Environmental Hazards (GEOS7106)

Course overview

The course will require students to analyse policy arrangements and practical applications of hazard and disaster management in local, state and national government contexts.This course describes where & how interacting environmental & social systems create distinctive landscapes, regions & places at risk from environmental hazards. Determinants of community exposure, risk & resilience to hazards are identified & analysed from a geographical perspective, as are society's attempts to manage & adapt to hazards.

Natural hazards are significant agents of damage, disruption and loss across diverse local andﾠglobal landscapes. Despite the name, natural hazards are not entirely natural.ﾠUnderstanding earth system processes and the frequency of these hazards are essential in developing prevention and mitigation measures to reduce hazard risk.ﾠThis course will introduce the naturalﾠsystems that create hazards, including floods, cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, and droughts; so as to investigateﾠwhere and why the interplay of environmental and social systems yields spatially varying exposures to hazard risk, and contrasting choices of risk management and adaptation.ﾠ

Attention to emergency and disaster planning is now a requirement across many professional areas (e.g. in state and localﾠgovernments, education, aid agencies) as it has become embedded in the wider operations of governments, private enterprise and the public to create sustainable, “prepared communities”. Hazard geography, with its integrating, spatial perspective offers a robust framework with which to combine and apply expertise from the environmental and social sciences, spatial sciences and planning in practical, problem-solving contexts.ﾠ

Course requirements

Assumed background

A background in Physical Geography would be helpful.

Students are not assumed to have any prior knowledge of environmental hazards. Current or prior occupational experience in emergency management or related industry may be an acceptable prerequisite. Please seek advice from the Course Coordinator if unsure. 

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

GEOS3106

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

Students are expected to attend ALL lectures and practicals except for "optional" practical sessions.

There is a 4-hour site visit around week 10. More information on the visit will be provided to students closer to the date.

Aims and outcomes

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 worksheets and role play

• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Written

Category

Participation/ Student contribution, Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

15%

Due date

Worksheet 1: 16:00 3/04/2025

Worksheet 2: 16:00 10/04/2025

Worksheet 3: 16:00 1/05/2025

Worksheet 4: 16:00 8/05/2025

Roleplay: 15/05/2025 - 22/05/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Download the worksheets from Blackboard, answer all the questions, then submit electronically on Blackboard.

Role-play activity: Attend two practicals in week 10 + 11/12 in-person

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). 

Risk assessment report

• Team or group-based

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

20%

Due date

1/05/2025 4:00 pm

Other conditions

Peer assessed.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

This group report should be submitted electronically via Turnitin on Blackboard (1 submission per group)

Each student can submit an anonymous peer assessment form, also via Blackboard, by the due date. The form can be downloaded from Blackboard. Submission of peer assessment is optional.

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 progress in hazard geography

Mode

Oral

Category

Essay/ Critique, Presentation

Weight

15%

Due date

22/05/2025 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

The video (PowerPoint slides by screen sharing + voice-over + webcam) can be created using Zoom. Submit your video on Padlet AND a submission form via Blackboard. 

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

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

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 not available for some items in this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3 you may be eligible for supplementary assessment.

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

Supplementary assessment is not available if you have failed the practical component of this course. The learning objects of the laboratory components are demonstrated throughout the semester and it is not possible to validly reassess these learning objectives in the supplementary assessment period.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment. If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

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.

Plagiarism

Evidence of excessive collaboration or plagiarism (including copying) between submitted work will be dealt with according to University Disciplinary Procedures (see http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct).

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. Theﾠmy.UQﾠwebsite and the Course Profile 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 courseﾠmust notﾠbe 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

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

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

Additional learning activity information

A class plan showing all planned activities will be given in Lecture 1. Activities may be swapped, added, or cancelled due to staff availability and other special circumstances. There is also an optional site visit to the State Disaster Coordination Centre around week 10. The visit time/date and logistics will be announced close to the date. This visit may be rescheduled/cancelled at the last minute if the Centre is activated to manage an emergency event.

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.