Handbook home
Famine: The Geography of Scarcity (GEOG10001)
Undergraduate level 1Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
From Semester 1, 2023 our undergraduate programs will be delivered on campus. Graduate programs will mainly be delivered on campus, with dual-delivery and online options available to a select number of subjects within some programs.
To learn more, visit 2023 Course and subject delivery.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
There are over 800 million people in the world who are chronically malnourished, and world hunger is rising. Yet the world already produces enough food to feed 1.5 times the global population. This subject explains the physical and social drivers of hunger, famines, and related crises in social-ecological systems. It proposes theories that explain famines and crises of scarcity, and tests these with evidence and case studies. In this way the subject introduces key issues, concepts, and theories central to geography, development, environmental studies and environmental science. The subject is interdisciplinary, providing students with a broad range of knowledge and analytical tools. Specifically, the subject draws together science and social science, introducing students to multiple disciplinary knowledge and practices.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Identify the causes of hunger and famine
- Explain the relationships between climate and food production
- Identify the extent to which scarcity has contributed to the collapse of civilizations throughout history
- Analyse relations between population, environmental change and food supply
- Explain how solutions to hunger are designed on the basis of particular theories about scarcity
- Have developed skills in empirical and theoretical evaluation of theories of hunger and famine
- Have gained a basic understanding of the discipline of geography and the interdisciplinary field of development studies
Generic skills
- Thinking critically and analytically
- Testing theories with evidence
- Writing essays that weigh-up evidence concerning complex physical and social phenomena
- Mapping data using ArcGIS
Last updated: 12 May 2023
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 12 May 2023
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Two short exercises in spatial representation of data about famines and food security (equivalent to 1500 words in total)
| Throughout the semester | 30% |
Essay
| Week 9 | 40% |
Final exam
| During the examination period | 30% |
Last updated: 12 May 2023
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Principal coordinator Wolfram Dressler Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Two x 1 hour lectures and one x 1 hour tutorial per week. It is a hurdle requirement that students attend 9 out of 12 weeks of tutorials. Attendance will be taken. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 27 February 2023 to 28 May 2023 Last self-enrol date 10 March 2023 Census date 31 March 2023 Last date to withdraw without fail 5 May 2023 Assessment period ends 23 June 2023 Semester 1 contact information
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
- Completion rate. Students who started their course from 2022 and are in a CSP or receiving a HELP Loan (eg FEE-HELP) must meet the completion rate to continue to receive Commonwealth Support for that course.
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement, and as a fail toward the completion rate, unless there are approved ‘special circumstances’.
Last updated: 12 May 2023
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
None.
- Subject notes
Students enrolled in the BSc (both pre-2008 degree and new degree), or a combined BSc course (except for the BA/BSc) will receive science credit for the completion of this subject.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Bachelor of Environments Major Environmental Geography Major Geography Major Integrated Geography Major Physical Geography Informal specialisation Science Discipline subjects - new generation B-SCI Minor Development Studies Informal specialisation Environments Discipline subjects Major Human Geography Minor Environmental Studies Breadth Track Understanding Disasters, Their Management and Planning Breadth Track Feeding the World's Population - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 12 May 2023