Students

GEOP4070 – Social Impact Assessment

2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Alison Ziller
alison.ziller@mq.edu.au
Contact via by email
by appointment
Lecturer
Fiona Miller
fiona.miller@mq.edu.au
Contact via by email
by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Social impact assessment (SIA) is an important assessment tool with wide application in land use planning. This unit provides an introduction to and broad overview of SIA in urban and regional environments, and addresses both the processes needed to accomplish a diligent assessment and the resources available to inform the assessment process. Through the use of current case studies, the unit provides an insight into practical difficulties, common mistakes and ethical issues that are frequently encountered. Students will learn how to recognise and respond to these problems, apply social science research methods to impact assessment and present impact issues to non-specialist audiences.

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:

  • ULO1: Explain the practice and requirements of SIA in planning systems
  • ULO2: Recognise key social impact issues that occur in planning practice
  • ULO3: Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions
  • ULO5: Research and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and assessment of social impacts
  • ULO4: Identify and discuss ways of integrating social issues into planning discourse and planning decisions
  • ULO6: Recognise ethical issues and risks in impact assessment

General Assessment Information

It is a general requirement that you observe the University’s academic integrity policy and avoid plagiarism in your work.

There are four assessments for GEOP 816. The final grade is based on the total mark accumulated across all assessments. Failure to submit any single assessment task may result in failure of the unit.

Unless a special consideration request https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/forms/display/special_consideration has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. 

Submitting your assignment:

All assignments should be submitted via Turn-it-in. 

Please note

1.  This course has three assignments.

2. Each assignment has a word limit the aim of which is to encourage concise and clear expression suited to professional situations. 

Please state the number of words in your assignment not including a reference list.

3.  You may include summary tables, dot points, maps and other devices to present your information succinctly, providing your dot points can always be read as part of a full sentence. 

4.  Ensure that your name and student number are contained in the header or footer of each page.

5.  Please number your pages

6.  Keep a copy of all your submitted assignments, unfortunately they do get lost sometimes.

7.  Use a reference list to correctly list all sources cited in your text. Note that failure to cite sources - including unpublished lecture material etc. - will be considered as plagiarism and will result in severe penalties, up to and including failure of the whole unit. If you need to include references to material not cited in your text, use a bibliography and include a brief paragraph explaining why.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Social impact issues 30% No 15/03/21
Critique of case study 40% No 03/05/21
Presentation of key SIA issue 30% No 31/05/21

Social impact issues

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 15/03/21
Weighting: 30%

 

1000 word report identifying social impact issues raised by a proposed project

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the practice and requirements of SIA in planning systems
  • Recognise key social impact issues that occur in planning practice

Critique of case study

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 03/05/21
Weighting: 40%

 

2000 word review of a social impact assessment or similar document

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply knowledge and key concepts from social impact assessment to critical evaluation of planning decisions
  • Research and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and assessment of social impacts
  • Identify and discuss ways of integrating social issues into planning discourse and planning decisions
  • Recognise ethical issues and risks in impact assessment

Presentation of key SIA issue

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 31/05/21
Weighting: 30%

 

Presentation of social impact issues in a form suited to an identified audience plus 600 word written commentary

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Research and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and assessment of social impacts
  • Identify and discuss ways of integrating social issues into planning discourse and planning decisions
  • Recognise ethical issues and risks in impact assessment

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Delivery of this course is by lecture, tutorial activity and learning directed by reading and preparation of assignments.

A reading list will be provided.

 

Unit Schedule

Please note that the topics listed in this outline may be subject to change

Date

Theme

Lecture topic & integrated class discussion

22 Feb

Introduction  

Foundation issues for SIA   

Overview of the course and assignment requirements  1. Defining the social Basic concepts and the role of language;

2. Context: legislation, recent history of social issues in planning in NSW, intersection with local government planning; the status of the social.

1 March

Foundation issues for SIA   

3. Conceptual base: the big picture - public health

8  March

Methodological issues for SIA  

1. The social is a spatial issue – distributions, segregations and the role of planning.

15 March

Methodological issues for SIA  

2. ‘steps and stages’ of SIA; what the guidelines say and what they don’t say/ kinds of SIA/policy pitfalls

 

22 March

Methodological issues for SIA    

3. Localities, catchments, notifications and scope

29 Mar 

Methodological issues for SIA  

4. Common methodological failures

5-18 April 

Recess

 

19 April 

SIA and planning policy                          

1. SIA and resource extraction

26 April

SIA and planning policy 

2. Licensed premises

3 May

SIA and planning policy

3. Climate change and urban heat 

10 May

SIA and planning policy

4. Climate change and sea level rise

17 May

SIA and planning policy

5. SIA and population movements

24  May

SIA and its practice

1. Ethical failures in practice  2. Strategies for ethical practice

31 May

SIA and its practice

Making the case: In-class presentation of Assignment 3

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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.

Unit information based on version 2021.03 of the Handbook