GEOG 2142 - Climate Change

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2019

Climate change is the greatest challenge for humanity in the 21st century and is particularly compelling for Australia. This course addresses this issue with reference to Australian and international case studies. In order to understand current global climate change, the course examines the record of historic and prehistoric climate before considering the scientific prognosis for climate change as summarised in the scientific reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The impacts of climate change on both society and the physical environment are then considered. The course will explore options to mitigate, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change. In particular, there will be an intensive examination of how climate change and its impacts on the environment can be managed.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code GEOG 2142
    Course Climate Change
    Coordinating Unit Geography, Environment and Population
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study
    Incompatible GEST 2042, GEST 2026 or GEST 3026
    Course Description Climate change is the greatest challenge for humanity in the 21st century and is particularly compelling for Australia. This course addresses this issue with reference to Australian and international case studies. In order to understand current global climate change, the course examines the record of historic and prehistoric climate before considering the scientific prognosis for climate change as summarised in the scientific reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The impacts of climate change on both society and the physical environment are then considered. The course will explore options to mitigate, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change. In particular, there will be an intensive examination of how climate change and its impacts on the environment can be managed.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor John Tibby

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. An understanding of climate and climate change processes at local to global scales
    2. An understanding of the policy framework in which environmental decisions are made in Australia and internationally
    3. Interdisciplinary problem-solving skills
    4. High quality written and verbal communication skills
    5. Ability to undertake data manipulation and interpretation
    6. Ability to work effectively in a team environment




    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 3
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2, 3
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    4, 6
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    3, 4, 5, 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    There is no prescribed text for Climate Change.  However, the following are highly recommended.  The first three excellent resources are
    available online.

     

    Cleugh, H.,
    Stafford Smith, M., Battaglia, M. and Graham, P. (2011). Climate change. Science and solutions for Australia. CSIRO
    Publishing, Collingwood.

    This book is available online at:  http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6558.htm

     

    CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology 2015, Climate Change in Australia Information for Australia’s
    Natural Resource Management Regions: Technical Report, CSIRO and Bureau of
    Meteorology, Australia http://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/en/publications-library/technical-report/

     

    Steffen, W. and Hughes, L. (2011). The Critical Decade 2013: Climate change science, risks and response

    Department of
    Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education

    Available at:
    http://climatecommission.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/The-Critical-Decade_July-revision_Low-res.pdf

     

    Pittock,
    A.B. (2009). Climate change: the science, impacts and solutions. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.

     

    Pittock
    (2009), and to a lesser extent Cleugh et al. (2011), provide a quite descriptive account of the science of climate change and its impacts.  Hence, they should be read in conjunction with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report
    (IPCC 2013)

     

    Recommended Resources
    Recommended reading for each week's lecture/seminar and tutorial topics will be provided via MyUni


    Online Learning

    MyUni will be used for course-related announcements, recorded lecture/seminars and details of assessment

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    There are a number of teaching and learning modes in Climate Change. The course lectures and seminars provide both factual information about, and conceptual understanding of, climate change.  The tutorials provide an opportunity to explore specific themes in detail, while others are more practical - with an opportunity to explore climate data and climate projections.  The short essay/report permits an assessment of your progress and understanding while only being worth a relatively small proportion of your mark. The long essay is an opportunity for more in depth investigation of key topics. Finally, the exam will assess the extent to which students have developed their understanding through the course. Students have the opportunity to formulate their own assessment (in conjunction with the course co-ordinator).
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    ·        Structured learning (lectures and tutorials): 3 hours per week

    ·        Background reading and reading for specific tutorials: 4 hours per week

    ·        Essay research and preparation: 3 hours per week (average)

    ·        Exam revision: 2 hours per week (average)

    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule









    Specific Course Requirements
    n/a
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    In tutorials in the middle of the seminar, students will develop a round table discussion of a local or regional scale climate change issue.  Students work in group sizes of no more than 6 students to: decide on a topic (with guidance from staff), divide research tasks and organisate a presentation to the whole tutorial/workshop group. This SGDE mimics the type of approaches undertaken by Natural Resource
    Management agencies in South Australia in particular and across the nation.  Students are explicitly assessed on this work in the exam, but are provided feedback on their ungraded presentations immediately.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome
    Short essay or report Formative 20% 1,2,3,4
    Long essay or report Formative 40% 1,2,3,4
    Exam Summative 40% 1,2,3,4
    Assessment Detail
    Short essay: Should be no more than 1000 words (including in text references but not the reference list) and follow the guidelines set out in the essay writing guide on MyUni.

    Long essay: This should be no more than 2000 words (including in text references but not the reference list).

    Exam:  The exam will have 2 hours writing time. Example exam questions will be posted on MyUni after mid-semester break and the
    exam will be discussed in the final lecture and tutorial.

    Submission
    Submission of essays will be required through turnitin.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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