place names

Oceania atlas

Week 2 January 12 & 14

Australia: The Physical Environment & Human Settlement

Required Readings

from the Chambers Australia book:

Chapter 1: The Physical Environment, pp. 3-10
Chapter 2: Aboriginal Australia, pp. 11-35
Chapter 3: Europeans Arrive, pp. 36-59
Chapter 4: Convicts and Colonists, pp. 60-85
Chapter 5: New Britannias, pp. 86-111
from the www:

Geography of Australia 1
Geography of Australia 2
Australia's climate
Australia's landforms
Australia's native vegetation

Additional Web Resources

Maps of Australia

Australia political map

Australia blank political map

Facts & figures about Australia

Australian Geographic online journal

Ecological images of Australia

Aborigines - Australia's native peoples

European discovery and colonisation

Week 3 January 19 & 21

Australia: Historical & Economic Geography

Required Readings

from the Chambers Australia book:
Chapter 6: The Demise of Black Australia, pp. 112-139
Chapter 7: Economic Development, pp. 140-171
Chapter 9: The Early Federation, pp. 203-227
Chapter 11: Politics, Economy and Culture, pp. 258-295
from the www:
Australia at a glance
The Australian Gold Rush
Canberra: Australia's capital city
Natural disasters in Australia
Natural hazards report summary

Additional Web Resources

Landlines: Australia's Rural Affairs Weekly

Overview of agriculture in Australia

Australian wine maps

Australian wheat production

Cultural portal to Australia

Waltzing Matilda

Waltzing Matilda RealAudio download

And the band played Waltzing Matilda, song by Eric Bogle

Animated population pyramid

Asian immigration to Australia

Canberra: National Capital Authority

An ideal city?

About the ACT

Week 4

January 26 Midterm Exam on Australia

January 28 New Zealand: An Introduction

Required Readings

from the Chambers New Zealand book:
Preface and Introduction: pp. xi - 6

from the www:
New Zealand: summary description
About New Zealand: a brief outline
New Zealand: Geography and geology

Week 5 February 2 & 4

New Zealand: The Physical Environment

Required Readings

from the Chambers New Zealand book:
Chapter 1: The Physical Environment, pp. 7-23

from the www:
NZ landscape features
North Island landscapes
South Island landscapes
New Zealand's Volcanoes
Active volcanoes in New Zealand
Coasts
Climate
The Bush and its plants

Additional Web Resources

North Island map

South Island map

Manaaki Whenua - New Zealand Landcare Research

New Zealand biodiversity

Napier earthquake

Week 6 February 9 & 11

New Zealand: Cultural-Historical Geography

Required Readings

from the Chambers New Zealand book:
Chapter 3: Maori (portion), pp. 62-76
Chapter 6: New Zealand to 1840, pp. 125-147
Chapter 7: New Zealand 1840-1872, pp. 148-170
Chapter 8: New Zealand 1861- early 1900s, pp. 171-192
chapter 9: New Zealand to 1918, pp. 193-216
Chapter 12: New Zealand post-1980, pp. 261-282

from the www:
The people of New Zealand
Where New Zealanders live
Arrival and settlement of the Maori
Pre-European society
The Maori economy: a history
Maori people and culture today
Treaty of Waitangi
Cook's Achievement
British immigration and the New Zealand Company
Large differences in regional growth
New Zealand agriculture
New Zealand agricultural production

Additional Web Resources

Haka: from the Rugby league

History of immigration to New Zealand

New Zealand regions

Another view of NZ regions

About New Zealand

New Zealand forest plantations

New Zealand wine regions

Urban places of New Zealand

New Zealand local governments

New Zealand webcams

Week 7

February 16 Midterm Exam on New Zealand

February 18 Pacific Islands: Introduction & Physical Geography

Required Readings

from the Chambers New Zealand book:
How Pacific Islands were formed, pp. 9-15

from the www:
Charting the Pacific (read all island summaries from sidebar links)
New Caledonia flora, by Porter Lowry

Additional Web Resources

Theory of island biogeography

Status of Cook Island birds

Pacific Island environmental news

Schematic diagram of an atoll

Atoll ecosystems

Week 8 February 23 & 25

Pacific Islands: Historical & Economic Geography

Required Readings

from the Chambers New Zealand book:
Chapter 2: Early South Pacific Cultures, pp. 24-51
Chapter 3: Easter Islanders, Fijians, pp. 52-62
Chapter 4: Contact and Commerce, pp. 74-100

from the www:
The Easter Island Story
Traditional Pacific Island Agroforestry Systems
Urban agroforestry on Pacific Islands