Geography at QUT: Evolution of a Discipline

The paper focuses on the constraints encountered in developing and introducing a ge-ography discipline programme, with a distinctive regional focus, within a university of technology. Through a case study approach, the analysis relates the development of geography at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to changes in geograph-ical education in Australia. Major obstacles to the evolution of geography within QUT are outlined: practical aspects of working in a multi-campus setting; limited staffing resources; policy obstacles to discipline identification and the downgrading ofdiscipline-based approaches in favour of ‘trans-disciplinary’majors. Strategiesused to overcome these constraints have included: cross-faculty linkages; establishing co-majors in several degree programmes; team-teaching; flexible delivery and the use of online resources. While the establishment and development of the current QUT Ge-ography programme has been difficult at times, the institutional context has provided opportunities to create a distinctive and innovative geography programme. doi: 10.2167/irgee208.