Undergraduate Course: Natural Resource Management (ECSC09002)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is intended for students interested in the policies and management of the natural environment and its resources. However, the transferable nature of the skills elements involved may make this course attractive to other students wishing to pursue a career in government agencies or consultancy.
It is a practically orientated course and provides students with a basic toolkit of quantitative and qualitative techniques used in resource planning and analysis, together with case studies with which to gain experience of their application. Students will also gain some knowledge of European Union directives affecting the environment, as well as approaches to policy evaluation. |
| Course description |
Week 1 Introduction
Weeks 1-5 Natural Resource Use, Valuation and Appraisal
Weeks 5-9 Current Natural Resource Policy Issues
Weeks 6-11 Natural Resource Policy Evaluation and Planning
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 22,
Fieldwork Hours 3,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
128 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment details
Written Exam: 50%, Course Work: 50 %.
The degree examination will be held in December. Students are expected to answer 4 questions from a choice of 6. Intermittent course assessment comprises of 2 pieces of work; an individual self-determined resource management report of no more than 1500 words (25%) and a group case study report (25%) based on a real-life commercial operation.
Assessment deadlines
The resource management report proposal must be submitted via Learn before noon on September 26th 2016 and submission of the final report must be before noon on 31st October 2016.
The case visit is scheduled for 13th October with submission of the final group report by noon 14th November. A case seminar will follow on 24th November at which student groups will present their findings and recommendations.
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| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided for the self-determined resource management report giving guidance on suitability, direction and scope of the enquiry. The submitted report itself will be commented on and marked electronically.
For the case management report, a seminar will be held with commercial managers who will respond to the analysis and interpretation of the business propositions made by the various student groups. Electronic submissions will also attract extensive comments which can be accessed online.
Finally, student exam scripts (duly annotated) will be available for inspection and discussion with the course organiser in an organised feedback session during the early parts of semester 2. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Natural Resource Management | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Appreciate the drivers for the formation of policies relating to natural resource use and issues with their implementation.
- Assess the value of market and non-market costs and benefits of natural resources and appreciate the assumprions made.
- Understand and be able to apply cost benefit analysis in environmental projects
- Construct and execute optimisation models in resource allocation problems and use multicriteria decision support techniques.
- Appreciate the challenges and potential solutions to current natural resource management problems.
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Reading List
Edwards-Jones, G., Davies, B. & Hussain, S.S. (2000) Ecological Economics; An introduction Blackwell Science (Chs 9, 10, 12, 14)
Kula, E. (1992) Economics of natural resources and the environment , Chapman & Hall, London Chs 2, 3, 4
Hanley, N. & Spash, C.L. (1993). Cost Benefit Analysis and the Environment, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Panayotou, T. (1998) Instruments of Change; Motivating and Financing Sustainable Development, Earthscan, London, Chs 2, 3, 4 & 7
Parnell, D.J. (1997) Introduction to Practical Linear Programming ,Wiley ,New York
Winston W.L. (1995) Introduction to Mathematical Programming. 2nd Ed. Duxbury ,Belmont Calif. Chs 3,4,5,6
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will gain experience in developing and communicating short, focused management reports. Their analytical and interpretative skills will be enhanced, as will their ability to research and present relevant resource related literature.
Problem solving and group work is a key component of the student experience, and in parallel to the experience gained in decision support methods, students will become more proficient in spreadsheet use. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Two 2.5 hour lecture/practical session per week |
| Keywords | ECSC09002 NRM |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Peter Alexander
Tel: (0131 6)50 9090
Email: Peter.Alexander@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Eilein Fraser
Tel: (0131 6)50 5430
Email: Eilein.Fraser@ed.ac.uk |
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