RDS-90406 Natural Hazards and Disasters

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch or English

Contents:

Brief course outline
Disasters caused by natural hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, famines and the like have an increasing influence on human societies during the 21st century. Their occurrence and the damage they bring about are largely effected by the way societies are organized, including global ecological changes, local land use patterns and the many factors that make people vulnerable to disaster. The course sets out to explore interfaces between natural hazard and society. It concerns causes, preparedness and responses to disaster from different social domains, including local communities, science and governance structures.

Aims:

- to become familiar with the prevailing theories, basic concepts, typology, and epidemiology of natural hazards and related disasters;
- to understand the importance of local coping mechanisms and capacities;
- to gain insight into disaster management and prevailing policies at local, national and international levels, both governmental and non-governmental;
- to expand personal skills by designing and presenting a poster.

For further information on the course particulars, please consult www.sls.wau.nl/disasterstudies, send an e-mail to disaster.studies@wur.nl or ring 0317-482472.

Activities:

Students are required to attend lectures, read the prescribed literature in advance of the sessions, submit a question regarding each week's literature and actively engage in discussion. Students are also expected to prepare a poster for presentation in the last lecture.

Examination:

A written exam concludes the course. The final mark comprises the results of the examination and the poster presentation.

Literature:

The literature will be made available in the form of a reader obtainable at the commencement of the course through Disaster Studies.