ʻATENISI INSTITUTE
An institute for critical education in the South Pacific
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Takafalu (archival)
SOCIAL SCIENCE
PAC. STUD. 125, 425 – Survey of the South Pacific
A comparative survey of the politics and sociology of the Anglophone-Pacific and enduring colonialism of the Francophone-Pacific. Within the Francophone sector, Kanak and Tahitian insurgency in New Caledonia and French Polynesia is measured against support for ongoing French sponsorship. Within the Anglophone sector, the authoritarian nationalism of Fiji is contrasted with both Samoan localism and Tonga’s transition towards national democracy.
HUMANITIES
E.L. 100 – English Composition
An initial language course combining oral, visual and written guidance enabling students to compose written essays. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar.
E.L. 317, 417 – 20th Century European Literature
A thematic and stylistic analysis of Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha and Albert Camus’ The Stranger. Hesse’s fictional – and at times extrapolative – biography of Buddha is seen from the perspective of the generation gap in Europe after the First World War, whilst Camus’ Stranger is interpreted as a diary of modern indifference to traditional values.
PAC. STUD. 120, 420 – History of Tonga
An account of the development of the Polynesian kingdom from Lapita settlement in the first millennium B.C. to its current transition towards parliamentary democracy. The course mediates the controversy regarding Tonga’s regional hegemony of the 14th and 15th centuries – i.e., empire or commercial coordinator? It next considers Tonga’s adaptation of selected European constructs, including fervent conversion to Wesleyan Christianity from the late 1820s. Special attention is paid to the nation-building of its first monarch, George Tupou I, including the abolition of serfdom in 1862 and introduction of constitutional government in 1875.
T.L. 100 – Conversational Tongan
Introduction to Tongan for English speakers, covering basic vocabulary and grammar, as well as pronunciation.
NATURAL SCIENCE
ENV.SCI. 130, 430 – Fundamentals of environmental science
A summary of key challenges to the integrity of the planet in the early 21st century, including air and water pollution, ozone depletion, deforestation, desertification, erosion, radioactivity, and global warming and concomitant rise of sea level and temperature. Special attention is paid to sustainable responses to these challenges including political strategies of prohibition, conservation, and taxation … and technical manoeuvres such as filtration, irrigation, agricultural hygiene, desalinisation, and production of alternative energy.
BIO 120, 320, 420 – Marine Science
Bodies of water cover three quarters of the planet: the course surveys the key elements of the aquatic environment – variation of depth, tide, currents, and wave dynamics, as well as the composition of the floor; variation of temperature, pressure, and refraction; as well as endemic plants and animals and their predation and defense strategies. Special attention is paid coral reefs, kelp forests, seagrass meadows, and thermal vents.
E.S. 325 – Ocean Sustainability
The course initially describes the modern threat to the integrity of the oceans via excessive fishing, industrial pollution, and global warming. It next reviews recent conservation efforts through both political, economic and chemical intervention. Special attention is paid to the pros and cons of valuation arguments as a vehicle of political change.
ARTS
MEDIA 410 – Techniques of cinematography
A hands-on guide to visual storytelling, covering camera formats, lenses, and filters, as well as audio and lighting deployment. Students will attempt a short film demonstrating accessible narrative, dramatic exposition, strategic edition, and directorial vision.
MUS 100 — Introduction to music
Introduction to the fundamentals of music, focusing on identifying tones and pitches (as well as their rhythm and duration) bass and treble clefs, scales, intervals, key signatures, and harmonic analysis. Using these musical building blocks, students will develop practical skills in keyboard, ear and sight training, voice leading, and harmony construction.