4 ECTS credits
120 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4020584FNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
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.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 40% of the final mark.
Written Exam determines 40% of the final mark.
Practical Exam determines 20% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
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).
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biology: Human Ecology
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity
Master of Biology: AR Human Ecology 60 ECTS