Students

LAWS8055 – Environmental Law and Sustainable Development

2024 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer
Shawkat Alam
shawkat.alam@mq.edu.au
Contact via shawkat.alam@mq.edu.au
Room 214, 17 WW
Wednesday 12-1pm
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to LLM or MSusDev or M Env or (Admission to JD and LAWS600 or LAWS8001)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces students to the specialised and burgeoning area of environmental law on both the national and international stage. It evaluates the effectiveness of current environmental law in the context of ongoing and emerging challenges. The unit adopts a multidisciplinary perspective to help augment understanding of the complexity of environmental challenges and enhance the analysis of relevant legislation and case law.

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 analyse the major global and Australian environmental challenges.
  • ULO2: Identify and critique key ethical and interdisciplinary perspectives on the environment and the relevance of different aspects of jurisprudential and legal theory that underlie environmental law including ecologically sustainable development and environmental justice
  • ULO3: Analyse the interaction of environmental law at multiple governance scales and the role of contextual factors.
  • ULO4: Critically analyse and evaluate different forms of environmental regulation and their suitability to regulate current and future sustainability challenges.

General Assessment Information

Please consult the unit iLearn page for detailed instructions for assessments in this unit.

Class participation

This assessment is about active engagement in tutorials; not mere attendance. Contributing to tutorial discussions and tutorial exercises throughout the entire semester will be the primary activity marked for this assessment. Online contributions to the weekly discussion forums can add to the class participation, not replace it - except when absence from a tutorial is notified in advance and approved as justified. 

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

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-timed 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 Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
In class participation 20% No Weeks 2-13
Take home assessment 40% No 14 April 2024 11:55pm
Analytical Research Essay 40% No 2 June 2024 11:55pm

In class participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weeks 2-13
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will prepare and participate in relevant discussion and problem solving tasks during tutorials

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and critique key ethical and interdisciplinary perspectives on the environment and the relevance of different aspects of jurisprudential and legal theory that underlie environmental law including ecologically sustainable development and environmental justice
  • Analyse the interaction of environmental law at multiple governance scales and the role of contextual factors.

Take home assessment

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 14 April 2024 11:55pm
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will submit responses to questions based on a hypothetical scenario

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse the major global and Australian environmental challenges.
  • Analyse the interaction of environmental law at multiple governance scales and the role of contextual factors.

Analytical Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 2 June 2024 11:55pm
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will prepare a research essay that analyses a topic of environmental law.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse the major global and Australian environmental challenges.
  • Identify and critique key ethical and interdisciplinary perspectives on the environment and the relevance of different aspects of jurisprudential and legal theory that underlie environmental law including ecologically sustainable development and environmental justice
  • Critically analyse and evaluate different forms of environmental regulation and their suitability to regulate current and future sustainability challenges.

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

Tutorials for on-campus students will be weekly, commencing in Week 2 and concluding in Week 13. Tutorials for online (external) students will be fortnightly, commencing week 2. Please consult the official timetable. Students are expected to watch pre-recorded weekly lectures that will be made available for each week in Echo 360 via the iLearn page.

Students are expected to have prepared for the tutorials by watching the lecture and reading the prescribed materials for that week, and preparing any tutorial exercises assigned for that week on iLearn. Active participation in tutorials is assessed.

Resources

Required textbook: Gerry Bates, Environmental Law in Australia (11th ed., 2023, LexisNexis).

Additional readings may be prescribed through iLearn.

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 2024.01 of the Handbook