ATS2548 · Climate and environmental policy and management

Overview

Finding strategies to respond to interconnected environmental and climate crises is one of the defining challenges of our era. In this unit, you will be introduced to the critical role that public policy and management approaches play in securing more sustainable futures for people and the planet. You will explore how geographical, historical, cultural and political-economic forces shape the environmental issues we are facing today and how to diagnose these drivers so we can act on them as policy problems. You will also learn about the theory and practice of public policymaking in both national and international contexts and how different knowledges – scientific, Indigenous and local – contribute to good policymaking. You will also investigate how environmental and climate justice can be achieved using both traditional and emerging management approaches. Designed to appeal to students from diverse disciplines – including geography, environmental and conservation sciences, politics, international relations, engineering and law – we will use contemporary environmental issues from Australia and abroad to build your professionally-relevant skills in policy research and analysis, as well as stakeholder engagement and environmental communication.

Areas of study: Environmental science Geographical science Human geography

Offerings

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. analyse and explain how environmental policy issues are caused by intersecting historical, geographical, cultural, political economic forces;
2. identify and evaluate the main approaches to climate and environmental policymaking and management in different contexts and at different scales;
3. critique environmental and climate justice issues in public policymaking, with an emphasis on diverse stakeholder perspectives;
4. critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of scientific and other knowledges in climate and environmental policy and management;
5. apply individual and collaborative academic research, policy analysis and environmental communication skills.

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.