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In the year 2002, a field trip to Australia was organized by the Department of Geography and Resource Management. This was the first year when field study trips were organized as compulsory courses. A total of 32 participants included Prof. Lam kin Che and Prof. Chen Yongqin (Trip Leaders), Ms. Sandy Lee (Staff), Mr. Dennis Woo (Graduate Assistant) and 28 undergraduate students. Special thanks to Prof. Lawal Marafa, trip coordinator, for his efforts in the organization of our trip. Thanks also to colleagues at SAGES of the University of Melbourne for their kind support and guidance during our trip. In addition, we thank Dr. Brian Finlayson, Dr. Mark Yaolin WANG, and Dr. Wayne Stephenson for their help in organizing the trip. |
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The
Australian trip took students to the country's two largest cities, Sydney
and Melbourne, and their surrounding areas for comprehensive field studies
of a wide range of geographical issues.
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Figure
5: The Australia Study Group
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Study Mode Field trips of the department encourage students to study a variety of topics in Geography. In Australia we had two very different modes of study in the two cities we visited. In Melbourne, thanks to our local host, the School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies (SABES), University of Melbourne, we attended lectures by local experts and participate in guided tours in the region. Without any local support in Sydney, students were required to carry out exploratory fieldwork in groups; they studied in pre-assigned study topics. |
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Assessment This field trip allowed students to fulfill a compulsory course requirement for all major students. Based on performance in pre-trip preparation, participation and presentations during the trip and an individual field trip report, a grade was given to each credit-earning participant. |
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