Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Law School
This course is a critical examination and analysis of the legal, social and political contexts of environmental law in Australia. The course seeks to develop students' knowledge of environmental laws, and ability to solve complex legal problems and critically evaluate the effectiveness of environmental laws.
In the context of escalating climate and biodiversity crises, environmental law is an important tool which can be used protect humans, species and landscapes from the most severe impacts. Environmental law as a standalone discipline has developed over the past 50 years, with the result being a complex array of laws and policies at the international, national, state and local levels. This body of law is constantly evolving in response to scientific, social and political imperatives, and continues to impact on and intersect with other areas of law, including corporate law, administrative law, and tort.
No single course can cover all environmental laws, so the purpose of this course is to provide a broad overview of the legal landscape, with reference to detailed and specific examples. Students will learn the key principles underpinning environmental law and the primary mechanisms for regulating the environment, allowing them to understand and adapt to changes of law. The focus of the course will be domestic environmental law, with particular reference to Queensland and Federal laws. In particular, students will learn about environmental impact assessment, challenging decisions made under environmental laws, environmental regulation, compliance and enforcement, and climate change laws and policies.
Course requirements
Assumed background
There are no strict prerequisites, however the course ﾠdoes cover concepts of international law, constitutional lawﾠ and administrative law, so having completed these courses will be helpful. Those who have not completedﾠ courses in these areas may require additional reading to grasp these concepts.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
All Level 1 LAWS courses
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
LAWS7134 or 7334
Restrictions
LLB(Hons) and LLB(Hons) dual programs
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Tutor
Ms Rose Foster
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
Teaching Mission Statement
The mission of the TC Beirne School of Law is to educate students in and about the law. We seek to assist you to think critically about the law and to investigate its structures, principles, policies, and values. This is achieved by engaging with you as fellow investigators in a range of critical and intellectual conversations about the law and its place in society. Our role is thus to guide you in your own intellectual journey in the law and to equip you with the necessary skills that will enable you to continue that journey long after you have left the School.
Course Aims
The overall aim of this course is to introduce students to environmental laws in Australia, with reference to the international context. It also aims to provide students with an opportunity to apply environmental laws to practical contexts, and assess and critically analyse environmental laws.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the principles that underpin environmental law in Australia.
LO2.
Reflect on and engage in critical analysis of environmental law issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
LO3.
Communicate to suit different contexts/audiences and in different forms.
LO4.
Identify issues and explore solutions to theoretical and practical questions arising from the study of environmental laws at the Commonwealth and Queensland levels.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection |
Post-seminar Exercises
|
60% |
Week Two exercise 12/03/2025 11:00 am Week Three exercise 19/03/2025 11:00 am Week Four exercise 26/03/2025 11:00 am Week Five exercise 2/04/2025 11:00 am Week Six exercise 9/04/2025 11:00 am Week Seven exercise 16/04/2025 11:00 am Week Nine exercise 7/05/2025 11:00 am Week Ten exercise 14/05/2025 11:00 am Week Eleven exercise 21/05/2025 11:00 am Week Twelve exercise 28/05/2025 11:00 am |
| Presentation |
Group Presentation and Individual Reflection
|
40% |
26/05/2025
A google sign-on sheet will be circulated during the semester, groups will need to select a time on the sheet to present. |
Assessment details
Post-seminar Exercises
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
Week Two exercise 12/03/2025 11:00 am
Week Three exercise 19/03/2025 11:00 am
Week Four exercise 26/03/2025 11:00 am
Week Five exercise 2/04/2025 11:00 am
Week Six exercise 9/04/2025 11:00 am
Week Seven exercise 16/04/2025 11:00 am
Week Nine exercise 7/05/2025 11:00 am
Week Ten exercise 14/05/2025 11:00 am
Week Eleven exercise 21/05/2025 11:00 am
Week Twelve exercise 28/05/2025 11:00 am
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
At the conclusion of each week’s seminar a post-seminar exercise will be released. Note that there are no seminars in week 1, 8 and 13, and therefore no exercise will be released in those weeks.
The exercises will be a mix of reflective essays, problem solutions, and skills exercises.
Each post-seminar exercise builds on that week’s seminar and will prompt you to reflect on seminar content, an issue discussed in class, or use a problem-solving approach or skill practiced in class.
Length
Your response to each exercise will be 1 – 2 pages maximum. This must be in Times New Roman font, size 12, with 2cm margins.
Due date
Each response must be submitted by 11am Wednesday in the week following its release (eg the task released in Week 2 is due 11am Wednesday Week 3).
Choice of post-seminar exercises
Post-seminar exercises will be released in weeks 2-7 and 9-12 (10 in total). You can only submit a maximum of 6 tasks in total (worth a maximum 10 marks each).
AI policy
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct Policy.
Submission guidelines
Assignments must be submitted electronically in a Word document via both Learn.UQ and Turnitin on the course Blackboard site.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Given the ability to choose which weeks to submit work, extension requests will generally not be considered unless there are exceptional circumstances.
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.
Penalties for Late Submission
The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved, and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).
First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof) - 10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.
More than 7 periods of 24 hours - 100%.
Group Presentation and Individual Reflection
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
26/05/2025
A google sign-on sheet will be circulated during the semester, groups will need to select a time on the sheet to present.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Step 1: Group presentation 30% (15 mins plus 10 mins Q&A)
By Week Four, you will form a small group (4-5 students) that you will work in for the remainder of the semester, both in seminars and in your final assessment task. You will be given opportunities for group formation during seminars, and you may choose your own members.
Your final assessment task will be a group presentation.
Topic choice
Your group will choose a topic related to any aspect of the course. During the semester we will discuss current environmental laws, but also note areas where the law is inadequate, or is failing to address environmental harms. We will also discuss current and emerging areas of law reform and litigation. This task gives you the opportunity to choose an area of law, conduct research, and present your ideas as to how the law could achieve better environmental outcomes.
You are encouraged to discuss your proposed topic with the Course Coordinator.
Due date
In class, you will be shown how to book a session for your group presentation. Session times will be released for week 13. There may also be some times released for the first week of exam block if required (exact date and time TBC, depending on student enrolment numbers).
Format
Each oral presentation session will be 2 hours, to allow up to 3-4 groups to present. All group members must be present for the session. Your group will be presenting to the course coordinator and a small group of fellow students.
You may use a range of media to support your in-person presentation e.g. PowerPoint, poster, infographic, short video element, handouts.
Group input
All group members must contribute to selecting, developing, researching, and presenting the topic. The oral component of the presentation may be given by a single group member or some/all of the members. However, all group members must be prepared to answer questions during the Q&A component. Every group member will receive the same mark, unless a case is made otherwise. Two assessors will review the presentation (in-person or a recording) to provide moderation of grades.
Resources to support your group work will be provided on the course BlackBoard and discussed in class.
Step 2: Individual reflection 10% (1-2 pages maximum)
On the day of your presentation (i.e. by midnight), you will submit an INDIVIDUAL reflection on your experiences during this task. This will include reflection on your topic choice, your contribution to the work, and the group work process. Further guidance will be provided in class.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct Policy.
Submission guidelines
The presentation will be in person. The reflection must be submitted electronically in a Word document via both Learn.UQ and Turnitin on the course Blackboard site.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
If your group is seriously affected by illness or other extenuating circumstances, please contact the course coordinator as soon as possible to discuss options.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Marks | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 47 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 48 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
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.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 12 |
Lecture |
Lectures The programme of lectures for the course will be set out in detail on the course Blackboard site. Lecture Topics are:
Learning outcomes: L01 |
Multiple weeks From Week 2 To Week 12 |
Seminar |
Seminars The seminar topics are available from the course Blackboard site. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04 |
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.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: