GSE845 Envionmental Impact Assessment
About this Unit
Next Offering: Semester 1, 2010
Offered: D1 - Day; First Half-Year (Block mode delivery; Unit is offered in alternate years)
Convenor: TBA
Prerequisite: GSE843
Credit Points: 4
This unit explores the role of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the pursuit of sustainable development. A range of methods and approaches used for EIA and a number of case studies of EIA implementation in Australia and internationally will be examined. The unit aims to build on students' prior professional knowledge and academic backgrounds and develop their capacity to critically assess EIA processes and does focus on teaching EIA methods in NSW alone. Students will enhance their understanding of the role and effectiveness of EIAs in the goal of protection of the environment and sustainable development nationally and internationally.
Teaching Staff
Convenor: Dr Ros Taplin
GSE845 lectures and workshops will be presented and facilitated by the convenor together with other academic staff from within the GSE and guest speakers from government, business and NGO institutions. It is intended that this will provide students with the scope of understanding and appreciation required from a range of differing views, applied knowledge and disciplinary backgrounds
Classes
The timetable for this block mode unit can be accessed by clicking on the timetable link at the top of this page.
PLEASE NOTE: In order to successfully complete this unit, students must attend at least 80% of scheduled lectures.
Unit web page
There is no web page for this unit.
Learning Outcomes
On the successful completion of the unit, the student's learning outcomes will include:
Specialist Outcomes
- Understanding of the sustainable development implications of EIA processes adopted in different nations.
- Identify and describe environmental issues that might be subject to EIA.
- Describe the framework (ie international, government, community, proponents, expertise) within which EIAs are carried out, and recognise the issues arising out of the interactions within this framework.
- Demonstrate an effective grasp of the international literature relevant to EIA.
- Begin to understand the roles of cultural, scientific, social, economic, and legal processes in EIA in all spheres of government within Australia and other nations.
- Develop a skill set and strategies for reviewing and evaluating both the scope of the EIA process and the resulting Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
- Critically analyse the EIA process and stakeholder responses to the identified environmental impacts of activities and/or developments.
- Evaluate policies and plans, proposed in the EIA process for the management of the impacts of activities and/or developments, from the sustainable development perspective.
Generic Outcomes
- Write cogent and clearly structured reports addressing relevant issues.
- Development of self management skills including the definition and completion of assignments.
- Develop critical analysis and evaluation skills.
- Develop capacity for independent learning and research.
- Develop a sense of professional responsibility relating to sustainable development outcomes
Teaching and Learning Strategy
Lectures and workshops will be presented and facilitated by Ros Taplin and guest speakers from government and/or consulting firms. It is intended that this will provide students with the scope of understanding and appreciation required from a range of differing views, applied knowledge and disciplinary backgrounds.
Students are expected to: participate in class activities; read set readings in advance for classes; follow current developments with regard to environmental impact assessment in the media; and keep a reflective journal of their learning experiences and outcomes.
As environmental decision-making operates through complex processes and frameworks, topics to be covered include an overview and evaluation of:
- decision-making in the context of environmental management and sustainable development policy.
- the local, regional, national and international institutional and regulatory frameworks in which environmental decisions are made.
- formal and informal decision-making models and processes, both local, regional, national and international, including:
- the contribution of land use and infrastructure planning in decision-making;
- impact assessment;
- participatory processes; and
- the contribution of politics and political discourse amongst a range of stakeholders and the community; and
- a variety of methods and tools used to assist and/or enhance environmental decision-making processes
Schedule of Lectures
| Date | Topics |
|---|---|
| Sunday 11 May | EIA and Sustainable Development: An Introduction and Review of Class Schedule and Assessments
EIA: Three Decades of Evolution in Scientific Assessment, Economic Evaluation and Stakeholder Input |
| Sunday 18 May | EIA in different national settings |
| Sunday 25 May | Australian EIA Processes
Cumulative Impact Assessment |
| Sunday 1 June | Strategic Environmental Assessment
Climate Impact Assessment Bring assignment 3 to class for work in progress assessment |
| Sunday 15 June | Student Presentations for Assignment 2
Concluding Lecture: EIA and Sustainable Development |
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
Rationale for Modes of Assessment
The assessment tasks have been designed to allow students to demonstrate how well they have achieved the learning outcomes for the unit.The allocation of marks within each task reflects the relative importance of the different components and students should pay particular attention to these as they complete the assignments. The GSE845 Study Guide will include detailed requirements for the all assignments.
All three assignments must be submitted to pass the unit.
Attendance
PLEASE NOTE: In order to successfully complete this unit, students must attend at least 80% of scheduled lectures.
In order to maximise learning outcomes, students are expected to:
- Participate in class discussions, workshops and activities
- Read required readings together with further readings that interest them
- Keep a learning outcomes diary
- Complete all assessment tasks
| Assessment | Max. Length | Marks | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1: Analysis of a National EIA System Case Study* | 2400 words | 40% | Friday 6 June, 9:00am at the ELS Centre |
| Assignment 2: Critical Review of a Recent NSW EIS** and Presentation of Findings |
2400 words | 40% | Friday 20 June, 9:00am at the ELS Centre |
| Assignment 3: Reflective Report on Learning Outcomes Based on Journal | 1200 words | 20% | Friday 27 June, 9:00am at the ELS Centre |
* Students are required to critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of an EIA system different to that of NSW.
**Group project
Submission of assignments
All assignments must be submitted to the appropriate assignment box for your unit. Assignment boxes are located in the reception area of the ELS Centre (Room 101), which is on the ground floor at the western end of building E7A.
The Centre opens from 8.30am to 5.30pm on Monday to Friday. There is also an after-hours assignment submission box at the door of E7A which opens to the central university walkway. You can access a campus map to assist in locating the building.
All assignments are to be submitted by 5.00pm on the date specified and must include a completed and signed coversheet stapled to the front cover. You can download an Assignment Cover Sheet from the ELS website.
Late submissions
All students are required to complete and submit assessment work by the due time and date. Extensions will only be granted in writing at the discretion of the unit convenor and will only be granted PRIOR to the due date (except in exceptional circumstances) and with the support of adequate documentation such as a medical certificate. Otherwise automatic penalties will apply. Assignments that are handed in late without an extension or exceptional circumstances will not be marked if they are submitted more than 7 days after the due date. If submitted within 7 days, marks will be deducted for lateness at the rate of 10% of the possible mark per day late.
Required and Recommended Texts/Materials
There is no set text for this unit. The GSE845 Study Guide will include a list of compulsory and recommended readings for assignments and key themes and topics within the unit.
For those students wishing to purchase some useful general texts, the following are recommended:
- Glasson J. 2005 Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, Earthscan, London.
- Thomas I. and M. Elliott 2005 Environmental Impact Assessment in Australia: Theory and Practice, Federation Press, Melbourne (4th edition).
Other useful books are:
- Wood C. 2002 Environmental Impact Assessment: A Comparative Review, Longman, Harlow.
- Harvey N. 1999 Environmental Impact Assessment: Procedures, Practice and Prospects in Australia, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
- Kreske D.L. 1996 Environmental Impact Statements: A Practical Guide for Agencies, Citizens and Consultants, John Wiley, New York.
- Therivel R. and Partidario M.R. 1996 The Practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment, Earthscan, London.
- Vanclay F. and Bronstein D. (eds) 1995 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, Wiley, Chichester
Plagiarism
The University defines plagiarism in its rules: "Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own." Plagiarism is a serious breach of the University's rules and carries significant penalties. You must read the University's practices and procedures on plagiarism. These can be found in the Handbook of Postgraduate Studies or on the web at: http://www.student.mq.edu.au/plagiarism/
The policies and procedures explain what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, the procedures that will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism, and the penalties if you are found guilty. Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and/or referral to the University Discipline Committee.
The GSE recommends that students familiarise themselves with the information contained on the Georgetown University Honor Council website which discusses plagiarism in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner.
University Policy on Grading
Academic Senate has a set of guidelines on the distribution of grades across the range from fail to high distinction. Your final result will include one of these grades plus a standardised numerical grade (SNG).
On occasion your raw mark for a unit (i.e., the total of your marks for each assessment item) may not be the same as the SNG which you receive. Under the Senate guidelines, results may be scaled to ensure that there is a degree of comparability across the university, so that units with the same past performances of their students should achieve similar results.
It is important that you realise that the policy does not require that a minimum number of students are to be failed in any unit. In fact it does something like the opposite, in requiring examiners to explain their actions if more than 20% of students fail in a unit.
The process of scaling does not change the order of marks among students. A student who receives a higher raw mark than another will also receive a higher final scaled mark.
For an explanation of the policy see:
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/Guidelines2003.doc or
http://senate.mq.edu.au/rules/detailedguidelines.doc
Student Support Services
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
Advice for Students with Disabilities/Health Conditions
The Equity Support Unit (ESU) provides support and assistance to students with a disability/health condition in aiming to ensure that they do not experience disadvantage in reaching their academic potential. Service provision is determined on a case-by-case basis following an assessment of a student's needs and the provision of supporting documentation. Service provision is also dependent on the availability of resources.
To register with ESU, download an Advice of Disability/Health Condition form from http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/academic-index.html. This form must be completed annually, irrespective of whether a disability/health condition is temporary, long-term or permanent. Students wishing to request support services from the ESU should make an appointment to see a Disability Advisor immediately after enrolling at Macquarie University.
Phone: (02) 9850 6494/7497
Fax: (02) 9850 6063
TTY: (02) 9850 6493
Email: equity@mq.edu.au
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