Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2021 - REM 355 D100

Sustainable Transportation Management (3)

Class Number: 5692

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 8 – Dec 7, 2021: Mon, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 21, 2021
    Tue, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units or permission of instructor.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores trends in the transportation sector according to a resource and environmental management perspective, including air quality and greenhouse gas impacts. The perspective is interdisciplinary, organized around transitions to alternative fuels, efficiency and reduced vehicle use. Skills to be developed include sustainability management, lifecycle analysis and policy analysis.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course explores the sustainability of the transportation sector in Canada and globally, including air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and social impacts. We look at past trends in motor vehicle use and technology development to better understand present and likely future impacts. The course is interdisciplinary by design, drawing from the field of resource management to integrate insights from environmental science, public policy and ecological economics, as well as basic principles from engineering, consumer psychology, and sociology. We consider three categories of transportation transformation (or “three legs of the stool”), including transitions to: low-carbon fuels, more efficient technology, and reduced motor vehicle use. Skills to be developed include understanding and integration of concepts from environment, policy and economics, as well as specific methods such as lifecycle impact analysis and multi-criteria policy evaluation. Applications include the topics of electric mobility, biofuels, hydrogen, automated vehicles, and car-sharing. The objective of the course is to provide a broad understanding of these transportation issues, to develop methods and perspectives to evaluate these issues, and to develop and analyze strategies for improving the sustainability of the transportation sector.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Once you complete this course, you will be able to:

  1. Explain trends in Canada’s transportation sector according to economic, consumer, and cultural perspectives.
  2. Explain the role of the transportation sector in major modern environmental problems in Canada and globally, including climate change and air quality.
  3. Explain the three categories of transportation transformation (vehicles, fuels and travel demand), and identify technologies and practices that can reduce the environmental impacts of each.
  4. Evaluate and compare transportation policies relating to environmental and energy goals.
  5. Apply course concepts to a variety of transportation topics, including alternative fuels, autonomous vehicles, car sharing, freight and urban development.
  6. Develop collaborative, interdisciplinary learning and thinking skills.
  7. Demonstrate the level of respect and organization expected in the workforce.

Grading

  • Participation 15%
  • Assignments 30%
  • In-class Quiz 5%
  • In-class Midterm exam 20%
  • Final exam - comprehensive 30%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Sperling, Daniel (2018). Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future, Island Press, ISBN: 9781610919050
Available from:
Island Press: https://islandpress.org/books/three-revolutions
SFU Bookstore website: http://www.sfu.ca/bookstore/coursematerials
Also on reserve at SFU Library.

A number of online (electronic) readings will be uploaded to the course website, including book chapters, reports and journal articles. The syllabus and website clearly differentiate between required and optional readings (the latter may be useful for the assignment).

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2021

Teaching at SFU in fall 2021 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with approximately 70 to 80 per cent of classes in person/on campus, with safety plans in place.  Whether your course will be in-person or through remote methods will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the fall 2021 term.