This intermediate course provides an overview of current leading practice of SIA in industry and that is consistent with IAIA’s International Principles for Social Impact Assessment. We address current issues and topics that are relevant to the business of managing of social impacts of planned interventions. The trainers include a person with considerable consulting experience in industry and a leading academic in the field of SIA. The course goes well beyond traditional approaches which saw SIA as only occurring in project settings driven by a legislative framework. In the understanding being advanced, SIA is much more than the ex-ante prediction of social impacts, it is the process of managing the social issues and a mechanism to ensure beneficial outcomes are achieved. Specific course objectives are to: increase awareness of new developments in SIA thinking and practice; create awareness of the benefits to proponents of seeing SIA as a process of engagement rather than being limited to a point-in-time assessment; strengthen understandings of the social nature of impacts on communities; build practical knowledge in how to conduct an SIA; increase ability to critically evaluate an SIA; Increase awareness of approaches to ensure SIA commitments are implemented; provide tools to realise the potential of proponents to contribute to longer term sustainability outcomes; and increase comprehension of the ethical, human rights and legal issues in SIA practice. The course provides frameworks and tools to consider issues such as social impact management plans, sustainable livelihoods, human rights, gender, free, prior and informed consent, agreement-making with Indigenous peoples, cumulative impacts, social investment partnerships, grievance mechanisms, and highlights emerging trends.

The program is available for part-time study. The postgraduate certificate requires three 4 credit point units (HGEO802 SIA and Cross-Cultural Negotiation (Feb-Jun); HGEO812 Urban SIA (Aug-Nov) and HGEO810 Human Geography Research A (available semester 1 or 2). The postgraduate diploma requires six 4 credit point units, the three listed above and a further three from a range of electives that includes units in Human Geography, Environmental Studies and Anthropology. The program is available in as an internal program taught on Macquarie University’s beautiful campus in Sydney, Australia, or can be studied in fully online mode for students unable to attend classes in Sydney. Website: PGDip = http://www.handbook.mq.edu.au/2012/DegreesDiplomas/PGDiploma/Postgraduate+Diploma+of+Social+Impact+Assessment PGCert = http://www.handbook.mq.edu.au/2012/DegreesDiplomas/PGCertificate/Postgraduate+Certificate+of+Social+Impact+Assessment For international students, the program’s availability in part-time study mode only means that it is not possible to meet the Australian visa requirements for a student visa to study on-campus as the student visa is available only for full-time study programs. It is possible, however, for international students to study the program in distance mode, relying on delivery using the Internet. Applications for enrolment in this way need to be completed via the Macquarie International website: http://www.international.mq.edu.au/applications The program is fee-based. Program classifications and information on fees is available at http://www.international.mq.edu.au/study/courselist_index.aspx?CourseLevelID=2&StudyOptionID=1&mi=831. This is the best website for international applicants to look at in the first instance. Fees for external are the same as the fees for students attending classes on campus.

IMPACT, University of Liverpool, UK, intends to run the next Introduction to HIA online course from November 28th 2011. This participatory and synchronous course is the equivalent of a one day face to face introductory course. Potential delegates should contact h.a.dreaves@liv.ac.uk or impact@liv.ac.uk in the first instance for further information