Students

ENV 118 – Environmental Management for a Changing World

2018 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Sandie Suchet-Pearson
Department of Geography and Planning
Email for an appointment
Senior Lecturer
Emilie Ens
Department of Environmental Sciences
Email for an appointment
Senior Lecturer
Katherine Dafforn
Department of Environmental Sciences
Email for an appointment
Tutor
Christoph Langenmaier
Department of Environmental Sciences
Emilie Ens
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit explores human interactions with the environment through the lens of sustainability and connectivity; concepts that are central to environmental management in our ever-changing world. It will help students to understand their environment from social and scientific viewpoints and will demonstrate how an interdisciplinary approach to environmental management is integral to human and ecosystem health. Current, real-world examples from terrestrial and marine ecosystems, social systems, atmospheric and climate systems, and their dynamic interplay encourage critical thinking about environmental management issues in Australia and globally. This unit is designed for students who care about the environment and the world's future and will lay firm foundations for a range of environmental and geographical studies.

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:

  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Explain connections between resource use, environmental condition and the social, political and economic context of particular situations.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

General Assessment Information

Assessment Criteria

Assessment at Macquarie is standards-based, as outlined in the Assessment Policy. This means that your work in ENV118 will be assessed against clear criteria, and these criteria will be made available to you via iLearn before the assessment tasks are due.

Submission of Assessment Tasks

All assessment tasks in ENV118 (work in class and the final exam) must be submitted online through iLearn and Turnitin. Links for the submission of each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Your assignments will be marked through Turnitin and your grades will be returned to you in the online Gradebook, along with feedback noted on the assignment itself. Please do not submit email or hard copies of your assignments.

Penalties for Late Assessments

The penalty for late submission of assessments in ENV118 is ten percent (10 %) of the assessment value per day, calculated from the due time and date. This means that if the assignment is worth a total of 25 marks (or 25 % of the unit) you will lose 2.5 marks for each day late. This is a hefty penalty designed to make you aware of the importance of organising yourself around assessment due dates. The penalty will be applied over weekdays and weekends unless you have been granted an extension by the lecturer responsible for the assignment prior to the due date.

Extensions for Assessments

To obtain an extension for an assessment task, you need to follow the formal process as outlined in the Special Consideration policy. You can submit your case for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au and you must provide appropriate supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate). 

Return of Marked Assessments

Due to the large number of students in ENV118 (>200), we aim to return your assignments with feedback within three weeks of the date that you submit your assignment, and before your next assignment is due. We will advise you through iLearn when your marked assignments are available for viewing.

Exams

Details of University exam conditions and exam timetables can be found at: http://students.mq.edu.au/student_admin/exams/​

It is very important to note that the final exam period includes weekdays and weekends and all students (including international exchange students) are expected to present themselves for the ENV118 exam at the time and place designated in the exam timetable. The timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the exams and in Final form four weeks before the commencement of the exams.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Weekly blog and tutorials 0% Yes Weeks 1 -12
Assessment 1 10% No Week 3
Assessment 2 25% No Week 6
Assessment 3 25% No Week 9
Assessment 4 40% No Final Exam Period

Weekly blog and tutorials

Due: Weeks 1 -12
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

You must attend and participate in at least 10 of the 12 weekly tutorials to pass this unit. You must complete at least 10 of the 11 weekly blogs to pass this unit. This is a hurdle requirement. This requires weekly tutorial attendance, preparation by completing the required readings and related blog, and quality participation in class activities.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

Assessment 1

Due: Week 3
Weighting: 10%

Online quiz on the unit's key concepts


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

Assessment 2

Due: Week 6
Weighting: 25%

Environmental data analysis and interpretation - submit online through Turnitin


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.

Assessment 3

Due: Week 9
Weighting: 25%

Critical review essay - submit online through Turnitin


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Explain connections between resource use, environmental condition and the social, political and economic context of particular situations.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.

Assessment 4

Due: Final Exam Period
Weighting: 40%

Formal examination (closed book)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Explain connections between resource use, environmental condition and the social, political and economic context of particular situations.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.

Delivery and Resources

Classes

ENV118 relies on a structured teaching program to facilitate your learning and critical thinking. The unit is taught via interactive lectures, panel discussions, tutorials, readings, and assessment tasks. 

Students must attend one two-hour lecture and one one-hour tutorial class per week (note: a tutorial is held in week 1, there no tutorials in Week 13).

Internal students are expected to attend the lectures and tutorial. External students must listen to the lectures via iLearn and/or Echo360 and complete the online version of the tutorial program hosted by a tutor.There are no on-campus sessions for students enrolled in the external mode (X2) of ENV118. 

The timetable for ENV118 can be found at: https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2018/

ENV118 lectures will be livestreamed. This means you can watch and engage with them in real-time. Please note we still encourage all internal students to attend the lectures in person.

A detailed class schedule with lecture and tutorial topics is available in this unit guide and on iLearn.

Students must make use of iLearn to access teaching and learning materials, to submit assessment tasks, to stay in touch with the unit, to contact lecturers and tutors, and to discuss issues and concepts with classmates. We also recommend that you follow current developments in the multidisciplinary field of environmental management by staying abreast of the news.

Workload

ENV118 earns 3 credit points towards your degree. For a 3 credit point unit such as ENV118, you are expected to put in at least 9 hours of study per week, on average, over the semester. This requires planning on your part to do all the work required in lectures, tutorials, assignments, reading, and the final exam.

iLearn

ENV118 iLearn login page: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/

Information about how students can access iLearn can be found at: https://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/

The ENV118 iLearn page uses Macquarie University’s standard interface and has links, discussion threads, blogs, access to lectures (as audio files through Echo360, and as downloadable PDF presentations) and tutorial material. Important announcements will be made through iLearn, so please check the ENV118 page regularly.

Echo360

Information about how to access lecture recordings through the Echo360 EchoCenter page in iLearn can be found at: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/tools-and-resources/ilearn/ilearn-quick-guides-for-students/lecture-recordings​

Turnitin

Macquarie University promotes student awareness of information management and information ethics. As well as training and the provision of information, the University promotes academic honesty through use of the online program Turnitin.

Information about how to submit assignments to Turnitin in iLearn can be found at: https://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/assignments.htm

As well as being a key tool for assignment submission, marking and feedback, Turnitin compares your work with the work of your classmates, with previous students from Macquarie and other universities, with material available on the Internet, and with freely available and subscription-based electronic journals. The results are sent only to your lecturers, who will analyse them in reference to the University's Academic Honesty Policy.

You will be able to access the results of the Turnitin academic honesty scan for your own assignments, known as your ‘originality report’. In ENV118, we will allow you to overwrite the initial submission file with a second submission if you choose to do so, but only up until the final due date and time for the assignment. We consider this opportunity to fine-tune your academic honesty a considerable resource, and we hope that you will use this review process constructively to ensure you are referencing other material correctly and effectively.

Recommended Texts and Readings

There is no prescribed textbook for ENV118. However, these books and reports will provide helpful guidance and we recommended that students look up and make use of these texts in the library or online:

  • Bridgman, H., Dragovich, D. and Dodson, J. 2008. The Australian Physical Environment. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
  • Hay, I. 2012 Communicating in geography and the environmental sciences (Fourth ed.). Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press (also available as an e-book).
  • Jackson, W.J., Argent, R.M., Bax, N.J., Bui, E., Clark, G.F., Coleman, S., Cresswell, I.D., Emmerson, K.M., Evans, K., Hibberd, M. F. Johnston, E.L. Keywood, M.S., Klekociuk, A., Mackay, R., Metclafe, D., Murphy, H., Rankin, A., Smith, D.C., and Wiencke, B 2016. Australia State of the Environment 2016. Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Available online at https://soe.environment.gov.au/ 
  • Rose, D.B. 1996 Nourishing terrains: Australian Aboriginal views of landscape and wilderness. Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra. Available online at http://155.187.2.69/heritage/ahc/publications/commission/books/pubs/nourishing-terrains.pdf

There are a range of readings relevant to the tutorial and lecture program. You will be guided through these via the iLearn site. To find these items go to the Macquarie University Multisearch site, select 'Unit Readings' and type in ENV118.

Relationship to Other Units in Your Study Program

ENV118 is a core part of the Environmental Management major within the BEnv, BSc and BA. It is also a core requirement of the BPlan and is a useful unit for any student interested in the environment and a sustainable future. It is taught by staff from the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Department of Geography and Planning, who have expertise in environmental science and human geography and the nexus between these disciplines. If you need academic advice on your program, please make an appointment to see an academic staff member.

Unit Schedule

 

ENV118 Environmental Management for a Changing World

Class Schedule and Assessment Task Due Dates

 

 

Week

Lecture Date

Lecture Topics

Tutorial Classes

Assessment Tasks

 

Introduction and Key Concepts

1

 

2 Aug

L1 Introduction to ENV118 (SSP)

L2 Connectivity (SSP)

T1 Introductions, research and referencing skills

 

2

9 Aug

L3 Adaptation in environmental management (Prof. Lesley Hughes)

L4 Sustainability, Environment and society (KD)

T2  Sustainability, connectivity, environment and society

T2 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

Understanding Environmental Management for a Changing World

3

16 Aug

L5 Indigenous knowledge in environmental management (EE)

L6 Darug Caring-as-Country: A whole-of-community approach to environmental management in Western Sydney (Uncle Lexodious Dadd, EE, SSP)

T3  Water availability in the Murray-Darling Basin

ASSESSMENT 1 (10%) Opens 17:00 Friday 10 August. Closes 17:00 Friday 17 August.

T3 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

4

 

23 Aug

L7  Water: a global perspective (EE)

L8  Industry and agriculture (EE)

T4  Water use in the Murray-Darling Basin

T4 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

5

 

30 Aug

 

L9  Terrestrial biodiversity management (KD)

L10 Marine Protected Areas (KD)

T5  Communicating environmental issues

T5 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

6

 

6 Sept

 

L11 Waste management and recycling (KD)

L12 Energy and Sustainability (Prof Vlad Strezov)

T6  Resources and Sustainability

 

 

ASSIGNMENT 2 (25%) due 9:00 Wednesday 5 Sept.

T6 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

7

 

13 Sept

 

L13 Coastal management and sea level rise (Prof. Neil Saintilan)

L14 Urban sustainability on the coast (KD)/Forum 1

T7  Hazard and Risk

T7 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

Mid-Semester Break

8

 

4 Oct

L15 Human rights as an environmental issue (SSP)

L16  Development, population  and inequality (SSP)

T8  Bringing together people, science and management

T8 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

9

11 Oct

 

L17 Consumption and ecological footprinting (SSP)

L18  Environment and Planning (Dr Alison Ziller)

T9  The Population-Environment Connection: key issues

ASSIGNMENT 3 (25%) due 9:00 Wed 10 October

T9 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

10

 

18 Oct

 

L19 People, place and country: integrating social and environmental justice (Prof. Richie Howitt)

L20 Food security and sustainability (Emeritus Prof. Bob Fagan)

T10  Population, health and the environment: working with population data

T10 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

11

 

25 Oct

 

L21 Law, climate change and human rights (Dr Kirsty Davies)

L22 Sustainability@MQ (Leanne Denby))

T11  Consumption and ecofootprinting

T11 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task 

12

1 Nov

 

L23 & L24

 Forum 2 including the Environmental humanities (SSP and Dr Emily O’Gorman)

T12  Ecofootprint analysis

T12 Blog due before class, part of Hurdle Task

Synthesis

13

8 Nov

 

L25 Communication in environmental management (KD)

L26  Sustainability, connectivity, environment and society and exam advice (SSP)

No tutorial classes

FINAL EXAM (40%)

TBA in exam period

Final Examination Period

SSP = A/Prof Sandie Suchet-Pearson (Convenor)     EE = Dr Emilie Ens       KD = Katie Dafforn

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/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://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Explain connections between resource use, environmental condition and the social, political and economic context of particular situations.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 3
  • Assessment 4

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly blog and tutorials
  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 4

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

  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly blog and tutorials
  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 3
  • Assessment 4

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

  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Explain connections between resource use, environmental condition and the social, political and economic context of particular situations.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 3
  • Assessment 4

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

  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Explain connections between resource use, environmental condition and the social, political and economic context of particular situations.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 3
  • Assessment 4

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

  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Utilise maps, graphs, statistics and text to construct, analyse and interpret information about key relationships in environmental and human systems.
  • Explain connections between resource use, environmental condition and the social, political and economic context of particular situations.
  • Write for a target audience and critically read, think about, interpret and evaluate environmental and social data.
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly blog and tutorials
  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 3
  • Assessment 4

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

  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly blog and tutorials
  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 4

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

  • Recognise and define the core concepts of environmental management, including society, environment, sustainability and connectivity.
  • Compare and discuss the core concepts of environmental management in relation to major environmental issues and the complex relationships between them.
  • Interpret the core concepts of environmental management and provide examples of the ways that population, environment and resources interact to affect human societies and ecosystems at several scales.
  • Demonstrate foundational learning skills including active engagement in the learning process

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly blog and tutorials
  • Assessment 1
  • Assessment 2
  • Assessment 4