Environment & Society (GEOS1100)

Course overview

Sustainability & systems concepts; global & Australian climates & land systems; human population & natural resource implications; characteristics of & human impacts on forest, rangeland, farmland, river, coast & city systems.

Environment and Society is an introduction to physical and human geography.

The course provides an introduction to the diverse areas of physical and human geography. Think of it as a 'tasting' plate for all the content areas that geography covers. This includes:

Social systems

• Human populations & urbanisation
• Sustainability and human contributions to the environment

Natural systems:

• Climate Systems
• Land-forming Processes
• Food and Agricultural Practices

Each of these distinct modules covers foundational science that will explore both environmental challenges and potential solutions. This course will provide a broad coverage of issues and allow you to identify areas for focusing further study.

Course requirements

Assumed background

There are no prerequisites for this course. Students are assumed to have a satisfactory level of achievement in high schoolﾠEnglish (or equivalent), Mathematicsﾠand reasonable general knowledge.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

COURSE CONTENT: Lectures are sequential with new content presented at each lecture. Lectures are provided as three separate 1-hour lectures each week. Students are expected to attend ALL lectures. All lectures are also recorded using Echo360, but experience says that students who try to work only from lecture recordings fare muchﾠless well than those who come to the live lectures.

Practicals start in week 2 and run to the end of week 11. Consult your timetable for details of prac locations. The pracs last for 2hr and are lead by senior student demonstrators.

PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) start from week 2 and run to week 13. Sign on is not necessary, you can attendﾠany session.

A Field Trip will take place late in the course. The field trip is offered as a in-person bus trip to Redland Shire. There will be two choices of date. You only need to attend ONE DAY.

There will be a small cost (~$20) to students for the fieldtrip.

Aims and outcomes

Environment and Society focuses on natural and social systems andﾠtheir interactions. We will discussﾠproblems that arise in environmental quality and resources and the response of societies in planning and management. This theme is addressed through creating an understanding of the structure and function of:

Natural systems: climate, landscape, biota; and of Social systems: human populations, demographics, society and culture; and theﾠrelationship between natural and social systems in a spatial context:

- how natural systems condition human activity; and

- how human activity impacts on natural resources and environmental quality.

The planning and management dimension is developed through the assessment of environmental and economic problems that arise in this relationship and how societies have responded and should respond.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

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

Practicals and online modules

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

15%

Due date

7/03/2025 - 10/03/2025

21/03/2025 - 24/03/2025

28/03/2025 - 31/03/2025

4/04/2025 - 7/04/2025

11/04/2025 - 14/04/2025

2/05/2025 - 5/05/2025

9/05/2025 - 12/05/2025

23/05/2025 - 26/05/2025

Quiz will open on the same Friday as the prac is held, and need to be completed by 2pm the following Monday.

Task description

Submission guidelines

A 5 question Blackboard multiple choice quiz will follow each practical.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

Research Report

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

20%

Due date

17/04/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

Turnitin through the course Blackboard site: mandatory upload for Research Report - Turnitin software is used in this course to analyze your written work to generate an authenticity report.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

Redland Shire Field Trip Quiz

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

15%

Due date

23/05/2025 2:00 pm

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Submission guidelines

An online quiz will be on Blackboard. This will have a mix of multiple choice, short answer and graphing questions.

The field trip is compulsory. If a student is not able to attend, an online virtual field trip will be available which will enable students to complete the assessment.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

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.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

End of semester exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

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

AI Statement

These assessment tasks have been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or Machine Translation (MT) technologies, successful completion of assessments in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.

A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

To pass these assessments, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum timeframe applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for timeframes. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total. If you are incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, you are advised to apply for Removal of Course.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Assessment Submission

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.

Please ensure you receive and save the submission confirmation for all submitted items, you may be asked to produce this as evidence of your submission.

Turnitin

All written assessment must be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin submission portal, which can be found within the Blackboard site. You are responsible for ensuring that your submission is complete. It is wise to re-enter the Turnitin portal and confirm that your submission is there and that it has not been altered during the submission process.

By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.

In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.

Assessment/Attendance

Please notify your Course Coordinator as soon as you become aware of any issue that may affect your ability to meet the assessment/attendance requirements of the course. Theﾠ my.UQﾠ website and the Electronic Course Profile (ECP) for your course also provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.

A note for repeating students in this course

Any student who enrols in a course must not be given exemption or partial credit from their previous attempt(s) for any individual piece of assessment.ﾠInstead, the student must successfully complete all of the learning activities and assessment items within the study period of enrolmentﾠ(PPL Assessment - Procedures).

If the same assessment item is set from one year to the next, repeating students are allowed to submit the same work they submitted in previous attempts at the course. Where possible SENV recommends that you use the feedback you received in your last attempt to improve parts of the item where you lost marks. Resubmission of an altered or unaltered assessment item by a repeating student (where the same assessment has been set) will not be considered as self-plagiarism.

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

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

• Queensland Department of Environment and Science - https://www.des.qld.gov.auﾠ
• Environment Australia - https://www.environment.gov.au
• The Australian State of the Environment Report 2016 - https://soe.environment.gov.au/download/reports
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au
• Population Reference Bureau - http://www.prb.org
• World Resources Institute - http://www.wri.org/
• International Union for the Conservation of Nature - http://www.iucn.org
• United Nations Fund for Population Activity - http://www.unfpa.org/
• Australian Natural Resources Atlas - https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/australian-natural-resources-atlas-anra
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - http://www.fao.org

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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 - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.