EV5601 - Social Impact Assessment: Environmental Management

Develop an awareness and understanding of the theoretical and practical processes of Social Impact Assessment. The history and development of Social Impact Assessment is presented along side practical learning of the processess. An intergral component of the planning degree program.

Learning Outcomes

• understand the commonly accepted definitions of Social Impact Assessment, Technological Assessment and Environmental Impact; and be familiar with and understand the commonwealth and state environmental protection legislation and its international context;
• understand the history of EIA-SIA legislation; and understand how Social Impact Assessment fits into the overall Environmental Impact Assessment process in developed and developing countries;
• understand the relationship between the steps in the SIA process and the steps in the planning process; and understand and be able to do "scoping" and an adequate DRAFT of an SIA (the group project);
• be familiar with the main body of social science research findings on identifiable social impacts as summarised under the following topics: (a) Population Impacts (b) Community/Institutional Arrangements (c) Communities in Transition (d) Individual and Family Level Impacts (e) Community Infrastructure Needs; and become familiar with a State (Provincial) or Federal Land Management and/or Donor Agency that does Social Impact Assessment as a component of EIS;
• be able to define and understand the following terms: EIS SIA, Social Impact Settings, Public Involvement, Social Soundness Analysis, World Bank, AusAID, Social Impact Assessment Variables, Social Assessment Data, Social Assessment Model, Social Impact Assessment, Environmental Impact Statement, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Baseline Conditions, Social Assessment Analytical Procedures, Social Assessment Analysis, Public Involvement, Environmental Assessment, Needs Assessment, Citizen Participation, Needs Assessment Techniques, Mitigation, Monitoring, Scoping, Cumulative Effects, Primary and Secondary Effects, and Zones of Influence; and be familiar with the approaches utilised to mitigate and monitor significant social impacts, particularly in the context of the Integrated Planning Act in Queensland.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to adapt knowledge to new situations;
• The ability to think critically, to analyse and evaluate claims, evidence and arguments, and to reason and deploy evidence clearly and logically;
• The ability to find and access information using appropriate media and technologies;
• The ability to speak and write clearly, coherently and creatively.

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.