Skip to Main Content

Content

Course Tabs

Overview

Course Prescription

Explores how Pacific knowledges and worldviews shape and are shaped by Pacific communities to make meaning of and respond to a broad range of topics relevant to psychology.

Course Overview

This course aims to deepen understandings of Pacific Psychologies by exploring how Pacific knowledges and worldviews shape and are shaped by Pacific communities to make meaning of and respond to a broad range of topics relevant to psychology. To do so, this course draws upon theoretical and practical elements to explore the past, present, and future of the Pacific psychological space. By taking an open, immersive, and inter-trans-disciplinary approach in this course, you are introduced to a decolonising and indigenising framework where you are encouraged to critically engage, reflect, and consider how different experiences shape yours and others' experiences. 

Key Topics

  • (Re)claiming space in psychology for Pacific peoples. 
  • Exploring Pacific Research.
  • Moving from theory to practice.
  • Seminar topics cover mental health, identity, environment, language, and spirituality. 
  • The future of psychology.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course per week, you can expect 2 hours of class, spending 2 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and spending 4-6 hours working on assignments. This may vary depending on the timing of group seminar presentations and other course work.

Advice on Course Limits

This is a limited entry course: there is a limit on the number of enrolments due to staff or space capacity. In cases where the courses is taught under two separate codes (e.g. concurrently taught courses, general education courses) the course limit specified is the total across both versions of the course. For more information, please see the Programme and Course Limitations section of the University Academic and General Statutes and Regulations.

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities (weekly classes), to ensure you are able to draw on class materials, discussions, and/or content for your assessments. 

Some learning materials may be available online and/or as recordings. 

The course may include live online events where relevant. Such events will be discussed with the class in advance. 

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

Essential readings will be provided via Canvas, however these are a starting point and you will be required to do further research and reading in your own time.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.


You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Health and Safety

Health and wellbeing always comes first During the semester you may experience a challenging time or see your friends and/or whānau experiencing a challenging time. There is lots of help out there. For more information, see the university postgraduate student information webpage which has links to various support services: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/postgraduate-students.html

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

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 own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Additional Information on Assessment

The course is 100% internally assessed.

Special Requirements

Participation in this course is assessed. 
Participation in this course is assessed as a practical component. It is expected that you will actively contribute to discussions and engage in all class activities.

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type12345678910

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

We continue to make improvements to the course based on student feedback. Selected anonymous feedback from previous students in response to what they found most helpful for their learning:

  • "Interactive classes"
  • "Having guest speakers - really gave insight into where you can go with your study... Hearing 'real-life' stories and the realities of the work being done was really informative and provided greater depth and understanding into the many different areas that Pacific Psychologies is a part of and how we, as culturally competent practitioners, can really make a difference."
  • "Collaborative and collective learning approach using a Pacific pedagogy that allowed for a supportive and culturally relevant environment during class"
  • "Student-led seminars were an awesome way of engaging with material"
  • "The assignment structure was unique and practical"
  • "The content was highly engaging and delivered through class discussions that helped in approaching, interrogating, and coming to understand the content"

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Additional Information on Tuākana

There is no specific Tuākana programme relevant to this course, however the values that inform the delivery of this course are similar to that of a Tuākana learning environment.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.