APG5428 · Environmental governance and citizenship

Overview

In this unit you will explore social and institutional frameworks for environmental governance. You will consider the role, structure and processes of government, market and civil society in relation to the environment and sustainability agenda. The emphasis is on exploring the character of contemporary environmental governance, evaluating the assumptions on which it is based, and taking a critically informed view of the strengths and limitations of different approaches. You will use Australian case studies e.g. biodiversity, urban water management, waste management, to examine the mix of policy instruments where different kinds of agencies and organisations collaborate to implement a range of interesting and innovative approaches to environmental governance. In this unit you will attend a full day field trip and a full day workshop involving policy-makers and practitioners from state and local government, and representatives from from NGOs and community organisations.

Areas of study: Environment and governance

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. recognise and analyse the theoretical perspectives of the shift from government to governance in environmental management and sustainability;
2. critique the roles and responsibilities of government, markets and civil society in environmental policy and governance initiatives;
3. analyse and assess the strengths and weaknesses of command-and-control regulation, the use of market-based instruments, citizen empowerment and community participation, and their compatibility in policy mixes;
4. develop and communicate insights into challenges that arise when implementing governance approaches on the ground.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.