Students

GEOP4070 – Social Impact Assessment

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Alison Ziller
Contact via email
by appointment
Marker
Gemma Viney
Contact via email
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
  • ULO4: Identify and discuss ways of integrating social issues into planning discourse and planning decisions
  • ULO5: Research and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and assessment of social impacts
  • ULO6: Recognise ethical issues and risks in impact assessment

General Assessment Information

Detailed information about each assignment will be availabile on the iLearn page for this unit and the requirements of each assignment will be discussed in class. The format for each assignment (Pdf, powerpoint etc) will be specified in the Assignment descriptions.

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

Please note: Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit 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. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Social impact issues 30% No 25 March
Critique of case study 40% No 7 May
Presentation of key SIA issue 30% No 1 June

Social impact issues

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 25 March
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: 7 May
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
  • Identify and discuss ways of integrating social issues into planning discourse and planning decisions
  • Research and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and assessment of social impacts
  • 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: 1 June
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:
  • Identify and discuss ways of integrating social issues into planning discourse and planning decisions
  • Research and discuss complex ideas about social change, social process and assessment of social impacts
  • 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

This unit is scheduled to be delivered in Lectorial format comprising lecture and tutorial as integrated activities in the classroom.

A schedule of topics covered across the semester and a reading list will be available on the iLearn page

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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 2022.02 of the Handbook