Course coordinator
Dr Zannie Langford
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- Gatton
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- Gatton
- Coordinating unit
- Agriculture and Food Sustainability School
The course will equip students to systematically apply concepts and methods to understand and evaluate key agricultural and natural resource policy issues in Australia, internationally and in global trade.
Graduates of agricultural science, agribusiness,ﾠenvironmental studiesﾠand development will inevitably encounter or contribute to policy.ﾠThe primary aim of the course is to assist students to systematically analyse agricultural and resource policies. The course introduces frameworks for understanding policy objectives and processes. These frameworks are then applied to the examination of key agricultural and resource policiesﾠin Australia and other major agricultural countries. While the course is underpinned by theory,ﾠit is designed to be highly applied and interactive.ﾠ
Course contact
Lecturer
Dr Zannie Langford
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
The primary aim of the course is to develop a systematic approach to the analysis and evaluation of agricultural and resource policies in Australia and overseas.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Develop knowledge and understanding of key agricultural and resource policies in Australia and overseas
LO2.
Synthesise and evaluate data to deliver clear policy recommendations
LO3.
Develop knowledge and understanding of key frameworks, theories, concepts and methods employed in agricultural and resource policy analysis
LO4.
Systematically apply frameworks, theories, concepts and methods to the analysis of agricultural and resource policies in Australia and overseas
LO5.
Integrate knowledge, methods and communication skills learnt during the course
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/ Critique | Policy Brief | 20% |
9/04/2025 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Report | 40% |
28/05/2025 2:00 pm |
| Examination |
Final Examination
|
40% |
End of Semester Exam Period 7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025 |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Policy Brief
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
9/04/2025 2:00 pm
Task description
Develop and submit (in Tunitin) a short policy brief of less than 1,000 words on a relevant agricultural policy issue. Further information will be provided in class and on Blackboard.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Turnitin submission details:
You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Legal Declaration:
By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy (https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=149) and understand its implications
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
Report
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
28/05/2025 2:00 pm
Task description
Students will respond to a policy problem set in the course and submit a written report of approximately 2,000 words. The report must apply a policy framework and concepts covered in the first part of the course to critically analyse the issue and to make policy recommendations. Further information will be provided in class and on Blackboard.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Turnitin submission details:
You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Legal Declaration:
By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy (https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=149) and understand its implications.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL).
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
Final Examination
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025
Task description
The final exam is a summative assessment of material presented in all modules. The exam will take the form of an on-campus, invigilated examination. Further details on the exam will be provided in the lectures and on the Blackboard site.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
Refer to Additional Course Grading InformationExam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all assessment between 0- 34% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all assessment between 35 - 46% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: A cumulative score for all assessment between 47ﾠ- 49% OR equal to or greater than 50% for all assessment AND less than a passing mark in the End of Semester Exam |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all assessment between 50 - 64% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all assessmentﾠbetween 65 - 74% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all assessment between 75 - 84% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: A cumulative score for all assessment between 85 -ﾠ100% |
Additional course grading information
Students must pass the end of semester exam to pass this course.
If a student obtains an overall percentage greater than the cut-off for a 4 or higher on the cumulative results for all assessment items and the student does NOT score a passing mark for the end of semester exam, they are unable to achieve a grade higher than a 3 (failing grade) for the course.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply.
Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.
If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.
Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.
To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.
Additional assessment information
Results
Unless specifically indicated by the lecturer involved,ﾠevery attempt will be made to haveﾠthe results for progressive assessment tasks available within 2 weeks of submission. Results and feedback availability will be advised to you by email or announced via the course Blackboard site.ﾠ
TurnItIn Assignments
Assignments that are required to be submitted through TurnItIn, mustﾠonlyﾠbe uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site.ﾠ If you submit any version of your assessment item to any alternative Turnitin link, this is considered cheating and you will be held liable for this action.ﾠ
Please also note the University’s policy on academic integrity and plagiarism which can be accessed atﾠhttp://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct
Feedback in this course
Feedback is welcome in this course as any information on how students find this learning experience is constructive.
Please use the evaluation form provided to you at the end of semester - or if you are enrolled internally, a course evaluation process will occur in the last few weeks of semester.
Re-mark Applications – refer to the University's Re-mark Policy to check your eligibility
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Course Blackboard site | Blackboard is the main method of communication for this course. | |
| Course Profile | Provides details of specifications, rationale, aims and structure of the course. It also informs you of the assessment for this course, including weighting and due dates. |
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Lecture |
Lecture series Please refer to the full timetable in the course Blackboard site. Sub-activity: Introduction to agricultural and resource policy; Policy theories; Policy concepts; Policy frameworks; History of Australian agricultural and resource policy and major approaches to regulation; Rural development policy, including rural communities, Indigenous agricultural development, land use change and land use competition; Sustainable resource management; Policy issues related to risk and resilience, including climate change, biosecurity, biodiversity and drought; Innovation policy, including research and development, digital agriculture, and new agricultural technologies; International trade; Emerging issues in agricultural policy |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.