Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Greg Walkerden
Contact via By email
W3A 430
By appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MEnv or MEnvEd or MEnvMgt or MEnvStud or MEnvPlan or MPlan or GradCertEnvPlan or MSusDev or MWldMgt or MPPP or GradDipEnv or GradCertEnv or GradCertSusDev or GradDipSusDev or MConsBiol or GradDipConsBiol or MDevStud or MMarScMgt or MSc in (Biodiversity Conservation or Remote Sensing and GIS)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit teaches foundational skills for environmental decision makers. Students learn to triangulate technically, politically and managerially: looking for ways forward that are respectful of networks of cause and effect, make sense in the light of stakeholders’ diverse interests, and give reasonable assurance of outcomes.
Principled negotiation, creative thinking and reflective practice are also emphasised. Students develop their skills in these areas via two research projects: triangulating on a case study of their choice, and using reflective practice to develop their decision making skills.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
References are not included in the word counts set for each assignment.
A tolerance of plus or minus 10% is allowed for, on the set lengths. So for example, a 1,000 word essay could be anywhere from 900 to 1,100 words long. If you submit assignments that are shorter or longer than this, you may be penalised for length.
The marks assigned during Session and reported on iLearn, when assignments are being marked, are raw marks - they may be adjusted up or down, depending on moderation (checking of the marking). (These are sometimes necessary to correct for differences between markers, for example. Changes, when they occur, are usually modest. They usually occur when marks are being finalised at the end of the session.)
Assignments 1, 2 and 3 are to be submitted electronically via iLearn by midnight on the due date.
Assignments 1, 2, and 3 will be reviewed by Turnitin, which helps us check whether sources are properly acknowledged, and whether assignments submitted are each student's own work.
Acknowledging your debts to other people's work - your use of their exact words or their ideas - is fundamental to good scholarship. We recommend reviewing Georgetown University's very helpful guide to honest, transparent acknowledgment of your sources: http://honorcouncil.georgetown.edu/whatisplagiarism.
To request an extension, make the request for Special Consideration through ask.mq.edu.au, providing a clear explanation and providing supporting documentation where needed (e.g. a Macquarie Professional Authority form).
Unless a Special Consideration request 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.
Please plan your work for your units at the start of the Session, and keep track of how much time you have available for each assignment. Please get help if you are having trouble completing work on time. Visit a doctor, a Campus Wellbeing service (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/wellbeing), talk to your tutor or the Unit Convenor for academic help, or whatever else is appropriate.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Case Study Assignment 1 | 10% | No | Midnight Sunday 25th March |
Case Study Assignment 2 | 40% | No | Midnight Sunday 29th April |
Practice Research Report | 45% | No | Midnight Sunday 3rd June |
Class Participation | 5% | No | Weeks 1 to 13 |
Due: Midnight Sunday 25th March
Weighting: 10%
Stakeholder analysis table with brief explanatory notes, for the case you are researching.
2 page table; perhaps 1,000 words all up
Your stakeholder analysis table should briefly describe each stakeholder’s (i) positions, (ii) interests and (iii) how a negotiation might be approached.
Questions to reflect on include:
• who has a stake in this decision?
• what positions are the stakeholders taking?
• what interests underlie their positions?
• what powers does each stakeholder have (e.g. financial, legal, political, intellectual)?
• what approaches might stakeholders be able to align around?
A model for this table will be provided in a class exercise.
Due: Midnight Sunday 29th April
Weighting: 40%
A technical / political / managerial triangulation on the case you are researching, leading to recommendations - 2,000 words
Explain how you see the case through each separate lens – technical, political and managerial – and show how you arrive at your recommendations by synthesising the insights from all three, recognising that decisions that help on the ground are ones that:
• work technically, i.e. they make sense when networks of cause and effect are taken into account,
• work politically, i.e. they are implementable in practice, bearing in mind the realties of political power and powerlessness, and
• work managerially, i.e. plan-do-review loops are closed, resourcing is appropriate, etc., so there is a reasonable chance the benefits will actually be delivered.
Due: Midnight Sunday 3rd June
Weighting: 45%
Report on your experiments with your own practice – 2,000 words, plus appendices.
Your research report will report on your experiments, during the session, with reflectively practicing one or more of the practices Environmental Decision Making focuses on, to develop your skills as an environmental decision maker. The six practices are: stakeholder analysis (which develops political sensitivity), systems analysis (which develops technical insight), management system analysis and design (which develops managerial sensitivity), negotiation, creative thinking and reflective practice. These experiments can take place in any setting other than your work in GSE843 classes or assignments - e.g. in another unit you are doing.
The research methods you will use come from Donald Schön’s and Eugene Gendlin’s work on reflective practice: (i) using one or more of exploratory practice, move testing and hypothesis testing (Schön), while (ii) exploring, leveraging and developing your 'feel' for what it may make sense to do (Gendlin).
The report will use the classic structure for a research report: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion.
Due: Weeks 1 to 13
Weighting: 5%
Lectorial Participation
Five percent of your overall grade for the unit is earned through class participation.
In GEOP843, the lecture content and class exercises are interspersed. You can't get the benefit of the learning by listening on iLearn - that's passive rather than active - so attendance is required. Attendance will be recorded for all lectures. Occasional worksheets will be used in class, and some of these will be collected, and will need to show evidence that you have engaged with the task, to earn the participation credits for that session.
5 marks can be earned simply by attending and participating. 5 marks: attending & participating 11-13 weeks. 4 marks: 9-10 weeks. 3 marks: 7-8 weeks. 2.5 marks: 6 weeks. 0 marks: attending & participating less than 6 weeks.
(If you have special circumstances that you think warrant an exemption from this lecture attendance requirement, contact the unit convener. If, during session, you are ill or are facing other difficulties, advise that through ask.mq.edu.au.)
Technology used and required
Students will need access to a computer and basic office software (eg. Microsoft Office or OpenOffice), and course web pages to complete assessment tasks. (The computers in the EMC2 building are usually available.) The unit's webpage is on iLearn: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Recommended Texts
The following are recommended background reading:
Finding relevant journal articles
Citing peer reviewed research is essential for all assignments. Access peer reviewed journal articles through the University Library’s website; use MultiSearch. Google Scholar is an excellent starting point. If you are off-campus, accessing Google Scholar from the university library's home page (see link below the Search box) will make it easier to get to journal articles.
The following databases of journal articles accessible through the University Library are also particularly recommended:
The library has put together a set of guides to assist researchers in multiple disciplines, including Environmental Law, Environmental Science and Human Geography.
See the Unit’s iLearn home page for further sources of information.
Writing Guide and Referencing
All written work must comply with the Graduate School of the Environment Writing Guide for preparing written work available on iLearn. Refer to it for details of how to reference sources, amongst other things.
GEOP843 lectures and workshops will be presented and facilitated by the convenor and guest speakers from a variety of organisations involved in environmental planning and management.
Classes run from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Tuesday nights. The room and other details (notably calendar weeks and dates) are in the University Timetable.
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).
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 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
Requirements to Complete this Unit Satisfactorily
In order to successfully complete this unit students must:
Assessment Standards
Many specific aspects of your work are important (as identified in the following standards), but it is the overall quality of the completed work that is important. Assignments will be assessed holistically. The following bands are ‘ideal types’: lists of the features of typical examples of assignments at each level.
The standard of each assignment is obviously important - good grades demonstrate that your work is competent, proficient or excellent. But from a learning perspective, it is equally important to look at your own work developmentally: to look for gradual improvement, deepening insight, and broadening competency. Grades for assignments assess the standard of your work. Comments on assignments are intended to be helpful developmentally: indicating what you have achieved, and how you could improve your work.
For a grade of High Distinction (>= 85%)
Overall, your work demonstrates, in an interesting or challenging way, originality based on proficiency in all the learning objectives.
For a grade of Distinction (75-84%)
Overall, your work demonstrates a comprehensive awareness and understanding of the topic of the assignment.
For a grade of Credit (65-74%)
Overall, your work demonstrates the ability to use and apply fundamental concepts and skills.
For a grade of Pass (50-64%)
Overall, your work satisfies the basic learning requirements of the assignment.
For a grade of Fail (45-49%)
For a lower grade of Fail (26-44%)
For a grade of Serious Fail (< 26%)
Source: Neil DT, Wadley DA, and Phinn SR 1999, 'A generic framework for criterion-referenced assessment of undergraduate essays', Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 23(3) pp. 303-325. See also: Neil DT, Wadley DA, and Phinn SR 1998, Assessment Guidelines, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland.
Used with permission. This text is a very minor adaptation of an excerpt from Neil, Wadley and Phinn (1998). See the full text in either version for further very useful background on these standards, and the criteria they reflect.
Academic Honesty
It is a fundamental principle that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:
▪ all academic work claimed as original is the work of the author making the claim
▪ all academic collaborations are acknowledged
▪ academic work is not falsified in any way
▪ when the ideas of others are used, these ideas are acknowledged appropriately.
All students should familiarise themselves with Macquarie University's Academic Honesty Policy.
The Department recommends that students familiarise themselves with the explanation of plagiarism on the Georgetown University Honor Council website which discusses plagiarism in an easy to understand and comprehensive manner.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
The teaching process has four main elements:
Students are expected to:
Lectorials and workshop sessions will introduce students to:
Key analytical and synthesis skills - stakeholder analysis, socio-ecological systems analysis, management system analysis, and making judgments that integrate political, managerial and technical considerations - will be practiced in workshop sessions and in the main assignment.
Workshops will also provide opportunities for practicing negotiation skills and appreciating differences in decision making practices in different cultural and national contexts.
Skills in reflective practice will be an ongoing subtext, with frequent invitations to reflect, and a final assignment designed to evoke students' reflection on their learnings.
Rationale for Modes of Assessment
Teaching Program
See the Unit’s iLearn page for details of the program.