GEOG 1102 - Footprints on a Fragile Planet

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

This course examines the heavy footprint humans have placed on Planet Earth. We address, in turn, the main components of the planet and examine the fundamental, natural processes within each. With this grounding we then document the impact of indigenous peoples, and then the excesses of modern humans, to reveal the consequences of the activities of contemporary society. Firstly, we focus on how the unwise use of natural resources in both the developed and developing nations has resulted in loss of fertile soil. Then follows an examination of global climate processes and changes humans have made to climates and the atmosphere upon which we rely. Turning to the water cycle, we focus on how the crucial resource of water has been degraded. Finally, the complexities of natural biota and communities are examined with a focus on biodiversity, invasive species, fire and forest management, and the importance of wetlands.

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Course Details

Course Code	GEOG 1102
Course	Footprints on a Fragile Planet
Coordinating Unit	Geography, Environment and Population
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week, plus a one-day field trip
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Incompatible	GEST 1002
Assessment	Participation and presentation (10%), 1000 word tutorial paper (20%), 1800 word fieldwork report (30%), in class quizzes (40%)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor John Tibby

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Content can be accessed from course planner

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1	Demonstrate an understanding of the Earth’s major physical environmental systems
2	Gain an insight into the history of humankind and its impact on the planet
3	Demonstrate an understanding of key physical environmental processes at local to global scales
4	Develop interdisciplinary problem-solving skills
5	Develop literary, verbal and numerical proficiency
6	Enhance their ability to work effectively in a team environment

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4, 5,
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1, 2
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There is no text book “Footprints”, rather a list of readings relevant to each lecture, the tutorials and assessment will be available on MyUni.

Recommended Resources

Overall course reading
As mentioned above, there is no text book for the course. However, the following text provides a useful introduction:

Miller, G.T. and Spoolman, S.E. (2009 or later editions). Living in the environment: concepts, connections, and solutions. Brooks/Cole, Belmont, California.
You do not need to purchase this text, although some students find it useful to do so. This book is available in the reserve section of the library

In addition to Miller and Spoolman (2009), the following two books provide good grounding in many of the topics covered. However, it is not recommended you purchase these books.

Lindenmayer, D.B. and Burgman, M.A. (2005). Practical conservation biology. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
Available online through the library catalogue

Attiwill, P. and Wilson, B. (eds) (2006) Ecology: an Australian perspective. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

A useful text for developing writing and speaking skills
Hay, I. (2012) Communicating in geography and the environmental sciences. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

Journals
Ecos and Australasian Science (both provide useful introductions to complex issues, but should not be used in isolation) Science and Nature (General science journal of the highest quality and complexity) Specialised journals: Environmental Conservation, Biological Conservation, Environmental Restoration and Management, Australian Geographer, Ecological Management and Restoration, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Climate and Climatic Change, Austral Ecology, Marine and Freshwater Research, Journal of Applied Ecology, Sustainable Development. This list is by no means exhaustive.

Electronic sources
(**these are provided to enhance your understanding but should not be used in written work**)
Podcasts from the journals Nature and Science and the ABC’s Science show:

Blogs/websites
· . University academics writing in “journalistic style” for non-secialists. It is excellent
· . Does an excellent job of dispelling many myths about climate change

· conservationbytes.com. From The 成人大片’s Professor Corey Bradshaw
o At times focus is personal but still very useful perspectives
· From The 成人大片’s Professor Barry Brook
o Useful in particular for one side of the nuclear power debate

Twitter feeds
· . Infrequent tweets
· . Excellent, but an obvious UK bias.
· . The South Australian conservation council. Good local focus
· The above blogs also have good twitter feeds.

Online Learning

MYUNI is the platform for aspects of the course that will be delivered online. All lectures will be recorded and made available online. Lecture slides will also be made available online. Revisions materials and practice assessment questions will be placed online.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course lectures provide basic factual information and conceptual understanding of the physical environment and human impact upon it. The tutorials provide an opportunity to consolidate understanding from lectures and, particularly, to debate key issues. The workshops provide “hands on” experience in data manipulation. The field trip and report provides students with an opportunity to apply their understanding of the course to natural resource management issues in the River Torrens catchment. Finally, the exam will assess students understanding of the course content.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
1. Structured learning (lectures and tutorials or workshops): 3 hours per week
2. Background reading and reading for specific tutorials: 4 hours per week
3. Field report research and preparation: 2 hours per week (average)
4. Exam revision: 3 hours per week (average)

Learning Activities Summary

Learning activies will include guest lectures, online revision, computer-based workshops and student presentations.

An extensive week-by-week guide to the course will be provided upon enrolment. However, the basic structure is outlined below.

Weeks 1-3: Introduction and threats posed by mining and soil degradation
Weeks 4-6: The atmosphere and climate change
Weeks 7-10: Managing freshwater on the "blue planet"
Weeks 11-12: The oceans, coasts and summary

Specific Course Requirements

There will be a compulsory one day field trip focussed on the upper reaches of the River Torrens to be held around the mid-semester break. More details will be provided during the first week of classes

Small Group Discovery Experience

Students will work in small groups in preparation for the field trip focussing on different issues in the River Torrens catchment. These groups will formulate questions and discussion points for local experts who will be assisting with the field trip. SGDE will also be implemented during two computer-based workshops and in the final revision workshop.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Due	Late Penalty	Weighting %	Learning Objectives Addressed
Participation and presentation	n/a	n/a	10% (1/2 allocated to tute presentation)	All
Tutorial paper	week 6	2% per day (including weekends)	20%	1 to 5
Fieldwork report (1800 words)	Thurs week 10	2% per day (including weekends)	30%	All
Exam		n/a	40%	1 to 5

NB: all tasks are formative with the exception of the exam (summative)

Assessment Related Requirements

See elsewhere

Assessment Detail

Details of the first essay topics will be posted on MyUni

The field report assignment will be posted on MyUni

The exam will be two hours long.

Workshop exercises (including the required data) will be posted on MyUni in due course. These exercises are not separately assessed but can contribute to your field report and exam responses.

Submission

Assignments must be submitted as TURNITIN. Instructions for TURNITIN submission are available on MyUni.

Assignments will be marked within four weeks of submission.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and
teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from
students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff,
the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of
Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as CEQ surveys and Program
reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual
teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and
program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how
effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate
student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy
(http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and
must be conducted at least once every 2 years. Feedback on issues
raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled
students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

This course's SELT scores were above School, Faculty and University averages in 5 out of 6 categories in 2014.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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