Unit Outline

Antarctica and the Southern Ocean – valued, protected, understood. This mantra was coined originally by the Australian Antarctic Division (the government department with responsibility for Australian activities in the Antarctic) and was also adopted, with modification, by Antarctica New Zealand (New Zealand’s government department). It reflects the vision of these two countries, and the ideological approach they have to their interests in the Antarctic. It is simple, descriptive and informative. It is what this unit is all about. “Protecting Antarctica” integrates the natural and social sciences to give context to contemporary Antarctic environmental issues. Its objective is to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary review of the management and regulation of uses of the continent and surrounding marine environment of the Southern Ocean from the point of view of protecting the natural environment and its values. It includes a series of lectures on geography and environmental sciences, physical sciences, biological sciences, social sciences and humanities. “Protecting Antarctica” incorporates the theme of multiple use management of a globally important region, wherein management involves commercial marine living resource extraction, scientific research, logistics, and tourism and other non-extractive commercial activities. Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are subject to a unique legal regime including an environmental protocol to the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, and this instrument has become the basis upon which all human activity in Antarctica is judged. Completing the unit will equip students from a wide variety of fields with the ability to view the Antarctic from a more holistic perspective. Your new knowledge will assist you to understand the various values of the region, how they – and the areas they apply to – become known, then valued, then protected.

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	Demonstrate a broad understanding of the geographical scope and characteristics of the Antarctic and understand what activities are conducted there that make it vulnerable.
2	Interpret the vulnerabilities of the Antarctic in order to identify options to avoid potentially harmful practices.
3	Analyse a wide range of legal and regulatory instruments that help to manage human use.
4	Critically assess the effectiveness of specific policy and legal approaches to solving human use problems.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	KSA101 OR HIR101 OR HPP101

Alterations as a result of student feedback

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:	Short Answer Questions	See the MyLO site for the due date	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Assignment	Week 8	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Examination	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Short Answer Questions

Task Description:

During Weeks 1-12 of the semester a question will be posted by the unit coordinator in the discussion board section of MyLo. Students will write 3 discussion board postings during weeks 1-6 of the semester and 3 discussion board postings during weeks 7-12 of the semester. Overall, students will therefore write 6 x 500 word discussion board postings in MyLo.

Task Length:

6 x 500 word discussion board postings on MyLo

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Does the discussion board post address the question posed?	LO1, LO2
2	Does the discussion board post take into account the readings?	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Does the discussion board post analyze and assess relevant material	LO1, LO2, LO3
4	Written expression and appropriate referencing	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 2: Assignment

Task Description:

The student will write an assignment based on a topic that is provided by the unit coordinator.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Structure	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	analysis	LO3
3	argument	LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Sources/References	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
5	written expression	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
6	Presentation	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Examination

Task Description:

Examination during the Semester 1 examination period. See MyLo site for details.

Task Length:

2 hours

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Students must score 50% to pass the examination	LO1, LO2, LO3, 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.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

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.