Students

GEOP606 – Urban Dynamics: Population, Housing and Economy

2018 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Kristian Ruming
Contact via kristian.ruming@mq.edu.au
W3A 432
Credit points Credit points
4
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MPlan or MSusDev
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
GEOP219
Unit description Unit description
More than half of the world’s population now live in cities. This unit explores some of the key drivers of urbanisation across Australia and the globe. The focus here is threefold. First, population dynamics are examined. The unit explores the role of population change (fertility, mortality, migration and ageing) in influencing the growth and structure of our cities. Second, the role of housing as a central element of urban change and urban planning policy is explored. Students will examine issues of housing affordability, social and community housing options, and the role of home ownership and private rental in Australian cities. The unit analyses new forms of housing delivery, such as urban renewal and regeneration, which provide opportunities to address the housing crisis facing many of our cities. Finally, the unit investigates the economies of our largest cities. The unit examines the ways in which our cities are becoming “global cities”, the ways in which types of employment are spatially distributed across our cities, and how employment (along with other socioeconomic characteristics) is driving increasingly divided cities. Central to the unit is the exploration of possible policy responses (including urban planning and broader social and economic policy) for addressing many of the challenges facing our cities.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Have an appreciation of the evolving geographic patterning of the demographic, housing and economics processes driving urban change in Australia and internationally (Learning Outcome 1)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, definitions and measures used to examine urban change (Learning Outcome 2)
  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)
  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)
  • Identify and critically evaluate the political and policy drivers and outcomes of population change, housing markets and economic performance of cities in Australia and globally (Learning Outcome 5)

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Tutorial Paper 1 10% No 15 March
Tutorial Paper 2 20% No Week 5 or Week 8
Research Report 30% No Week 8 or Week 12
Examination 40% No Exam period

Tutorial Paper 1

Due: 15 March
Weighting: 10%

Date due: 11 am Thursday 15 March

Word length:

Internal and External: 1,000 words (not including figures)

Submission (internal and external):

Tutorial papers must be submitted to Turnitin before 11am ("Tutorial Paper 1" link on GEOP219 ilearn page). Late submissions should be submitted to the "late submissions" link.

 

Topic: Students are required to produce a population profile of a sub-national region. The case study sites could be (allocated by tutor):

  • Suburbs within Sydney
  • Greater Capital City Statistical Area
  • NSW Statistical Local Areas Level 4

 

The profile should explore the current demographic situation and could cover such attributes as:

- population size and distribution

   - age-sex structure

     - birth and death rates

- ethnic composition

    - labour force characteristics

     - socio-economic composition

In addition, the profile could also explore some of the major changes that have occurred in population over the past decade or so (e.g. rapid growth/decline, changing age or ethnic composition).

Each profile should also include at least 1 map and 1 graph/table which aid in illustrating the profile of the area.

Reports should critically evaluate the data available (i.e. what are the positives/negatives/challenges/limitations of the data?).

Students will begin working on their profile in the Week 2 Tutorial. In the Week 3 Tutorial students are expected to provide a brief overview (presentation, 3-5 slides)  of their case study to the class and contribute to a discussion of Population Geographies of Sydney.

External studentsKristian will email case study locations by Thursday 8 March. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Have an appreciation of the evolving geographic patterning of the demographic, housing and economics processes driving urban change in Australia and internationally (Learning Outcome 1)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, definitions and measures used to examine urban change (Learning Outcome 2)
  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)
  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)

Tutorial Paper 2

Due: Week 5 or Week 8
Weighting: 20%

Students have two options to choose from. Students must indicate which individual tutorial paper they intend to complete in the tutorial in Week 3. External students should email their selection to Kristian.

 

Option 1 – Urban Population issues: media analysis and policy brief

Date due: 11am Thursday 29 March

Word length: 1,500 words

Submission (internal and external):

Tutorial papers must be submitted to Turnitin before 11am ("Tutorial Paper 2 (opt 1)" link on GEOP219 ilearn page). Late submissions should be submitted to the "late submissions" link.

 

The tutorial paper should include two parts: Part 1: Media Analysis and Part 2: Policy Brief.

Part 1 (approx. 750 words)

Students should survey population issues related to Sydney being covered in Newspapers.

In your review you should try and discern any patterns in the material (e.g. an emphasis on a particular topic, particular views being espoused, etc). A typical structure could be:

  • Provide an overview of the main population issues being covered in the media
  • Discuss whether you think the issues are being reported in a neutral fashion or if particular political/social/cultural biases are being represented
  • Discuss the policy/economic/social implications of the issues being discussed
  • Relate how your findings relate to material covered in the lectures

You are required to find at least 4 newspaper articles associated with population issues (references will need to be provided). Try and find articles published in the last 3 years.

Part 2 (approx. 750 words)

Students should develop a short policy brief for the NSW Minister for Population. The policy brief should be in the form of a brief report which outlines the Sydney’s main population features, issues/problems and policies. This section should draw on data illustrating some of the population characteristics of Sydney (population growth, distribution, birth rate, mortality, health, age and sex structure, ethnic composition, employment, migration, etc) and make links with other policy areas (eg health, economy, immigration).

Parts 1 and 2 can either be completed separately or combined into a single report as long as all aspects of the assessment are addressed.

Students will begin working on their profile in the Week 4 Tutorial. In the Week 5 Tutorial students are required to present their findings to the class. Presentations should be a maximum of 5 minutes in length. PowerPoint must be emailed to Kristian by 10am on Thursday 29 March.

 

Option 2 – Public, Social and Community Housing:   media analysis and policy brief

Date due: 11 am Thursday 3 May

Word length: 1,500 words

Submission (internal and external):

Tutorial papers must be submitted to Turnitin before 11am ("Tutorial Paper 2 (opt 2)" link on GEOP219 ilearn page). Late submissions should be submitted to the "late submissions" link.

 

The tutorial paper should include two parts: Part 1: Media Analysis and Part 2: Policy Brief.

Part 1 (approx. 750 words)

Students should survey population issues related to Public, Social and Community Housing being covered in Newspapers.

In your review you should try and discern any patterns in the material (e.g. an emphasis on a particular topic, particular views being espoused, etc). A typical structure could be:

  • Provide an overview of public, social and community housing issues being covered in the media
  • Discuss whether you think the issues are being reported in a neutral fashion or if particular political/social/cultural biases are being represented
  • Discuss the policy/economic/social implications of the issues being discussed
  • Relate how your findings relate to material covered in the lectures

You are required to find at least 4 newspaper articles associated with population issues (references will need to be provided). Try and find articles published in the last 3 years.

Part 2 (approx. 750 words)

Students should develop a short policy brief for the NSW Minister for Housing. The policy brief should be in the form of a brief report which outlines the Sydney’s main features, issues/problems and policies associated with public, social and community housing. This section should draw on academic and public policy literature concerned with public, social and community housing. In your brief you should provide a set of future policy options. These policy suggestions should be realistic and reflect current housing challenges in Sydney and NSW.

Parts 1 and 2 can either be completed separately or combined into a single report as long as all aspects of the assessment are addressed.

Students will begin working on their profile in the Week 7 Tutorial. In the Week 8 Tutorial students are required to present their findings to the class. Presentations should be a maximum of 5 minutes in length. PowerPoint must be emailed to Kristian by 10am on Thursday 3 May.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Have an appreciation of the evolving geographic patterning of the demographic, housing and economics processes driving urban change in Australia and internationally (Learning Outcome 1)
  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)

Research Report

Due: Week 8 or Week 12
Weighting: 30%

Students have two options to choose from. Students must indicate which written assignment they intend to complete in the tutorial in Week 3. External Students should email their selection to Kristian.

 

Option 1 - Housing Experiences and Expectations

Date due: 11am Thursday 3 May (Week 8)

Word length2,500 words

Submission (internal and external students):                      

Reports must be submitted to Turnitin before 11am (link available on GEOP219 ilearn page). Late submissions should be submitted to the "late submissions" link.

 

Project Brief: You have been employed by Shelter NSW to prepare a report on the housing experiences and expectation of university students. University students are a diverse group which often face significant housing issues. Students are often forgotten in debates around housing affordability. Shelter NSW is particularly interested in students expectation about their future housing.

Primary Data: In the Tutorial in Week 6 all students enrolled in GEOP606 will be required to complete an online survey exploring housing experiences and expectations. The survey will be accessed via the GEOP606 ilearn page. Survey data will be made available to students at the beginning of Week 7.

In addition, in the Week 6 Tutorial, students will break into small groups and conduct “self-directed focus groups”. In these focus groups students will be required to discuss the housing histories and expectations. Each group will be required to take notes. These notes will be used to add additional qualitative data to the report.

Note: All students are expected to complete the survey. Failure to complete the survey will be taken into consideration when finalising unit grades.

Secondary Data: Other data can be collected from:

NSW Rent and Sales Reports:

 http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/about-us/reports-plans-and-papers/rent-and-sales-reports

Housing Kit Data Base:

http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/centre-for-affordable-housing/nsw-local-government-housing-kit/local-government-housing-kit-database/2011-census-database

NSW Housing Monitor Reports:

http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Research-and-Demography/Research/Housing-Monitor-Reports

ABS Housing Statistics:

http://www.abs.gov.au/

Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute:

http://www.ahuri.edu.au

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:

http://www.aihw.gov.au

 

Your report should include:

  1. An overview of housing affordability in Sydney
  2. An analysis of primary data collected from GEOP606 students
  3. A synthesis of how these findings relate to other academic and policy work looking at housing expectations and experiences in Sydney/Australia
  4. An overview of possible policy interventions/response
  5. A personal reflection on your own housing experiences and expectations in relation to you classmates

Research reports should include academic and policy references where appropriate.

A grading rubric is available in Turnitin.

 

 

 

Option 2 – Sydney’s Employment Futures

Date due: 11am Thursday 31 May (Week 12)

Word length2,500

Submission (internal and external students):                      

Reports must be submitted to Turnitin before 11am (link available on GEOP219 ilearn page). Late submissions should be submitted to the "late submissions" link.

 

Project Brief: You have been employed by the Greater Sydney Commission to prepare a report on employment trends and forecasts across Sydney. The Commission wants a report which provides an employment profile of two Sydney Local Government Areas. The Commission is interested in exploring different employment structures across the city. As such, one LGA must be selected from each:

  • Eastern or Northern Sydney
  • Western or Southern Sydney

 

Primary Data: You are required to analyse employment and workforce data collated by the NSW Bureau of Transport Statistics. In particular:

            Employment Forecasts 2011-2014 (2014 release)

            Workforce Forecasts 2011-2014 (2014 release)

These data can be downloaded from http://www.bts.nsw.gov. They can also be found in the assessment folder on the GEOP606 ilearn page.

Note: the Bureau of Transport Statistics also provides additional data sets and visualisation (maps) which you might consider including in your report.

 

Secondary Data: Other data can be collected from:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics:

http://www.abs.gov.au/

The Commonwealth Department of Employment:

https://www.employment.gov.au/employment-research-and-statistics

Local Government webpages

 

Your report can explore trends/differences within LGAs and links could be made to the demographic profiles completed as part of Tutorial Paper 1 where relevant.

 

Your report should include:

  1. A brief demographic profile of the LGAs
  2. An overview of current employment and workforce characteristics
  3. An analysis of how the employment/workforce characteristics of the case study is similar to/different from profiles for Sydney and Australia
  4. An analysis of employment/workforce forecasts and discussion of major shifts in employment trends
  5. An overview of possible policy interventions/responses, with a focus on addressing geographical inequalities in employment

Research reports should include academic and policy references where appropriate.

A grading rubric is available in Turnitin.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Have an appreciation of the evolving geographic patterning of the demographic, housing and economics processes driving urban change in Australia and internationally (Learning Outcome 1)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, definitions and measures used to examine urban change (Learning Outcome 2)
  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)
  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)
  • Identify and critically evaluate the political and policy drivers and outcomes of population change, housing markets and economic performance of cities in Australia and globally (Learning Outcome 5)

Examination

Due: Exam period
Weighting: 40%

A two hour examination will be held in the examination period at the end of session. Students will be required to complete two essays based on the lecture and tutorial program. Students will be given the opportunity to select the essay topics from three options. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, definitions and measures used to examine urban change (Learning Outcome 2)
  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)
  • Identify and critically evaluate the political and policy drivers and outcomes of population change, housing markets and economic performance of cities in Australia and globally (Learning Outcome 5)

Delivery and Resources

Submitting your assignments

All assignments must be submitted to Turnitin on (or before) 11am on the due date listed. A link for each assignment is available on the GEOP219 ilearn page. 

All students must keep a clean electronic copy of their assignments.

Late penalties:  Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. 

Extension requests:  Circumstances that affect your ability to complete assignments by the due date must be discussed with Kristian.  Appropriate supporting documentation may be required.  Ensure that this is done before the due date.

Students must complete all assessment tasks. Failure to complete any single assessment task may result in failure of the unit. The final grade is based on the total mark accumulated from all assessment tasks. All students must keep a clean electronic copy of all assignments submitted for assessment. All students must make themselves available during the official Examination Period. 

Written style

All assignments should be written in 12 point font with 1.5 spacing. All work must be appropriately referenced. You can use any referencing style you like, however, it must be correct! 

Technology used and required

GEOP606 makes extensive use of web-based teaching support using the ilearn online Learning System. Access to the Internet and regular access to the unit’s ilearn website is essential in GEOP606.

Unit Schedule

Wk

Date

 Lecture Topic

Tutorial

Assessment

1

 1 March

Introduction to unit and overview

The Population System

No Tutorial

 

2

8 March

Methods and Data

Urban Population Dynamics: Fertility

Tutorial Paper 1 - Population Profile

All students to attend

 

3

15 March

Urban Population Dynamics: Mortality

Ageing in the City: Children and Elderly Populations

Class Discussion - Population Geographies of Sydney

All students to attend

Tutorial Paper 1 - Population Profile (10%)

Students to indicate assessment preference

4

22 March

Population Dynamics: Migration

Cultural Diversity and the City

Tutorial Paper 2 (Option 1 - Population in the Media)

Tutorial Paper 2 Preparation - only students completing option 1 need to attend

 

5

29 March

GUEST LECTURE: Population Data in State Government

- Dr Kim Johnstone, NSW Data Analytics Centre

 

Tutorial Paper (Option 1 - Population in the Media) Tutorial Presentations

All students to attend

Tutorial Paper 2 (Option 1) - Population in the Media (20%) 

6

5 April

Housing Australia: Trends and Policy Settings

Tenure: Ownership and Purchase

 

Research Project: Housing Expectations Student Survey

All students to attend

 

7 12 April 

Tenure: Private Rental

Tenure:  Social / Affordable / Community Housing

Tutorial Paper 2 (Option 2 - Social/Public Housing in the Media) Tutorial

Paper 2 Preparation - only students completing option 2 need to attend

 

 

 

BREAK

 

 

8

3 May

GUEST LECTURE: Delivering affordable housing

- Janet Chappell, Landcom

- Dr Tony Gillmore, Housing Action Network

Tutorial Paper 2 (Option 2 - Social/Public Housing in the Media) Tutorial

Paper 2 Preparation - only students completing option 2 need to attend

Research Project (Option 1) - Housing Affordability and Expectations (30%)

Tutorial Paper 2 (Option 2) -  Social/Public Housing in the Media (20%)

9

10 May

Geography of Housing: Australia: the suburban nation?

Class Discussion - The Suburbs

All students to attend

 

10

17 May

Geography of Housing: Reconfiguring the city: urban regeneration and renewal

Class Discussion - NIMBY and community participation

All students to attend

 

11

24 May

The Economy of Australian Cities

Cities and National Economic Performance

Research Project: Sydney's Employment Future 

Only students completing Sydney's Employment Future Research Project need to attend

 

12

31 May

GUEST LECTURE: Employment in Western Sydney

- Prof Bob Fagan

Class Discussion - Employment across the Global City

All students to attend

Research Project (Option 2) - Sydney's Employment Future (30%)

13

7 June

Urban Dynamics: Overlays and interconnections

Unit Review

Review

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)
  • Identify and critically evaluate the political and policy drivers and outcomes of population change, housing markets and economic performance of cities in Australia and globally (Learning Outcome 5)

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Paper 1
  • Research Report
  • Examination

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Have an appreciation of the evolving geographic patterning of the demographic, housing and economics processes driving urban change in Australia and internationally (Learning Outcome 1)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, definitions and measures used to examine urban change (Learning Outcome 2)
  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)
  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Paper 1
  • Tutorial Paper 2
  • Research Report
  • Examination

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Have an appreciation of the evolving geographic patterning of the demographic, housing and economics processes driving urban change in Australia and internationally (Learning Outcome 1)
  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)
  • Identify and critically evaluate the political and policy drivers and outcomes of population change, housing markets and economic performance of cities in Australia and globally (Learning Outcome 5)

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Paper 1
  • Tutorial Paper 2
  • Research Report
  • Examination

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, definitions and measures used to examine urban change (Learning Outcome 2)
  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)
  • Identify and critically examine the role of urban planning in addressing urban dynamics across complex local contexts. (Learning Outcome 4)
  • Identify and critically evaluate the political and policy drivers and outcomes of population change, housing markets and economic performance of cities in Australia and globally (Learning Outcome 5)

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Paper 1
  • Tutorial Paper 2
  • Research Report
  • Examination

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Paper 1
  • Tutorial Paper 2
  • Research Report

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Have an appreciation of the evolving geographic patterning of the demographic, housing and economics processes driving urban change in Australia and internationally (Learning Outcome 1)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, definitions and measures used to examine urban change (Learning Outcome 2)
  • Be competent with some of the research methods used to explore population geography, housing market analysis and economic performance at the urban scale (Learning Outcome 3)
  • Identify and critically evaluate the political and policy drivers and outcomes of population change, housing markets and economic performance of cities in Australia and globally (Learning Outcome 5)

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Paper 1
  • Tutorial Paper 2
  • Research Report
  • Examination