Syllabus academic year 2009/2010
(Created 2009-08-11.)
ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS STUDIES: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTFMI085

Higher education credits: 15. Grading scale: TH. Level: A (Second level). Language of instruction: The course will be given in Swedish. Optional for: L4fr, L4su, RH4, V4at, W4, W4ma. Course coordinator: Charlotte Malmgren, charlotte.malmgren@miljo.lth.se, Miljö- och energisystem. Prerequisites: One of the courses GEMF01, FMI031, FMI065, or VTVA05. Recommended prerequisits: Minimum 130 credits within the program. Assessment: Continuous assessment of the student’s work is made during exercises, seminars, discussions, and presentations, as well as in a written paper, discussed at the final seminar. For the paper to be graded, the course director should have been able to follow the working process. Participation in seminars, presentations and study visits is mandatory. The final grade is based half on the individual paper and seminar and half on the Environmental Impact Assessment group report with and individual quality assessment. Home page: http://www.miljo.lth.se.

Aim
The general aim of the course is that students should acquire knowledge about the use of Environmental Impact Assessment in planning and decision-making, that they should be stimulated to discuss the possibilities and limitations of Environmental Impact Assessment, and that they should be trained in critical thinking, identifying and defining a problem and writing reports and papers.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must

Contents
The course highlights how Environmental Impact Assessment has developed and is used in Sweden as a tool to provide the general public and decision makers with a preliminary assessment of probable effects on health, environment and society of alternative actions, related to decisions regarding legislation, aims/policy, programmes and projects/activities.

The course discusses the prerequisites and forms for using Environmental Impact Assessment of effects from projects, EIA in the Swedish planning and decision-making system. The course also deals with assessment of environmental effects of certain plans and programmes: Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

The instruction consists of lectures, seminars, simulation, role-play, practical exercises in Environmental Impact Assessment and quality control, the writing of a paper, study visits/field work. Part of the course content is discussed at literature seminars. By taking part in the completion of an Environmental Impact Assessment, the course participants are trained in the use of different methods. The individual paper comprises the application of EIA/SEA-related issues to deepen the knowledge within a more restricted field.

Literature
Cherp, A: Environmental assessment and environmental review. 2005 (compendium).
Glasson, J, Therivel, R, Chadwick A: Introduction to environmental impact assessment. Routledge 2005 (3rd edition).
Hedlund, A & Kjellander, C: MKB – introduktion till miljökonsekvensbeskrivning. Studentlitteratur 2007.
Miljöbedömningar för planer enligt plan- och bygglagen – en vägledning. Boverket 2006.
Wallentinus, H-G (red.): MKB. perspektiv på miljökonekvensbeskrivning. Lund: Studentlitteratur 2007.
Articles and reports.
The literature list is established each year. Due to the rapid development within the field, this list, valid this year, can be subject to changes.