Students

GEOP1080 – Urban Planet: Cities and Planning in the Anthropocene

2024 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor
Sara Fuller
sara.fuller@mq.edu.au
25WWB 265
Please email for an appointment
Lecturer/Tutor
Elizabeth Adamczyk
elizabeth.adamczyk@mq.edu.au
Lecturer/Tutor
Andrew Burridge
andrew.burridge@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

The unit focuses on two big ideas: urbanisation and the Anthropocene – a proposed epoch in which humans are driving planetary change. For the first time in human history, over half of the world’s population live in cities. Urbanisation and the political, cultural and economic structures that sustain urban life are key drivers of global environmental change. The unit asks the question: how are we to imagine, plan and govern cities in the Anthropocene epoch? How are cities contributing to global environmental change and what solutions might cities offer? Key dimensions of urban and planning theory and practice are introduced, including: urban infrastructures and mobilities, social change and social justice, urban political economy and governance, and sustainability transitions. Students will apply theory and practice to case studies of Australian and international cities to explore the problems and possibilities of living on an urbanised planet.

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: Identify and describe historical and contemporary processes of urbanisation
  • ULO2: Discuss the interconnections between cities, climate change and social justice
  • ULO3: Explain how cites are imagined, planned and governed in theory and practice
  • ULO4: Apply urban and planning theories to case studies of Australian and international cities
  • ULO5: Communicate to diverse audiences using appropriately selected written, oral and visual means

General Assessment Information

Assignment requirements and submission

Detailed requirements and marking rubrics for each assessment are available from the iLearn site. All written assignments should be submitted online to Turnitin via the relevant links provided in iLearn. You are not required to submit a hardcopy of any assignments or include a cover sheet.

Assessment extensions and late penalties

Circumstances that affect your ability to complete assignments by the deadline must be discussed with the convenor (Sara) prior to the due date. Extensions will be granted only in unforeseen or exceptional circumstances according to the University Special Consideration policy. Students must apply online via AskMQ and provide appropriate supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate).

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of '0' (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to non-time sensitive assessment (incl. essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

Assessment feedback

All feedback for assignments will be made available online.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Logbook 30% No Weekly submissions (weeks 2-10)
Urban policy case study 30% No Mon 8th April 11.55pm
Cities, social justice and the Anthropocene essay 40% No Mon 27th May 11.55pm

Logbook

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Weekly submissions (weeks 2-10)
Weighting: 30%

 

Written reflections using a specified template based on readings of literature, policy and media reports

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and describe historical and contemporary processes of urbanisation
  • Discuss the interconnections between cities, climate change and social justice
  • Explain how cites are imagined, planned and governed in theory and practice
  • Communicate to diverse audiences using appropriately selected written, oral and visual means

Urban policy case study

Assessment Type 1: Poster
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Mon 8th April 11.55pm
Weighting: 30%

 

A digital output exploring a specific urban policy/practice initiative in the context of a case study city

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and describe historical and contemporary processes of urbanisation
  • Discuss the interconnections between cities, climate change and social justice
  • Explain how cites are imagined, planned and governed in theory and practice
  • Apply urban and planning theories to case studies of Australian and international cities

Cities, social justice and the Anthropocene essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Mon 27th May 11.55pm
Weighting: 40%

 

2000 word essay exploring the connections between cities and social justice in the context of the Anthropocene

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and describe historical and contemporary processes of urbanisation
  • Discuss the interconnections between cities, climate change and social justice
  • Communicate to diverse audiences using appropriately selected written, oral and visual means

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

Classes

In-person offering

Students should attend the 2 hour lecture and a 1 hour tutorial each week. Please sign up for your preferred option tutorial and attend the same class throughout semester.

  • Lecture: Wednesday 12-2pm (14 SCO T4 Lecture Theatre)
  • Tutorials: Wednesday 2-3pm; 3-4pm (8 SCO 112 Tutorial Room)

Online offering

Lectures will be recorded and available via Echo in iLearn. Tutorials for online students are asynchronous and take place through weekly discussion forums. You should listen to the recorded lecture, prior to making contributions to the discussion forums.

Reading

There are a range of journal articles and chapters that are required reading. These will be listed on iLearn and available via Leganto.

Technology used and required

All enrolled students have access to the GEOP1080 website via iLearn. iLearn will provide access to lectures (powerpoint presentations for download and recordings through the University's Echo lecture recording facility) as well as readings, links and forum discussions. Regular access to iLearn is required in order to complete the unit.

Unit Schedule

Week Date Topic
MODULE 1: Urban planet
1 21st Feb Introducing cities in the Anthropocene (SF)
2 28th Feb Just cities (SF)
3 6th March Global cities (AB)
4 13th March Everyday cities (AB)
MODULE 2: Urban challenges
5 20th March Urban mobilities (AB)
6 27th March Urban resilience (EA)
7 3rd April Urban transitions (EA)
8 10th April Urban nature (EA)
Learning and teaching break 15th-26th April
9 1st May Urban regeneration (EA)
MODULE 3: Urban futures
10 8th May Urban imaginaries (EA)
11 15th May Smart cities (EA)
12 22nd May Sharing cities (EA)
13 29th May Urban futures: towards climate justice (SF)

 

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 connect.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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 2024.01R of the Handbook