GEOG 5002 - Environmental Planning and Governance

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

The course information on this page is being finalised for 2016. Please check again before classes commence.

This course will critically examine approaches to environmental planning and governance in Australia and internationally. The course will introduce students to the rational planning model which has long-dominated planning strategies in Australia. It will then shift focus and explore how sustainable development is influencing planning via theories of ecology, the interrelationship between values and knowledge, a restructured public sphere and the emergence of new actors. Students will be asked to critique relevant recent Australian environmental planning decisions in relation to criteria of sustainable development. The course will move on to critically examine contemporary thinking about environmental governance including state and market-based approaches, decentralised environmental management, the role of NGOs, community based approaches and regional planning. International cases of environmental management which highlight the linkages between national or regional environmental governance structures and natural resource management outcomes will be analysed.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code GEOG 5002
    Course Environmental Planning and Governance
    Coordinating Unit Geography, Environment and Population
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 6
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible GEST 5002
    Course Description This course will critically examine approaches to environmental planning and governance in Australia and internationally. The course will introduce students to the rational planning model which has long-dominated planning strategies in Australia. It will then shift focus and explore how sustainable development is influencing planning via theories of ecology, the interrelationship between values and knowledge, a restructured public sphere and the emergence of new actors. Students will be asked to critique relevant recent Australian environmental planning decisions in relation to criteria of sustainable development. The course will move on to critically examine contemporary thinking about environmental governance including state and market-based approaches, decentralised environmental management, the role of NGOs, community based approaches and regional planning. International cases of environmental management which highlight the linkages between national or regional environmental governance structures and natural resource management outcomes will be analysed.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Douglas Bardsley

    Course Timetable

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

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
    1 Explain the major tenets of environmental planning in the South Australian context
    2 Understand the roles of the different jurisdictional organisations within the environmental governance structure
    3 Critically analyse the environmental planning structure
    4 Explain key aspects of international environmental governance
    5 Discuss the implications of current governance practices in relation to sustainable development goals both in Australia and internationally
    6 Develop comparative analyses using quantitative and qualitative data to critique current governance systems
    7 Communicate in written and oral forms key aspects of environmental planning and governance
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Recommended Resources
    There is no prescribed text for this course, if you do not have any background in Physical Geography or Environmental Science, the following book is highly recommended: Strahler A. (2013) Introducing Physical Geography. 6th Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester UK.

    Core reading will be provided before each workshop and will be made available via MyUni.
    Online Learning
    The course guide and additional course-related material will be made available through MyUni.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    The workshops are compulsory and provide a forum in which students learn about important elements of environmental planning and governance. The workshops are framed around the two major assignments.

    The lectures, which are not compulsory, provide basic factual information and concepts about environmental management, initially in relation to the important tenets of sustainable development and in relation to societal risk.

    The take-home exam and the comparative analysis essay provide opportunities for students to undertake research that will allow you to articulate in written form the key challenges of contemporary environmental planning and governance at State and international scales. The comparative analysis will also be presented and discussed during the final workshops.

    Workload

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

    3 hours of workshops (or equivalent) per week 36 hours per semester
    2 hours of lectures (or equivalent) per week 24 hours per semester
    9 hours reading per week 108 hours per semester
    2 hours contacting SA Govt, industry and NGO environmental practitioners per week 24 hours per semester
    10 hours assignment/exam preparation per week 120 hours per semester
    TOTAL WORKLOAD 312 hours per semester
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    Week Lecture: not compulsory Workshop: compulsory attendance
    Week 1 1. Introduction to the course & environmental challenges
    2. Does environmental management equate with sustainable development?
    Course introduction
    Week 2 3. Biodiversity
    4. The Precautionary principle
    SA government environmental planning
    Week 3 5. Sustainable economic development I
    6. Sustainable economic development II
    Regional natural resource management planning
    Week 4 7. Natural Resource Management I
    8. Natural Resource Management II
    Local Government environmental planning
    Week 5 9. Social equity and environmental management I
    10. Social equity and environmental management II
    Review: Environmental planning structures in Australia
    Week 6 11. Urbanisation
    12. Urban environmental management
    Contentious Topics in Environmental Planning: Take Home exam
    Week 7 13. Sustainable Development via Ecological modernisation?
    14. The Risk Society
    Comparative analysis essay preparation
    Week 8 15. Climate change & human populations
    16. International governance & climate change
    Break week
    BREAK
    Week 9 17. PUBLIC HOLIDAY
    18. Political-ecology
    International governance of socio-ecological risk
    Week 10 19. Agriculture I
    20. Agriculture II
    Governing sustainable agricultural development
    Week 11 21. Energy I
    22. Energy II
    Comparative analysis presentations
    Week 12 23. A country case study: Switzerland
    24. Summary
    Comparative analysis presentations
  • 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
    Workshop participation and attendance Formative and Summative 10% 1-7
    2500 word take-home exam Formative and Summative 40% 1-7
    3000 word comparative analysis essay Formative and Summative 40% 1-7
    Comparative analysis presentation Formative and Summative 10% 1-7
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Workshop attendance and participation is compulsory and will be assessed as part of this course.
    Assessment Detail
    Take-home exam - A planning challenge (2500 words)
    The take-home exam will be provided and students will have 2 weeks to complete the assigned task linked to a South Australian environmental planning issue.

    Assignment 2: Comparative Analysis Essay (3000 words)
     You will need to undertake a comparative analysis of the governance approach to manage ONE environmental resource, pollution or hazard issue within TWO countries of your choice.
    · Planning students must undertake a comparison on the governance of land use planning within rural, urban, coastal or peri-urban settings across the two countries.
    · All other students will need to find an issue that interests them and there are no specific restrictions beyond a focus on an environmental management issue.

    In order to complete the assignment, you should access and utilise both qualitative evidence from the literature and quantitative data that could be used as indicators of management in each case, and relate the trends in the state of the resource to desired management outcomes. To achieve this, you will need to decide on a valid comparison – so talk with the course coordinator before embarking on your topic. Your analysis should also outline the governance structures for the management of the issue in each case, and suggest how that governance structure is influencing the outcomes.

    The assignment should be prepared in essay format, with headings and subheadings as necessary. You will be asked to illustrate your essay with graphs, maps, tables and diagrams as appropriate.

    Assignment 3: Comparative analysis: Presentation
    You will present the major findings from your comparative analysis essay to your peers. Your presentation will be assessed for both matter (ie. what you present) and manner (ie. how you present). Further information about the presentation will be provided in the workshops.
    Submission
    The Take-Home Exam (assignment 1) and the Essay (assignment 2) will need to be submitted electronically via both the ICC site and the Turnitin Assignment tool.

    Assignments 1 & 2 must be lodged in electronic form by the given due date and time to avoid penalty. A penalty of 5% will be deducted per day that an assignment is submitted late.

    Assignments will be printed out and marked in hard copy form and made available to be picked up by students either in class or at the end of the semester. If you wish to have the marked, final work sent to you, you MUST supply Dr Bardsley with a stamped, self-addressed envelope when submitting the final piece of work. Only one A3 envelope is necessary.
    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.

    The course is designed as a review of the important environmental planning and governance issues for South Australia and internationally. It aims to guide students’ critical interests in particular topics or areas of study. For that reason, there is significant opportunity for students to investigate particular issues that interest them. SELTS results from previous years suggest that some students find this independence to be one of the more challenging aspects of the course. The workshops and readings are designed to guide you through the development of your assignments. Another key to getting the most out of the subject is to use the workshops to raise particular issues with your lecturer and peers.
  • 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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