Module Identifier
BSM3730
Module Title
EIA IN PRACTICE
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
Dr John Scullion
Semester
Semester 2

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Lecture
Seminars / Tutorials
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 3 INDIVIDUAL DESK STUDY REPORTS 2000 WORDS  60%
Semester Assessment PROJECT TEAM REPORT 5000 WORDS  40%
Supplementary Assessment RESUBMIT DESK STUDY REPORTS 2500 WORDS  100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Produce realistic Assessment and Auditing plans
Determine the most appropriate Assessment and Auditing procedures for a range of situations
Demonstrate proficiency in evaluating diverse sources of information
Present their findings in a generic format required for a consultant's report
Conduct serarches using library, IT and database resources
Manage time efficiently by setting realistic goals and targets
Organise workloads within project teams

Content

This module provides students with the opportunity to apply knowledge, skills and experience gained from modules taught in Semester 1. In addtion, this practice-based module will, through the use of case studies, develop knowledge in Social Impact Assessment, Strategic Impact Assessment, Health Risk Assessment and Environmental Auditing.

This restructured module will explore links between EIA and Risk, Health and Social Impact Assessment. The role of Enviornmental Auditing in Managing the Environment will also be evaluated.

The nature of change in social systems will be reviewed in the context of infra-strcture provisions and impacts upon socio-economic and socio-cultural phenomena. Case studies of an opencast mine site will be used to illustrate social impacts and will involve questionnaire surveys and interviews. The concept of background risk will be introduced as a baseline against which to compare risk from development. Major accidents will be considered as case studies including examples from the chemical, nuclear and aerospace industries. The basic concepts of Environmental Health Impact Assessment will be detailed with reference to disease agents, environmental health factors, risk groups and epidemiology. The epidemiology of vector-borne diseases associated with major water related projects in the tropics will be used to underline the need to integrate health considerations into EIA. The common stages of EIA and Risk, Health and Social Impact Assessment will be identified and the economic/time advantages of combining these approaches will be highlighted. A further component of this module will be the practice of environmental auditing. Environmental Auditing describes a wide range of procedures with different focus and scope. These differences will be highlighted through the use of real life examples. The future development of EIA will be explored through an evaluation of the role and potential of Strategic Environmental Assessment and Cumulative Effects Assessment in policy plan and programme formulation.


Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number All case studies will require the evaluation and/or acquisition of data. This will be one of the assessment elements for reports.
Communication Writing skills will be developed and assessed through project reports.
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will take responsibility for their learning from published materials, and will set realistic goals and targets for successful submission of reports.
Information Technology Students will use a variety of software packages for report production and this will be assessed in relation to the quality of these reports.
Personal Development and Career planning Techniques and skills developed during this module will have important vocational value.
Problem solving Students will be presented with problem-based case studies and will be responsible for finding appropriate solutions. This will be one element of report assessment.
Research skills All case studies will involve the setting of objectives, elements of information retrieval and data evaluation. These skills will form part of the report assessment.
Subject Specific Skills Application of the principles underlying Assessment and Auditing to planning and costing projects, and project management.
Team work Students will develop their team skills during the group project work. This will be part of the assessment structure.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7