GEOG 2144 - Principles of Environmental Economics

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

This course deals with the design of public policies for environmental quality improvement. The course examines a range of policy responses (e.g. command-and-control approaches, market-based approaches and property rights approaches) to contemporary local and global environmental problems (e.g. air pollution, water contamination, land degradation) and discusses their effectiveness in terms of efficiency and equity. The course also explores the geographies of environmental thoughts and various pathways to the green economy. Traditional Asian perceptions of nature including Taoism and Buddhist ecology are considered.

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Course Details

Course Code	GEOG 2144
Course	Principles of Environmental Economics
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 1 undergraduate study
Incompatible	GEST 2044
Assessment	Tutorial participation and exercises (10%), essay (40%), exam (50%)

Course Staff

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 basic economic 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	Develop a sound understanding of various approaches (e.g. command-and-control approach, market-based approach, property rights approach) to contemporary global and local environmental problems (e.g. air pollution, water pollution, land degradation).
4	Identify principal criteria for evaluating environmental policies and develop an ability to critically analyse environmental policies in terms of the criteria amongst different stakeholders.
5	Understand the concept of green economy and explore various pathways to the green economy with a special reference to the spheres of agriculture, tourism and religion.

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)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	3, 4
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	3, 4, 5
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	4, 5

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

Although the lectures are intended to help you understand the key concepts discussed in the textbook, the lectures aim to add value and not just to regurgitate the text. Some material presented in lectures may come from diverse other sources. Video or audio recording service will be provided for this course. The lecture PowerPoint slides will be posted, in pdf format, to the course MyUni webpage progressively after lectures. 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. All material covered in lectures are examinable. Therefore, it is imperative that you attend lectures and take notes.

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: 2 hours per week
Tutorial: 1 hour per week
Lecture material reading: 3 hours per week
Assignment preparation: 4 hours per week
Exam preparation: 2 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	Regulatory approaches to controlling environmental market failure
Week 5	Regulatory approaches to controlling environmental market failure (cont'd)
Week 6	Evlatuation of environmental policy
Week 7	Environmental decision-support systems
Week 8	TBA
Week 9	Capitalism and ecosocialism
Week 10	Agriculture and the environment
Week 11	Religion and the environment
Week 12	Course summary / Exam preparation

* The sequence of lectures is subject to change.

Specific Course Requirements

Students are expected to participate in a one-hour tutorial per week throughout the semester except for Week 1 and Week 12 when there is no tutorial scheduled for this course. Students can attend their assigned session only unless otherwise arranged (see the below table). Your tutor will keep monitoring your tutorial attendance. In case anyone could not make it to their sign-up tutorial session but attended one of the other tutorial sessions, it is their responsibility to inform the tutors of that for monitoring purposes.

Small Group Discovery Experience

You are expected to play an active role in a tutorial 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

Activity	Weight (%)
Tutoiral participation	10
Mid-semester exam	10
Academic essay	40
End-of-semester exam	40
Total	100

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