Overview
For decades society has been grappling with the deleterious impact of the human population on the Earth. How does society move forward in the wake of climate change and the sixth great extinction? How do we turn around the Anthropocene Epoch so that the balance of nature is restored and respected? In this unit, you will immerse yourself in the philosophy of Environmental Ethics and the Rights of Nature. You will explore how Environmental Policy is formulated and influenced and investigate emerging approaches, such as Nature-Based Solutions. In this unit, you will lay a solid theoretical grounding for further studies of the environment and geography and be a policy-ready influencer on graduation.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student feedback.
Scaffold the unit topics into a more cohesive narrative.
Review the unit structure to enhance cohesion and learning design transparency.
- Explain the concepts of Environmental Ethics that underpin environmental policy and stewardship
- Analyse emerging environmental policy processes designed to ameliorate societal environmental angst
- Discuss how applying environmental ethics and policy could ameliorate a recent environmental issue.
The learning outcomes allow BEd(Sec) students to engage with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 9.0 aims for geography and environmental studies.
The School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences staff have discussed accrediting the Bachelor of Environmental Science with the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand. This unit will strengthen any case put forward.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Portfolio - 40% | |||
| 2 - Portfolio - 40% | |||
| 3 - Creative work - 20% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
p.hodge@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Welcome to the Anthropocene
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Mar 2026Module/Topic
A Key Called Biodiversity
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Caring for Country
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Mar 2026Module/Topic
Ethical Reasoning
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 06 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Environmental Ethics
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 13 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Environmental Justice
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 20 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 27 Apr 2026Module/Topic
Environment and health
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 04 May 2026Module/Topic
Arts for the Environment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 11 May 2026Module/Topic
Nature Conservation Practice
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 18 May 2026Module/Topic
Environmental Policy
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 25 May 2026Module/Topic
Complete practice led research project
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 01 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Complete practice led research project
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 08 Jun 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Portfolio
Reflective Portfolio #1 is a consolidated submission of one Microsoft Word file containing knowledge synthesised from the learning activities of weeks one to five of Engaging with the Environment. The unit Moodle website contains a detailed explanation of the reflective and analytical exercises for the relevant week.
Students will be invited to submit their work-in-progress after week 2 for some formative assessment and feedback.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows: Gen AI content can be used to generate ideas and general structures only.
Week 6 Monday (13 Apr 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Submit via the GEOG12023 Moodle site.
Week 8 Monday (4 May 2026)
Marks are apportioned to the degree by which the answers are:
- insightful, well-structured and complete;
- drawn from and illustrate mastery of the unit learning material;
- constructed with argument progression;
- constructed with suitable paragraph and sentence architecture;
- free of referencing, grammar and spelling inconsistencies;
- lacking overly flowery or ‘filling’ language; and
- abide by the word number guidance per answer.
- Explain the concepts of Environmental Ethics that underpin environmental policy and stewardship
2 Portfolio
Reflective Portfolio #2 is a consolidated submission of one Microsoft Word file containing knowledge synthesised from the learning activities of weeks six to ten of Engaging with the Environment. The unit Moodle website contains a detailed explanation of the reflective and analytical exercises for the relevant week.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows: Gen AI content can be used to generate ideas and general structures only.
Week 11 Monday (25 May 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Exam Week Monday (8 June 2026)
Marks are apportioned to the degree by which the answers are:
- insightful, well-structured and complete;
- drawn from and illustrate mastery of the unit learning material;
- constructed with argument progression;
- constructed with suitable paragraph and sentence architecture;
- free of referencing, grammar and spelling inconsistencies;
- lacking overly flowery or ‘filling’ language; and
- abide by the word number guidance per answer.
- Analyse emerging environmental policy processes designed to ameliorate societal environmental angst
3 Creative work
This assessment is a 'practice-led research' exercise that introduces students to an 'environmental humanities' approach to debating society's significant issues. It is well known that creative artworks can sway public opinion and convey important social change agendas more engagingly than written reporting.
Being a creative artefact, the student is free to define how they will creatively explore the application of environmental ethics to an environmental issue of interest. The student will discuss their creative artefact planning with the lecturer before starting the creative work itself to help define the scope of the artefact (given limited time). The artefact could be a poster, a video, a podcast, an ecopoem, a flash creative fiction/nonfiction piece, a cartoon, music or any form of artwork.
The creative artefact will be accompanied by a 500-word mini exegesis explaining its significance to the unit body of knowledge and describing the student's intentions for the piece's communication merit.
Being a student-led creative activity, creative guidance is open-ended.
The unit coordinator will seek to have colleagues of the CQU College of the Arts contribute to a panel commentary on the creative artefacts as part of the feedback to students.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows: Gen AI content can be used to generate ideas and general structures only.
Exam Week Monday (8 June 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Vacation/Exam Week Friday (19 June 2026)
Marks are apportioned to the degree by which the creative artefact:
- insightfully reflects the learning material of the unit;
- imparts a reflective response on an observer or reader; and
- exhibits mastery of the chosen practice-led creative activity.
- Discuss how applying environmental ethics and policy could ameliorate a recent environmental issue.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
