GEOG 2201 - Cities and Sustainability
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2025
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code GEOG 2201 Course Cities and Sustainability Coordinating Unit Geography, Environment and Population Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study Assessment Participation and attendance, Presentation, Photo Journal, Major Essay. Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr George Tan
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students should be able to:
1 demonstrate a critical understanding of urban political ecology 2 explain how urban development impacts on environmental processes 3 demonstrate an understanding of energy and resource flows and their measurement 4 describe the interaction between cities and climate change 5 critically examine measures to address the environmental impacts of cities 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) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1,2,3,4,5 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
1,2,3,4,5 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
1, 2,3 ,4 ,5 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
5 Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency
Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.
1, 5 Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
5 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
1, 2, 3 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
There are no set texts for this course. All required reading will be made available via MyUni.Recommended Resources
Books
Affolderbach, J., Schulz, C. (2018). Green Building Transitions: Regional Trajectories of Innovation in Europe, Canada and Australia. Cham, Switzerland: Springer
Droege, P. (ed.) (2018). Urban Energy Transition: Renewable Strategies for Cities and Regions. Amsterdam: Elsevier
Heynen, N., Kaika, Maria., Swyngedouw, E. (2006) In the nature of cities: Urban political ecology and the politics of urban metabolism London
Parris, J. (2016). Urban Ecology. Wiley. Oxford (available online)
Mazmanian, D., Blanco, H. (2014) Elgar companion to sustainable cities : strategies, methods and outlook. Cheltenham, UK; Edward Elgar
List of Journals
Journals that focus on cities and urbanisation have many articles relating to sustainablity and the environmental impacts of cities (see the Course Outline for Urban Futures). The journals listed below are more focused on environment and/or sustainbility aspects of cities.
Cities and the EnvironmentUrban Climate
Environment and Urbanization
Land Use Policy
Landscape and Urban Planning
Local Environments
Sustainable Cities and Society
Urban Forestry and Urban Greening -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Teaching and Learning Modes in this course include:
- Face-to-face/online lectures
- Small Group Discovery Experience - Preparation and engagement
- Assignment PreparationWorkload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
The total workload for this course is 156 hours or an average of 12 hours per week for the semester.Learning Activities Summary
Schedule Week Topic Week 1 Introduction and overview Week 2 Resilience assessment Week 3 Urban green space and biodiversity Week 4 Urban Agriculture and the Peri-Urban Fringe Week 5 Waste management and the circular economy Week 6 Cities and migration Week 7 Tourism (gentrification) in Port Adelaide Week 8 Fireside chat with industry experts Week 9 Climate change and managing risk Week 10 Housing and sustainability Week 11 Study week - assignment preparation Week 12 Student presentations (group work, summative). -
Assessment
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 Task Type Weighting % Essay Summative 35% Photojournal Summative 35% Presentation Summative 20% Attendance Summative 10% Assessment Detail
Participation 10%
This component will assess attendance AND participation in class activities
Photojournal 35%
This assignment requires students to provide a written summary using the style of a photojournal, of the topics/issues (Weeks 2-5) covered in the course. The aim of the assignment is to evaluate students’ understanding of the key concepts in the topics in relation to sustainable cities.
Essay 35%
Students will write a 2000 word essay which critically examines a range of provided elements that relate to sustainable cities.
Presentation 20%
Students will select a city, research the various aspects of its sustainability through the topics covered during the semester and analyse how the selected city fares across these themes.Submission
Assessment submissions will be via MyUniCourse 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 .
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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.
There is no feedback for this course. It is a new course and will be offered for the first time in 2019 -
Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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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.
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