ADMREE: Environmental and Resource Economics

Module code: ADMREE

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Sanzidur Rahman, email: sanzidur.rahman@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): Before taking this module, you must have a basic knowledge of microeconomics (Open)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

To provide students with a grounding in resource and environmental economics, that provides them with the basic tools necessary to apply economic principles to real world problems at the intersection of people, the economy, and the natural environment. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Analyse environmental problems from an economics perspective
2. Apply at least one environmental valuation method
3. Put into practice environmental modelling skills
4. Learn some important applied techniques in environmental economics using statistical software and developing basic programming knowledge (e.g. Gretl and Excel Solver)

Module content

Week 1: "Sustainability ethics and the environment", and "Figuring out the basics"

Week 2: "Policy instruments, which, when, why and how" and "Policy instruments, if not a Tax, then what"

Week 3: "International environmental problems, trade, and the environment" and "Seminar 1"

Week 4: "Environmental valuation 1: overview" and "Environmental valuation 2: hedonic pricing"

Week 5: "Environmental valuation 3: contingent valuation" and "Special session to support on assignment - 1"

Week 7: "Non-renewable – optimal extraction and non-renewables (and why are we still burning coal?) - 1" and "Non-renewable – optimal extraction and non-renewables (and why are we still burning coal?) - 2"

Week 8: "Renewable – why do fisheries frequently seem to be badly managed 1?" and "Renewable – why do fisheries frequently seem to be badly managed 2?"

Week 9: "Payment for ecosystem services" and "Staff feedback"

Week 10: "Choice modelling 1" and "Choice modelling 2"

Week 11: "Renewable – forest economics, plantation forests – 1" and "Renewable – forest economics plantation forests – 2"

Week 12: "Special session to support students for assignment - 2" and "Revision"

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching is delivered through a series of 2-hour lecture and seminar sessions complemented with pre-recorded lectures. which will include also opportunities for students to work in groups and discuss specific issues. 

Computer-based exercises help students familiarise themselves with environmental valuation techniques and simple dynamic optimisation. Material from the textbook, academic articles, and grey literature. are used during this module

Study hours

At least 44 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Group discussion within scheduled lecture sessions.

Reassessment

Additional costs