Students
ENVG462 – Social Impact Assessment
2015 – S2 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Alison Ziller
Contact via alison.ziller@mq.edu.au
W3A428
by appointment
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| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
Social impact assessment (SIA) is an important tool in managing regional development, planning and service delivery. This unit provides a broad overview of SIA and considers both multicultural and urban environments as the setting for SIA. The unit provides students with a set of tools relevant to stakeholders affected by development proposals that assist them to understand and express different views of the implications of an identified change such as a resource project, urban development or policy change. Using case studies, the unit develops conceptual, methodological and practical skills relevant to the government, community and private sectors.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
General Assessment Information
All assignments should be submitted in class in hard copy on the due date.
Assignments will be returned to students in class. Arrangements for returning assignments not collected in class will be advised. You may be required to show Student ID to collect assignments.
All assignments must include a completed and signed Faculty of Arts coversheet stapled to the front cover. The Assignment Cover Sheet will be available: in electronic format for completion and downloading from the web) http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students or in hard copy, and available either from the Arts Student Centre, Ground floor Building W6A.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| A briefing note | 30% | 17/8/2015 |
| Scoping report | 30% | 7/9/2015 |
| Review of an SIA | 40% | 02/11/2015 |
A briefing note
Due: 17/8/2015
Weighting: 30%
What does the recent literature say about the social impacts of climate change? A briefing note.
This assignment requires you to search a diversity of academic and grey literature in order to answer the question posed above. To get started you may use, but should not be confined to, items on the starter bibliography for this assignment in the reading list.
The assignment is to summarise the concerns and predictions of social impacts identified in the literature. Imagine you are briefing a senior manager rather than writing an academic literature review – so use sub-headings, dot points and if it seems appropriate maps or charts in order briefly and succinctly to explain the state of current thought. Place the social impacts identified in context – contexts include the kind of climatic change anticipated (heat etc) as well as timeframe (short term/longer term). Add a short summary. Attach your bibliography.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Scoping report
Due: 7/9/2015
Weighting: 30%
Task: Think of a place you know well. Now imagine a proposal to make a significant change at that place. Chose from one of the following proposals: The place/building you are thinking of is proposed to become
- A hotel trading till 3.0 am
- A fast food outlet trading 24/7
- A poker machine palace
- An amusement park (slides, big dippers etc)
- Another proposal -- please discuss it with Alison first.
Imagine you have been asked to scope a social impact assessment, that is to
a) Briefly describe the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the place as it is at present
b) make a preliminary list of likely social impacts of the proposed venue – provide a brief justification for each
c) Make a list of groups / stakeholders likely to have an interest (for or against) this proposal. Identify stakeholders who are living or working in the locality of the place separately from those who might be better described as in the proposed venue’s trade catchment.
d) Make a list of who else needs to be consulted about this proposal i.e. people who have expert knowledge about a likely aspect of the proposal (e.g. an acoustics engineer, police) but are not themselves stakeholders?
Present your assignment under four headings:
1. Demographic overview
2. Preliminary list of likely issues
3. Stakeholders in the locality and in the likely trade catchment
4. Experts
To complete this task within the word allocation, you may use dot points, and maps, tables etc from published sources – these must be fully referenced.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Review of an SIA
Due: 02/11/2015
Weighting: 40%
Task: A social impact assessment will be provided to you. Using information available on profileid. and other public agency sources such as the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, review the SIA against the following questions (i.e. use these questions as headings):
Q1 Does the SIA fully and accurately describe what is proposed? (NB: the task is not to repeat what the SIA says but to examine it for accuracy and completeness)
Q2 Was the SIA well scoped? Describe and comment on the way the SIA was scoped. (NB: this is a question about the scoping method(s) used, not about the list of issues scoped)
Q3 On what basis does the SIA identify social impacts likely to arise if the project is approved? (i.e. what evidence was used?)
Q4 Does the document give equal consideration to costs and benefits, i.e. who will benefit and who will suffer a detriment?
Q5 Overall, would you recommend that this SIA should be relied on by decision makers?
On successful completion you will be able to:
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Delivery and Resources
A reading list will be provided to accompany each weekly lecture and tutorial activity.
Unit Schedule
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Wk |
Date |
Theme |
Lecture topic and integrated class activity |
Assignment due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
27 Jul |
Foundation issues for SIA |
1. Context: language, legislation and practice |
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2 |
3 Aug |
Foundation issues for SIA |
2. SIA as a due diligence planning process Scoping lists, localities and catchments |
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3 |
10 Aug |
Foundation issues for SIA |
3. The question of content: the fundamental role of distributional equity |
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4 |
17 Aug |
Foundation issues for SIA |
4 More content: the social as a spatial issue - distributions and segregations |
Assignment 1 due: |
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5 |
24 Aug
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Methodological issues for SIA |
1. Community engagement: necessary but not sufficient How to use the integrated cost benefit analysis |
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6 |
30 Aug |
Methodological issues for SIA |
2. Use and misuse of quantitative data |
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7 |
7 Sept |
Contemporary social impact issues |
1. Boarding houses – social impacts of the Affordable Rental Housing SEPP |
Assignment 2 due |
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14-25 Sept |
Recess |
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8 |
28 Sept |
Contemporary social impact issues |
2. Licensed premises |
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5 Oct |
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Public holiday |
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9 |
12 Oct |
Contemporary social impact issues |
3. Conflicts of interest, BIG MISTAKES and their cosy relationships |
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10 |
19 Oct |
Contemporary social impact issues |
4. Mass gatherings |
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11 |
26 Oct |
Methodological issues for SIA |
3. The missing quantitative method: short surveys |
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12 |
2 Nov |
End of term review |
Is SIA really social planning and if not why not? |
Assignment 3 due |
Please note: lecture topics and sequence may be subject to change.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Assessment tasks
- A briefing note
- Scoping report
- Review of an SIA
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
Assessment tasks
- A briefing note
- Scoping report
- Review of an SIA
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Assessment tasks
- A briefing note
- Scoping report
- Review of an SIA
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Assessment tasks
- A briefing note
- Scoping report
- Review of an SIA
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
Assessment tasks
- A briefing note
- Scoping report
- Review of an SIA
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 5 Express and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and the evaluation, monitoring and mitigation of negative social impacts and enhancement of positive impacts arising from planning decisions;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Assessment task
- Review of an SIA
Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- On successful completion of this unit students will be able to : 1 Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and requirements of social impact assessment as a tool in planning systems and as a tool for community and regional development;
- 2 Demonstrate a knowledge of social impact issues in key planning procedures;
- 3 Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions;
- 4 Identify and discuss different ways of integrating social issues into planning discourses and practices;
- 6 Recognise ethical issues in planning procedures and articulate a reasoned and reflective position on appropriate standards of impact assessment in planning.
Assessment tasks
- A briefing note
- Review of an SIA