4 ECTS credits
120 u studietijd
Aanbieding 1 met studiegidsnummer 4020584FNR voor alle studenten in het 2e semester met een gespecialiseerd master niveau.
Impact assessment, broadly defined as the process of identifying the future consequences of current or planned actions, is an umbrella term encompassing both thematic & process assessments. After its emergence in the wake of the environmental movement in the late 1960s, impact assessment now covers a diverse field of tools & has been applied in a wide range of contexts. The course will provide an introduction on the theory and practice of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) as well as a short reflection on Health Impact Assessment (HIA), and will subsequently focus on the more recent development of sustainability assessment (SA).
First, the course will provide the students with technical knowledge about the context, legislation & requirements of the various impact assessment procedures.
Secondly, the students will be applying impact assessment tools (such as multi-criteria analysis) in practical exercises, focusing on development cooperation projects and programmes.
Thirdly, the students will learn about the functions and use of impact assessment in decision-making processes, which will allow them to understand the multiple interpretations of the effectiveness of impact assessment. The focus will be on development cooperation contexts as well as on the use of impact assessment by international organizations (e.g. the European Commission, the World Bank etc.).
The work forms comprise lectures, seminars (including guests from the field (e.g. Belgian Development Cooperation officials) and practical exercises.
By looking at impact assessment through an interdisciplinary lens, the course aims at putting impact assessment into its broader context, as well as linking this course to the variety of the students’ professional and educational backgrounds.
Course material
Course text (Required): All power point slides used will be made available and should be complemented with individual notes.
Selected scientific articles from the following journals will be made available: Impact Assessment & Project Appraisal, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management.
Recommended handbook: Sustainability assessment: pluralism, practice and progress. Bond, A., Morrison-Saunders, A. & Howitt, R. 2012. Routledge.
Databases from the World Bank and from the KLIMOS Policy Research Platform will be used on an ad hoc basis.
This course explicitly contributes to the following competences of the curriculum
(as defined by the Biology Department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel):
General:
Field specific:
The course objectives are not targeted to one particular discipline, but encourage an interdisciplinary approach to impact assessment, which consists of both technical and socio-political components.
De beoordeling bestaat uit volgende opdrachtcategorieën:
Examen Mondeling bepaalt 40% van het eindcijfer
Examen Schriftelijk bepaalt 40% van het eindcijfer
Examen Praktijk bepaalt 20% van het eindcijfer
Binnen de categorie Examen Mondeling dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
Binnen de categorie Examen Schriftelijk dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
Binnen de categorie Examen Praktijk dient men volgende opdrachten af te werken:
The final grade is based on the following categories:
The practical assignment will consist of a case study (including an analysis of an impact assessment process & the application of impact assessment tools).
Deze aanbieding maakt deel uit van de volgende studieplannen:
Master of Biology: Human Ecology (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)
Master of Biology: AR Human Ecology 60 ECTS (enkel aangeboden in het Engels)