GEOG 5004 - Environmental Economics and Policy

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

This course introduces various environmental policy instruments in response to contemporary local and global environmental problems and discusses the economic concepts and principles embedded in the policy instruments. The course examines conventional command-and-control strategies and an array of pollution control alternatives that are based on market incentives. The course investigates more decentralised approaches including property rights approach, (e.g.community-based environmental management). The course also discusses ecological approaches including precautionary principle and safe minimum standard.

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Course Details

Course Code	GEOG 5004
Course	Environmental Economics and Policy
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 5004
Assessment	Essays (40%), seminar/workshop exercises (20%), exam (40%)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Jungho Suh

Course Coordinator: Dr Jungho Suh

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

1	Generate an understanding of the environmental economics concepts and principles applied in the interplay between economy and the environment.
2	Develop an understanding of the role of environmental economics in the design of public policies for environmental quality improvement.
3	Identify principal criteria for evaluating environmental policies.
4	Develop a sound understanding of various approaches (e.g. command-and-control approach, market-based approach, property rights approach) to mitigating contemporary global and local environmental problems (e.g. air pollution, water pollution, land degradation).
5	Develop an understanding of public disputation over the choice of environmental policy instruments.
6	Develop an ability to critically analyse environmental policies in terms of efficiency and equity amongst different stakeholders, by way of various case studies.
7	Generate a sound understanding of contested views of and pathways to sustainable development.

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, 4, 5, 6
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	6, 7
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, 5, 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
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	3, 6, 7

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Field, B.C. and Field, M.K. 2013, Environmental Economics: An Introduction, 6th edn, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York. (Other editions can also be consulted.)

Recommended Resources

TBA

Online Learning

The MyUni website for the course will provide you with access to course materials, announcements and many other features to help manage your study. You are advised to regularly visit the MyUni website for the course to receive course announcements and reminders.

You will need the following to access MyUni:

· a computer with an Internet connection;
· a PC running Windows 95 or higher or a Mac running Mac OS 8.6 or higher;
· a JavaScript enabled web browser (Netscape Navigator 4.7 or higher Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher);
· the Adobe Reader software
(download from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html);
· your University of Adelaide username and password.

To reach the MyUni website for the course follow the links from the University of Adelaide's Homepage http://www.adelaide.edu.au/ to Login to MyUni https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/webapps/login. When you open the course website you will find material related to the course. You will need to enter a username and password to enter the MyUni website.

If you have difficulty accessing MyUni contact the Help Desk at 831 33335 or send an e-mail to myuni.help@adelaide.edu.au.

Learning & Teaching Modes

Lecture slides will be posted, in pdf format, to the course webpages progressively after the respective lecture is delivered. That way, you are free from having to reproduce the material in the Powerpoint slides during lectures. However, much detail will be conveyed to the audience verbally. No video or audio recording service will be provided for this course. All material covered in lectures are examinable. Therefore, it is imperative for you attend lectures and take notes.

Each lecture is followed by a workshop-style seminar. The seminars provide an opportunity to explore the ideas, perspectives and issues central to the course, through discussion, debate and collaboration amongst the students in your discussion group.

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.

Lecture and seminar: 3 hours per week
Lecture material reading: 8 hours per week
Assignment preparation: 8 hours per week
Exam preparation: 5 hours per week

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Week 1	Introduction
Week 2	Neoclassical views of environmental problems
Week 3	Design of environmental policy
Week 4	Command-and-control approach
Week 5	Market-based approach
Week 6	Property rights approach
Week 7	Cap-and-trade approach
Week 8	TBA
Week 9	Ecological views of sustainable development
Week 10	Ecological economics
Week 11	Green economy and green society
Week 12	Course summary / Exam preparation

* The sequence of lectures is subject to change.

Specific Course Requirements

It is compulsory for the students to participate in seminars to be held after every lecture unless otherwise notified. You are expected to play an active role in the seminars. This will include taking part in discussions and making brief oral presentations.

Small Group Discovery Experience

You are expected to play an active role in a workshop discussion group. This will include working through discussion questions, and making brief presentations and taking part in discussions. The discussions will help you be prepared for the end-of-semester examination as well as the ‘academic essay’ assignment.

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

The assessment for the course is based on four components. Your grade will be determined by the aggregate mark that comprises of these components. The following table shows the percentage weightings of the graded work required by the course, and how the assessment activities are linked to the course learning outcomes.

Assessment task	Task type	Weighting (%)	Course learning outcomes
Seminar participation	Formative and summative	10	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Critical reviews of selected readings	Summative	20	4,5
Academic essays	Formative and summative	40	3,4,5,6,7
End-of-semester exam	Summative	30	1,3,4,5,6,7
Seminar presentation (optional)	Summative	(30)	1,3,4,5,6,7

Assessment Related Requirements

TBA

Assessment Detail

TBA

Submission

TBA

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