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The DRRE401 course provides an introduction to disaster risk and resilience situations, theory and practices. It explores drivers of disaster risk and covers national and international frameworks for disaster risk reduction. The course allows students to undertake natural hazard risk assessments and explore resilience strategies for real life communities in high risk environments (via field trips) and utilises a number of guest lectures from leading international thinkers in this field. The course assumes no background, but progresses to advanced topics throughout the course.
DRRE401 provides an introduction to disaster risk and resilience disciplines, theories and practices. It explores drivers of disaster risk and covers national and international frameworks for disaster risk reduction. The course helps students to develop a broad understanding of the disaster risk management field, and of applications in real-world settings, including the identification of resilience strategies for communities in high-risk environments (via field trips). It utilises a number of guest lectures from leading international thinkers in the field. The course assumes no background but progresses to advanced topics. It is required for MDRR students, but it is also open to students enrolled in other programmes.
Learning outcomes: Students successfully completing DRRE 401 will:Have a clear understanding of the basic terminology used in disaster research contexts, particularly “hazard”, “risk,” “exposure,” “vulnerability” and “disaster”.Have developed a basic understanding of the broad drivers of disaster risk.Understand some of the key challenges associated with disaster risk management and risk governance. Be familiar with case studies from a variety of disaster contexts and potential disaster risk management approaches.Undertake a structured approach to identifying: drivers of disaster risk; potential impacts; and appropriate disaster resilience strategiesCourse Content:The course deals with natural hazard and disaster impacts and risks – what they are, why they occur, why they are increasing and ways in which they might be reduced. The contributions to disasters made by hazard events (e.g. floods, tsunami, volcanic activity, earthquakes) and social/cultural factors (e.g. economics, institutional & governance arrangements, demographics, world-views) are studied. The focus is on the potential to reduce disaster impacts by understanding and negotiating the limitations posed by economic, institutional, social and cultural drivers of disaster risk. Case studies and exercises illustrate the points being made.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.
Employable, innovative and enterprising
Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.
Engaged with the community
Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.
Globally aware
Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.
Subject to approval of the Programme Director
HAZM401
Students must attend one activity from each section.
The course comprises 6 weeks of classes, with two 2-hour sessions per week during the first half of Semester 1 (Term 1). A half day field trip around Christchurch in the first week uses the CES to introduce the cohort to key Disaster Risk Management concepts, while a 2-day field trip to Twizel (8-10 March) pulls together and applies lecture content from seminar sessions. A final exercise introduces risk-based land-use planning.
Sarah Beaven
Tom Wilson , Tom Robinson , Kristie-Lee Thomas and John Hopkins
Note: there is no final examination for this subject.
Kelman, Ilan; Disaster by choice : how our actions turn natural hazards into catastrophes ; 1st ed; Oxford University Press, 2020.
Mileti, Dennis S; Disasters by design : a reassessment of natural hazards in the United States ; Joseph Henry Press, 1999.
Additional Recommended Reading:The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems. Edited by Reinette Biggs, Alta de Vos, Rika Preiser, Hayley Clements , Kristine Maciejewski and Maja Schlüte. Routledge, 2022.
Domestic fee $1,145.00
International Postgraduate fees
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
This course will not be offered if fewer than 5 people apply to enrol.
For further information see School of Earth and Environment .