UXH430 Planning Theory and Ethics
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | UXH430 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | 192 Credit Points of completed study |
| Equivalent(s): | UDB473 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $1,164 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,356 |
| International unit fee | $4,896 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2025, Gardens Point, Internal
| Unit code: | UXH430 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | 192 Credit Points of completed study |
| Equivalent: | UDB473 |
| Coordinator: | Douglas Baker | d2.baker@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This is a foundational theory and ethics unit that prepares students for planning practice and the dilemmas they will face as a professional. The substantive and procedural theories that inform how and why we plan provides a bases to justify planning in private and public practice. An appreciation of diverse views and disciplinary insights that are reflected in alternative theories of planning assists students to be able to articulate their own personal philosophy of planning and the importance of ethical behaviour and codes in professional practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Critically reflect on and apply theoretical, cultural and ethical perspectives.
- Reflect on the importance and application of ethical behaviour in professional practice.
- Evaluate the relevance of planning theory to planning practice and the purpose of planning.
- Synthesise a variety of sources in the literature to support your arguments to justify planning intervention.
- Communicate persuasively for the application of ethics in planning practice.
Content
- The importance of planning theory - an investigation of the application of theory to planning and why it is relevant. The section will cover the language of theory, the history of planning theory, and the relationship of theory to practice. A brief overview of the origin and nature of property rights and an explanation of the range of instruments available to society to achieve its goals for the use and development of resources is presented.
- Ethics, Planning Values and Practice - connects theory to practice and emphasises the importance of ethical theory. As foundations to good planning practice we will cover deontology, teleology, and codes of ethics.
- Classic and Contemporary Theories of Planning - provides a sampling of the dominant procedural theories in planning (such as synoptic, transactive and mixed scanning). In addition emergent theories such as network theory and splintering urbanism will be introduced.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs student directed and student led learning approaches and active learning to explore the historical and contemporary theories of planning, link the relationship of theory to practice, define the role of ethics in planning practice and assist you in developing your own conceptual and ethical foundation for planning practice.
Your participation in the unit will include:
• 2 hours of formal and participative lectures and a 1 hour tutoral per week.
Learning approches will include:
• Independent engagement with online learning resources
• Attendance at weekly lectures, including guest lectures to provide an introduction to importance of planning theory, ethics, planning values and practice, and classic and contemporary theories of planning
• Participation in weekly workshops that provide you with opportunties to engage in socratic discussion, debate key theories and their application and engage with hypothetical contexts and role plays
• Student-led seminars and mini-presentations
• Guest lecturers.
You are also expected to engage in extensive reading, reflection, discussion and debate.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Self-Feedback:
Development of evaluation criteria for the assessment of the Seminar. Students are encouraged to weight assessment criteria for the final Seminar and defend their weighting with each other.
Peer feedback:
Formulation of Talent Panels to provide peer feedbacks of organisation and presentation skills.
Adaptive feedback:
Evaluation of in class talks "1 minute" talks by Talent Panels.
Expert feedback:
A professional Panel is developed in Week 9 to provide students feedback and an overview of ethical challenges in professional planning. Lawyers, consultants and directors of firms are invited to provide reflection on the role of ethics in their career. Students participate in the panel session with direction interaction and questions with the panel.
Teacher feedback:
Feedback on assessment items and opportunities to schedule individual consultations.
Assessment
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Timed online assessment
Timed online assessment
Description: Sets tasks/questions/problems completed in a pre-determined, restricted time span online as summative assessment that set sets short answers to questions relating to readings and lecture topics outlined in Weeks 1-6. The content of the first 6 weeks of class from the readings and lectures will frame the remainder of the class and the readings frame critical concepts in the literature and profession necessary for students to develop their own analytical skills in this field.
Criteria: questions cover the knowledge of theory and ethics that is covered in the prescribed readings. It prepares the students for the following assessments and gives feedback to the instructor of how the students are coping with the readings and lectures. The focus of the midterm is for the students to retain critical discipline to evaluate ethical contexts and understand the role of ethics in practice.
Assessment: Timed Online assessment
Midterm exam:
Description: A timed online assessment that consists of 2 questions relating to theory and planning practice. The assessment requires synthesizing the readings and current planning issues with respect to the application of ethics to planning practice. The students write responses for each of the 2 questions using the current literature and case study examples.
Assessment: Presentation
Seminar Presentation on Ethics in Society:
The seminar is composed of a 30-minute presentation & 10-minute question period. The seminar will be presented using power point (or equivalent software) or overheads. The group is composed of 2 speakers who will speak on a topic who will speak on ethical issues in society, professional ethical codes or a topic on ethics that is approved by the instructor. You will be acting as professional planners presenting to a professional body or a state/national conference. The analytical component of your presentation will be critical to convince your audience that your assessment is well thought out and structured.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Campbell, Scott and Fainstein, Susan (Eds)(2003). Readings in Planning Theory, Second Edition. Blackwell, Cambridge, Mass.
Assigned Readings
Additional assigned readings will be availalble on the unit Canvas site.
Other Resources
Institutional codes of conduct available at:
- Planning Institute of Australia
www.planning.org.au - Canadian Institute of Planning
www.cip-icu.ca /English/members/conduct.htm - American Institute of Certified Planners
www.planning.org/abtaicp/conduct.html - American Institute of Certified Planners/American Planning Association
www.planning.org/abtaicp/ethics.html
You are also required to use the following:
- The unit website on QUT's Canvas
- QUT Library Databases:
- QUT Cite| Write: You can access QUT cite/write online (Free download from QUT library)
Risk Assessment Statement
All commencing SEF students are required to complete the Mandatory Safety Induction
There are no extraordinary risks associated with the classroom/lecture activities in this unit.