Unit Outline
HGA344
Green Criminology and Environmental Crime
Semester 2, 2024
Rashaam Chowdhury
School of Social Sciences
College of Arts, Law and Education
CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

Unit Coordinator
Rashaam Chowdhury
Email: Rashaam.Chowdhury@utas.edu.au
 

What is the Unit About?
Unit Description
Explores the nature of environmental crime and its social regulation. The unit has three main topical concerns: First, to investigate the nature of environmental crime from the point of view of legal, ecological and justice perspectives, with an emphasis on how environmental harm is socially constructed. Second, to investigate the nature of regulatory mechanisms and the social control of environmental crime, by considering issues surrounding law enforcement practices, compliance mechanisms, prosecution, and crime prevention as these pertain to the environment. Third, to investigate the nature of the relationship between changes to specific environments and the criminalisation process, with particular reference to the causes and contexts of environmental crime, the social processes that underpin environmental victimisation and how the law is mobilised in relation to conflicts over environmental issues The unit provides an overview of contemporary developments in green criminology, and in doing so offers a theoretical understanding of key concepts and debates pertaining to environmental crime, and exposure to concrete case studies relating to the regulation of environmental harm.
Intended Learning Outcomes
As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:
1
Outline examples of environmental crime or harm within their specific local, national, or international contexts.
2
Apply key green criminological concepts and theories to explain environmental crime or harm.
3
Critically analyse preventative and regulatory responses to environmental crime and harm.
4
Communicate your ideas clearly in verbal and written form.
Requisites
REQUISITE TYPE
REQUISITES
Pre-requisite
25 credit points at Introductory level or higher
Alterations as a result of student feedback
Based on student feedback from 2023, the weekly readings for the unit have been updated. 
 
 

Teaching arrangements
ATTENDANCE MODE
TEACHING TYPE
LEARNING ACTIVITY
CONTACT HOURS
FREQUENCY
Online
Lecture (Online)
Weekly recorded lectures or equivalent
1.50
Weekly
Tutorial (Online)
Zoom tutorials
1.50
Weekly
Independent Learning
Online discussion forums
1.50
Weekly
Attendance / engagement expectations
If your unit is offered On campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online or includes online activities, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline or MyLO, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.
 
Students must choose at the start of the semester to either attend the weekly Zoom tutorials or participate in the weekly asynchronous activities on the online discussion forum. There are 12 weekly Zoom tutorials or 12 weekly asynchronous discussions in total. Participation marks for the unit will be assessed based on the extent and quality of engagement with unit material within these activities, and it will account for 10% of your overall grade.
 
 

How will I be Assessed?
 
For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.
Assessment schedule
ASSESSMENT TASK #
ASSESSMENT TASK NAME
DATE DUE
WEIGHT
LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:
Blog
Week 3
20 %
LO1, LO4
Assessment Task 2:
Case Study
Week 7
30 %
LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:
Major Essay
Week 13
40 %
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:
Tutorial Participation
Refer to Assessment Description
10 %
LO2, LO4
 
Assessment details
Assessment Task 1: Blog
Task Description:
Online blog entry about mapping environmental crimes, locally, nationally, and internationally.
Task Length:
750 words
Due Date:
Week 3 (09/Aug/2024)
Weight:
20 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Outline examples of environmental crime or harm within their specific local, national, or international contexts.
LO1
2
Communicate clearly to a general audience through a blog post.
LO4
 
Assessment Task 2: Case Study
Task Description:
You will undertake a case study examining key elements of an environmental crime or harm.
Task Length:
1,500 words
Due Date:
Week 7 (13/Sep/2024)
Weight:
30 %
 
 

CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Outline one environmental crime or harm, including contextual information.
LO1
2
Apply key green criminological concepts and theories to explain an environmental crime or harm.
LO2
3
Communicate your ideas clearly using key features of academic writing.
LO4
 
Assessment Task 3: Major Essay
Task Description:
Using relevant theory and concepts, critically analyse issues related to environmental crime or harm and responses aimed at addressing such issues.

Choose one topic from a range of options that will be provided.
Task Length:
2,500 words
Due Date:
Week 13 (25/Oct/2024)
Weight:
40 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Outline an environmental crime or harm related to your chosen topic.
LO1
2
Apply key green criminological concepts and theories to explain the selected environmental crime or harm.
LO2
3
Critically analyse preventative and regulatory responses to the selected environmental crime and harm.
LO3
4
Communicate your ideas clearly using key features of academic writing.
LO4
 
Assessment Task 4: Tutorial Participation
Task Description:
Participation in weekly zoom tutorials or the weekly asynchronous discussion forums
Task Length:
Weekly
Due Date:
Refer to Assessment Description
Weight:
10 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Apply key concepts and theories to explain environmental crime or harm.
LO2
2
Communicate your ideas clearly and persuasively in group discussions.
LO4
 
 
 

How your final result is determined
To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.
Submission of assignments
Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.
Academic integrity
Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see
Important Guidelines & Support.
Requests for extensions
If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.
 
A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.
 
The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.
Late penalties
Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.
Review of results and appeals
You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.
 
 

 
 

Required Resources
Required reading materials
Weekly readings will be available in the UTAS Library Reading List via MyLO.
Many of the readings will be chapters from the textbook: White, R. and Heckenberg, D. (2014) Green Criminology: An Introduction to Environmental Crime, London and New York: Routledge. This textbook is available as an ebook via the UTAS Library.
 
 
 
Recommended reading materials
 
 
Other required resources