AGRIBUS 7064 - Water Security and Governance

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2024

This course examines the governance, future security and sustainable management of water resources with a particular focus on agricultural production and increasing demands for water by other sectors (e.g. urban growth, environmental flows). Within the course, students will be exposed to topics such as: the historical, cultural and socio-political contexts of water governance; the range of administrative arrangements for developing, allocating, managing and protecting water resources; water and environmental asset valuation methods; the cross-jurisdictional, multi-level and multi-institutional processes for water governance; the intersecting and interrelated interests around water resource use and frameworks for stakeholder consultation; examination of frameworks and economic instruments for addressing increasingly complex water security issues such as allocation and trade; and recent remediation programs to counter land and water degradation.

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Course Details

Course Code	AGRIBUS 7064
Course	Water Security and Governance
Coordinating Unit	Centre for Global Food & Resources
Term	Semester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Assessment	Assignment, presentation, group work, engagement

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Sarah Wheeler


Name:	Professor Sarah Wheeler
Role:	Course coordinator and Lecturer
Location:	323, Nexus10 (10 Pulteney Street)
Email:	sarah.wheeler@adelaide.edu.au

Tutor: Constantin Seidl
Email: constantin.seidl@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

On the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Describe the historical context of water governance in Australia and other contexts and identify the critical points of institutional change.
List important policy or program options for managing water scarcity and compare their effectiveness in different situations.
Explain the multi-jurisdictional governance of water and analyse reasons as to why this approach is adopted.
Critically analyse the drivers of water scarcity and demonstrate the usefulness of economic instruments such as trade, pricing and allocation.
Apply assessment tools such as cost-benefit analysis, frameworks for interrelated stakeholder consultation and water resource planning to case studies.
Evaluate the possible future outcomes of water governance decisions taken today, and debate the merits/costs of these decisions.

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)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	2,3,4,6
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	5
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	1,3,6
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	6
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	4,5
Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.	NA
Attribute 7: Digital capabilities Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.	1,5
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	2,4

Learning Resources
Required Resources

There are no specified learning resources required for the course. A lecture outline and recommended reading in preparation for each seminar will be made available, together with a list of additional readings for those wishing to explore issues further. However, there are a number of additional recommended resources that students might like to examine either in preparation for the course discussions or as part of their wider examination of water governance in Australia:

Recommended Resources
The following are excellent (but not required) text examples.

Dinar, A. and Schwabe, K. (2015), A Handbook of Water Economics, Edward Elgar Press, Northampton MA. (ebook can be downloaded from university's library website http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/)

Griffin, R. (2016), Water Resource Economics, 2nd Edition, MIT Press, Cambridge MA. (hardcopy can be found in the univesrity library)

Young, R., & Loomis, John B. (2014). Determining the Economic Value of Water Concepts and Methods (2nd ed.). Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. (ebook can be downloaded from university's library website http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/)

Legislation and planning:
- The Water Act (C’wth: 2007)
- The National Water Initiative
- The Murray–Darling Basin Agreement
- Commonwealth Environmental Watering Plans
Websites:
- The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) http://www.agriculture.gov.au/
- The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) http://www.mdba.gov.au/
- The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) https://www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo
- The National Water Commission (archived) http://www.nwc.gov.au/
- The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) http://www.vewh.vic.gov.au/
- New South Wales Office of Water (DPI-Water) http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/
- Council of Australian Governments (CoAG) http://www.coag.gov.au/
Academic journals frequently referred to:
- Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AJARE)
- Ecological Economics (Ecol Econ)
- The American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE)
- Water Resources Research (WRR)
- Water Resources Management (WRM)
- Agricultural Water Management (AWM)
Cases:
All case studies will be made available on the course website or via links to relevant external sites. All cases will be freely available.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

No information currently available.

Workload

No information currently available.

Learning Activities Summary

No information currently available.

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

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

Assessment Summary

Task	Group/Individual	Session deadline	Weighting%	learning Outcome
Active Participation	Individual	NA	10	1-6
Case Study Presentations	Group/individual	Various, sessions 2-10	30	1,4,5,6
The Great Water Game	Group	Session 11	20	4-6
Short-answer essays (4 of 6 choices)	Individual	Session 12	40	1-6
			100

There will be four (4) assessment requirements in the course, as follows:

Active participation in seminars (10%):
Students are expected to attend all seminars and actively participate in discussion. They should be familiar with the materials, and show that they have read the assigned minimum reading for each seminar session such that they can ask informed questions and contribute in an informed way. This is key assessment of flipped learning outcomes from the course; that is, we will use this to gauge the students’ development of course knowledge, critical thinking and application of knowledge to issues. Early discussion will be guided by the lecturers, but this development will be reinforced by the case-study assessments.

We will take the best 10 out of 12 possible marks (i.e. one for each teaching week) for the final score.

Case Study Presentations (30%):

Students will provided with two pieces of reading and a set of questions each week. In groups, they are required to answer the questions and present to the class, with two groups presenting each week. Each presentation accounts for 15%, and best two presentation marks will be taken for final grades.

The Great Water Debate (20%):

Each student will be assigned into one of seven (7) groups; each one a specific representative organisation of interests in the fictitious Finn River Basin (FRB). It will be each group's responsibility to:
Carefully read the instructions and understand your position/objectives in the game;
Agree upon and identify one representative that will talk for the group at the common table;
Meet prior to the game and set your agenda, agreed tactics, bargaining chips etc.

All of Session 11 will be allocated to reach an agreement, as per the game instructions. How well each group and its individual members perform in their game roles will (in-part) determine the final assessment grade for this component.

HOWEVER, the main objective here is one of learning and practical experience so please do not stress about the group nature of this assignment, or individual parts. The idea is to get into the roles assigned, enjoy the experience, have fun, and learn something valuable about yourselves and water governance in practice.

Short-answer essay responses (40%):

As a final exam assessment, students will be provided with eight questions to which they will be required to submit four short-answer essay responses. For example, students may be asked to list the critical requirements for effective water governance and site an example where they are used in the world context. They may then be required to also critically appraise reasons as to why the system in question succeeded/failed over time.

The proposed assessment is summarised in the table above, together with due dates, learning outcomes etc.

Assessment Detail

Assessment details details will be made available in Assignments on the course navigation menu once the assessment is released/published.

All assessments adhere to the University of Adelaide Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy.

When you submit an assessment, you are declaring that your submission is your own original work that meets the requirements of Academic Integrity under the Academic Integrity Policy.

Assignment Submission: Assignments should not be emailed to the instructor; they must be lodged via the MyUni Course site (unless specified to do both). Note that assignments may be processed via TURNITIN, which is an online plagiarism prevention tool.

Cover Sheet: Please include in the assignment a completed University of Adelaide Assessment Cover Sheet providing details of yourself and your team members (if applicable), your assignment, the course, date submitted, etc. as well as the declaration signed by you that this is your (your team’s) work. Note that the declaration on any electronically submitted assignment will be deemed to have the same authority as a signed declaration.

Backup Copy of Assignments: You are advised to keep a copy of your assignments in case the submitted copy goes missing. Please ensure that all assignment pages are numbered. If your assignment contains confidential information, you should discuss any concerns with the Course Lecturer prior to submission.

Submission

Failure to submit: Failure to submit an assignment on time or by the agreed extension deadline may result in penalties and may incur a fail grade. Note that a late penalty of 5% of the total available marks for that assessment item will be incurred each day an assignment is handed in late (Unless otherwise stated in 'Assessment Related Requirements' or 'Assessment Detail' above). Assignments handed in after 14 days from the due submission date will fail even if a 100% mark is granted for the work.

Extensions are granted on medical, compassionate or other special circumstances recognised under the University’s Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy.

The completed extension application form and any documentation (such as a medical or counsellor's certification) should be emailed to the contact listed on the form and submitted before the assessment due date. You will be notified of the result of your request.

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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator