Geography (postgraduate)

MASTERS IN GEOGRAPHY 

COMPULSORY COURSES (22 Unit/22 Unit)
SKAP6013 Discourse on Social Thought
SKAP6004 Social Research Methods
SKAG6033 River Catchment Studies
SKAG6043 Development and Environment
SKAG6053 Population and Social Well-being
SKAG6113 Climate Change Studies
SKAG6123 Economy, Politic and Space
SKAG6133 Coastal Studies
SKAG6143 Settlement and Development
 MASTER THESIS(12 Unit)
SKAG601C Master Thesis
ELECTIVE COURSES (6 Unit/ 6 Units)
SKAG6213 Land Coverage Changes
SKAG6223 Geography of Tourism
SKAG6233 Environment and Health
SKAG6243 Urbanization and Urban Management
SKAG6253 Environment Management
SKAG6263 Transport Development and Spatial Transformation
JUMLAH UNIT : 40 UNIT

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY & MASTER OF OF PHILOSOPHY (GEOGRAPHY)

COMPULSORY COURSES (8 Unit/ 8 Units)
SKAP6004 Social Research Methods
SKAP6014 Social Academic Writing
JUMLAH UNIT : 8 UNIT

COMPULSORY COURSES

SKAP6013 Discourse on Social Thought

The present course will engage discussion on the various social theories put forward by Western and non-Western social thinkers in explaining the relationship between man, society and the universe as well as current philosophical, theoretical and methodological discourses. Topics to be discussed include the differences between revealed knowledge and the sciences; the role of philosophy in the development of social theories; and the redefinition of the relationships between social structure, human agencies and space within the paradigm of societal and environmental changes. These issues will be discussed from the Malaysian perspectives and contextuality, in relation to the emergence of postmodern theoretical discourses and their practical question.

SKAP6004 Social Research Methodology
Research on social, development and environment issues require reliable information from numerous sources as well as appropriate data gathering methods and analysis. The course enables students to write a research proposal, conduct research and interpret research findings. The course examines various topics such as (a) research dimension, theory and methodology; (b) qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, data management and data analysis, (c) research design, research proposal and presentation of research report, and (d) discipline-based research methods. Students will also be exposed to field research and data analysis using SPSS.

SKAG6033 River Catchment Studies
Catchment management study combines theoretical and practical approaches in hydrology, geomorphology and catchement maangement perspectives. The intermediate and advance levels of hydrology and geomorphology are discussed in detailed with focusing to the process and event in urban and natural watersheds. Students will be exposed with the concept of inter relationships between hydrogeomorphology with human in watershed area. Examples of catchment’s imbalance and process of analysis will be discussed by applying spation model (GIS) and empirical model (rational method analysis for hydrological parameters).

SKAG6043 Development and Environment
This course deals with inter-relationship between human needs with resourses and environment. The coverage of the course include isusses relating to human developmentand natural and social resources, management of human development and environment for sustainable development. Development impact issues on physical and social dimension will be given special treament, using Malaysian experiences as examples.

SKAG6053 Population and Social Well-being
The welfare and development level of a country’s population can be gauged from the level of its social well-being. This course shall discus the basic concepts and theories of social well-being and its utilization in development planning. Aspects of inequality and their relationship with spatial difference poverty and current issues at both the global and national (Malaysia) level shall also be discussed.

SKAG6113 Climate Change Studies
This course attempts to discuss changes in earth atmospheric charateristics due to changes in global environment. The contents of the coure is dinamic and physical climate, climate observation, modelling, prediction and understanding the risks and issues of climate change. Besides, the course also attempts to look into development processes as one of the factors of climate change as well as efford to mitigate this problem. Othe topics are prediction of climate change, the impact and mitigation measure that reduce this effect.

SKAG6123 Economy, Politic and Space
Human societies today are enduring living space in which serious interplay between political powrs (governance) and economic powers (especially monetary and trade) have created glaring differences in living patterns between places and regions. Based on global financial and trade sectors, this course discussed realistic relation between money, power and space, also big issues of the relationship. Some of the issues in focussed are how collusions between capitalisme, banking systems (based on interest and global finance) and current world trade have created heavy debt crisis amongst developing countries; and the prospects of world financing and governing systems to empower the weak nations.

SKAG6133 Coastal Studies
The course discusses the envionment and all geomorphological processes that occur in the coastal zone as its managment. Processes will include erosion and sedimentation as well as the important of wave, tide, and wind in influencing the land physical features. The dynamic of coastal zone. Whether from natural or non-natural aspects will be discussed in the contexs of managment, based on national and international examples.

SKAG6143 Settlement and Development
The present course discusses the relationship between settlement systems and national development. Focus discussion is on theory and development paradigm, as well as their implications for settlement system. Attention is also given to policies and strategies for rural and urban development within the context of various development approaches. The discussin also focuses on the issue related to modern economies with special reference to metropolitan cities in the era of globalisation and its resultant spatial impacts. Examples from developing countries with particular reference to Malaysia wil be highlighted.

SKAG601C Master Thesis
Thesis writing is compulsory for all students of Master of Social Science in the Program of Geography. The main purpose of the exercise is to provide an opportunity for students to design and undertake independent research work. Students will then be assessed on their ability to organize and present the research data in a written form that reflects maturity of thought,knowledge of the research subject, relevance of the hypothesis (hypotheses) and research methods used as well as their capability in critically analyzing the subject matter in the research. The length of the thesis shall not exceed 40,000 words. Students will be required to defend the thesis in an oral examination conducted by a panel of examiners including the supervisor.

ELECTIVE COURSES

SKAG6213 Land Coverage Changes
The course discusses changes in land uses for development especially forest cover. Land uses changes will relate to global issues such as changes in biogeochemical and its effects on change in sea level, green house and human activities. The course will also discuss factors that influence changes in land uses. Land uses modeling will be introduced in planning sustainable land uses development to ensure healthy environment.

SKAG6223 Geography of Tourism
This course discusses the demand and supply aspect of tourism product and its implication towards space. One of the main issues include tourism moving pattern, types of tourism destination and the elements of attraction, and also the responsibility of tourism agent which centre on the tourism industry. Apart from that, impact of tourism planning will be covered which we will focus on Malaysia.

SKAG6233 Environment and Health
Human health can be influenced by environmental conditions. This course attempts to observe the relationship that establish between human health status and environmental conditions. This course will focus on enviromental elements at certain lacolities, their influences and effects on human health as well as human comfortabilties.

SKAG6243 Urbanization and Urban Management
The present course discusses the process of urbanisation, urban place and its management in the era of globalization with particular reference to Malaysia. Discussion covers the patterns of urbanisation, urban issues and management highlighting the process of democracy, urban poverty, housing, quality of life, waste management, urban competitiveness and sustainable urban development. Urban governance and the role of local authority in providing services as well as managing urban development will also be discussed.

SKAG6253 Environment Management
The aim of the course is to discuss the importance of environmental management in an integrated and holistic maner. Students will be exposed to processes and the relationship between all important environmental components in physical and human aspects as well as process change and their impacts on environment. Focus will be on current global and local situations as basic management. The integrated environmental management will be studied through legalisations as well as nonlegalisations in the contexts of concepts and principal of sustainable development.

SKAG6263 Transport Development and Spatial Transformation
This course examines the relationship between transport and economic and social development of the population, and is its impacts on the spatial structure of regions where they lived. The roles of multi-national companies in the development of transport infrastructure will also be explained. The course begins by introducing the various components of transport infrastructure for passengers and freights on land, sea and air. This will be followed by discussions on the role of transport in the opening up and development of new land, the questions of reducing friction distance, the economic and social benefits of transport on the population, the issue of vulnerability of the environment resulting from the opening up of new lands, traffic congestion, and road accident.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY & MASTER OF OF PHILOSOPHY (GEOGRAPHY)

COMPULSORY COURSES
SKAP6004 Social Research Methods
Research on social, development and environment issues require reliable information from numerous source as well as appropriate data gathering methods and analysis. The course enables students to write a research proposal, conduct research and interpret research findings. The course examines various topics such as, (i) research dimension, theory and methodology; (ii) qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, data management and data analysis, (iii) research design, research proposal and presentation of research report; and (iv) discipline-based research methods. Students will also be exposed to field research and data analysis using SPSS.

SKAP6014 Social Academic Writing
Research related to social, development and environmental questions requires accurate information from various sources and media, and appropriate selection of the techniques for collecting and analyses of data. The first part of this course will explain the rational for using certain research design. Several techniques will be discussed such as survey, interviews, and observation. Discussion will focus on qualitative and quantitative techniques will also be discussed in presenting the research outcomes. Second part of the course will discuss specific research method according to the programmes’s requirement.