DRRE401-22X (C) General non-calendar-based 2022

Introduction to Disaster Risk and Resilience

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 21 February 2022
End Date: Sunday, 24 April 2022
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 6 March 2022
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 10 April 2022

Description

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.

Learning Outcomes

  • Students successfully completing DRRE 401 will:

  • Have a clear understanding of the basic terminology used in disaster research contexts, particularly “hazard”, “risk,” 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 strategies

    Course 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.

      • University Graduate Attributes

      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.

      Biculturally competent and confident

      Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.

      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.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Programme Director

Restrictions

HAZM401

Timetable Note

The course comprises 6 weeks of classes, with two 2-hour sessions per week during the first half of Semester 1 (Term 1). A 4-day field trip to the West Coast (April 5-8) which pulls together and applies lecture content from throughout the seminar sessions completes the course. Locations include Harihari and Franz Josef.

Course Coordinator

Sarah Beaven

Lecturers

Tom Wilson , Tom Robinson and Kristie-Lee Thomas

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Assignment 1 08 Mar 2022 20% Risk assessment exercise
Assignment 2 20 Mar 2022 30% Why are disaster losses rising?
Assignment 3 25 Apr 2022 50% Franz Josef resilience report


Note: there is no final examination for this subject.

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

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.

There are a vast number of text books and other literature in this subject area; the recommended texts are only a sample. Mileti’s book is now aged but still relevant.

Resources – ISO/NZ 31000 Risk Management
– Readings for each module: to be advised.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,084.00

* 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.

Minimum enrolments

This course will not be offered if fewer than 5 people apply to enrol.

For further information see School of Earth and Environment .

All DRRE401 Occurrences

  • DRRE401-22X (C) General non-calendar-based 2022
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