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

Practical quizzes

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

15%

Due date

Quiz 1: 8/08/2025 - 11/08/2025

Quiz 2: 22/08/2025 - 25/08/2025

Quiz 3: 29/08/2025 - 1/09/2025

Quiz 4: 5/09/2025 - 8/09/2025

Quiz 5: 12/09/2025 - 15/09/2025

Quiz 6: 19/09/2025 - 22/09/2025

Quiz 7: 17/10/2025 - 20/10/2025

Quiz 8: 24/10/2025 - 27/10/2025

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 below for information relating to extension 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 (the 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

18/09/2025 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 below for information relating to extension 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 (the 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

8/10/2025 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 below for information relating to extension 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 (the 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

8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

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.

Additional course grading information

Assessment Hurdle

In order to pass this course, you must meet the following requirements (if you do not meet these requirements, the maximum grade you will receive will be a 3):

You must obtain 45% or more in the End of Semester exam.

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 the UQ website 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

• Read the information contained in the following links carefully before submitting an application for extension to assessment due date.
• For guidance on applying for an extension, information is available here: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/applying-assessment-extension
• For the policy relating to extensions, information is available here (Part D): https://policies.uq.edu.au/document/view-current.php?id=184
• Please note the University's requirements for medical certificates here: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/uq-policies-and-rules/requirements-medical-certificates

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 for Students Policy and Procedure

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