Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
for Courses Numbered 5000 and Higher
Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.
Submission guidelines are posted to the GCC Web site: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/gcc/index.cfm
1. Course prefix and number:
3. Requested action:
X
PLAN 6250 Advanced
Environmental Impact
Analysis
2. Date:
October 18, 2013
New Course
Revision of Active Course
Revision & Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of an Existing Course from
from
to
#
Required
X
#
Elective
4. Method(s) of delivery (check all boxes that apply for both current/proposed and expected
future delivery methods within the next three years):
Current or
Proposed Delivery
Method(s):
X
On-campus (face to face)
Expected
Future Delivery
Method(s):
X
Distance Course (face to face off campus)
Online (delivery of 50% or more of the instruction is offered online)
5. Justification. Identify the committee or group (e.g., Graduate faculty of the Department of
English) that conducted the assessment of curriculum and student learning. Explain why the
unit wishes to offer or revise the course. Include specific results from the unit assessment that
led to the development or modification of the course. If applicable, cite any accrediting
agency/ies and reference the specific standard/s. Indicate the graduate faculty of your unit have
reviewed and approved this proposal.
The need to understand and be able to undertake interdisciplinary environmental impact analysis is
increasing within geography, planning and other fields. Given the new name of the department:
“Department of Geography, Planning, and Environment”, this course cuts across all three areas and
directly addresses two of our student learning outcomes: Awareness of interactions between social
and physical phenomena and understanding of geographic patterns. Both of these learning outcomes
have not been sufficiently met by our Masters students according to assessment data. For the
former, environmental analysis is an important field within geography and planning. For the latter,
the course will provide opportunities to undertake research using both primary and secondary data.
We have courses that allow students to address issues from an interdisciplinary perspective, but
there is no course that focuses specifically on the various methodologies for carrying out such
analyses. Further, this course has direct application to employment in an environmental and/or
planning career. This course has been approved by our graduate faculty.
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
6. Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:
PLAN 6250 – Advanced Environmental Impact Analysis
3 Same as GEOG 6250
C: GEOG 6251. Theory and techniques of environmental analysis. Environmental impact
statements: what they are, how they came into being, their role in environmental decision making.
7. If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:
8. Course credit:
Lecture Hours
3
3
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
Lab
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Studio
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Practicum
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Internship
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study) Please explain.
s.h.
3
Total Credit Hours
9. Anticipated annual student enrollment:
8
10. Changes in degree hours of your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
None
11. Affected degrees or academic programs, other than your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
None
12. Overlapping or duplication with affected units or programs:
Not applicable
of notification to the affected academic degree programs is
X Documentation
attached.
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
s.h.
s.h.
13. Council for Teacher Education (CTE) approval (for courses affecting teacher education):
X Not applicable
Applicable and CTE has given their approval.
14. Service Learning Committee (SLC) approval:
X Not applicable
Applicable and SLC has given their approval.
15. Statements of support:
a. Staff
X Current staff is adequate
Additional staff is needed (describe needs in the box below):
b. Facilities
X Current facilities are adequate
Additional facilities are needed (describe needs in the box below):
c. Library
X
Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an
estimate for the cost of acquisition of required initial resources):
d. Unit computer resources
X
Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition):
e. ITCS resources
X
ITCS resources are not needed
The following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Software
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached
16. Course information (see: Graduate Curriculum and Program Development Manual for
instructions):
a. Textbook(s) and/or readings: author(s), name, publication date, publisher, and
city/state/country. Include ISBN (when applicable).
Readings:
The National Environmental Policy Act
(http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/laws_and_executive_orders/the_nepa_statute.html)
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
Benson, M.H. and A.S. Garmestani. 2011. Embracing panarchy, building resilience and
integrating adaptive management through a rebirth of the National Environmental Policy Act.
Journal of Environmental Management 92(5): 1420-1427.
Council on Environmental Quality. 1986. Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions
of NEPA, 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508
Mandelker, D.R. 2010. National Environmental Policy Act: a review of its experience and
problems. Washington University Journal of Law and Policy 32: 293-312.
Tzoumis, K. 2007. Comparing the quality of draft environmental impact statements by agencies in
the United States since 1998 to 2004. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 27: 26-49.
Slotterback, C.S. 2009. Scoping implementation in National Environmental Policy Act processes in
US transportation agencies. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 14(2): 8390.
Cashmore, M., A. Bond, and D. Cobb. 2007.The contribution of environmental assessment to
sustainable development: toward a richer empirical understanding. Environmental Management
40: 516-530.
Salk, M.S., V.R. Tolbert, and J.A. Dickerman. 1999. Guidelines and techniques for improving the
NEPA process. Environmental Management 23(4): 467-476.
Lawrence, David P. 2007. Impact significance determination – designing an approach.
Environmental Impact Assessment Review 27: 730-754.
Wood, G. 2008. Thresholds and criteria for evaluating and communicating impact significance in
environmental statements: ’See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’? Environmental Impact
Assessment Review 28: 22-38.
Eccleston, C.H. 2010. Assessing cumulative significance of greenhouse gas emissions: resolving the
paradox—the Sphinx Solution. Environmental Practice 12(2): 105-115.
O’Faircheallaigh, C. 2009. Effectiveness in social impact assessment: Aboriginal peoples and
resource development in Australia. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 27(2): 95-110.
Bjorkland, Ronald. 2013. Monitoring: the missing piece: a critique of NEPA monitoring.
Environmental Impact Assessment Review 43 (November): 129-134.
Ma, Z., D.R. Becker and M.A. Kilgore. 2009. Characterising the landscape of state environmental
review policies and procedures in the United States: a national assessment. Journal of
Environmental Planning and Management 52(8):1035-1051.
b. Course objectives for the course (student – centered, behavioral focus)
If this is a 5000-level course that is populated by undergraduate and graduate students,
there must be differentiation in the learning objectives expected.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1.
2.
Prepare interdisciplinary environmental analyses
Identify proposed actions that require environmental impact analysis
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
3.
4.
5.
6.
Identify and collect appropriate data to carry out an environmental impact analysis
Differentiate the appropriate interdisciplinary methods for analysis of a project
Evaluate the environmental impact of a project
Evaluate the role of environmental impact analysis in both public and private planning
contexts.
c. Course topic outline
The list of topics should reflect the stated objectives.
Introduction; the National Environmental Policy Act and EISs
Regulations for EIS preparation
Evaluating EIS Adequacy
Steps in the process – an overview
Screening and Scoping; Determining appropriate alternatives
Interdisciplinary and Multi-disciplinary Science
Data needs for environmental impact analysis
Methods of Impact Analysis
Cumulative Impact Assessment
Social Impact Assessment
Environmental justice and environmental impact analysis
Public participation
Monitoring
d. List of course assignments, weighting of each assignment, and grading/evaluation system
for determining a grade
Exam
EIS critique
25%
25%
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
EIS presentation
Written EIS
Class Participation
10%
30%
10%
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
F = Below 70
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013