Geography 3402: Natural
Hazards Spring 2008
Tue and Thur,
8-9:15, HUMN 1B80
Prof: Bill
Travis, Rm. 102C Guggenheim/Geography
Off hrs: Tue. 9:30-11 and
Wed. 12-2 and by appointment.
TA: Kevin
Sharp, Guggenheim/Geography Rm. 312
Off Hrs: Tue 12:55-1:55 and
3:20-3:50 pm, Thur 10:50-11:20 am, and by appointment.
Introduction: This class examines the interaction of society and natural extremes,
with particular attention to human vulnerability, preparedness, mitigation, and
recovery from natural disasters. We treat the subject as both an academic field
of inquiry that provides insight into the structure of society, human behavior,
and our relationship with nature, and as a professional field in which students
learn methods and skills that can be applied to hazards management. While we
will briefly cover the physical science of hazards like hurricanes, floods, and
earthquakes, the focus is on human geography: how people and institutions
perceive and respond to hazards and how development in hazardous areas
increases risk. Given the time, we may also briefly examine technological hazards and disasters.
Class Structure: This is primarily a lecture class, with exercises and exams. The
material is in four main categories: (1) overview/concepts, including notions
of human vulnerability, trends in hazard impacts, and ways to measure and
characterize hazards and risks; (2) specific hazards like hurricanes, floods
and earthquakes; (3) hazard impact reduction, including warning systems; land
use; insurance; planning and recovery; and (4) special topics such as specific
events in the news and technological hazards.
Text:
Keith Smith (2004) Environmental
Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster (4th Ed.) Routledge.
Plus material from the web
and occasional readings downloaded from this site, as noted on the syllabus.
Teaching/Learning Methods and Goals: The class
material from text and readings will be laid out in lectures and in-class
discussion, and backed up by lecture notes on the Web (these notes may also
convey material not in the text or readings).
Lectures will be linked to sections of the texts and additional readings
to which you will be directed in the syllabus. To master the material: attend
class, take notes, ask questions and take part in discussions, and correlate
your notes with those posted on the website. Three non-cumulative exams (two in
class and one final) will test your knowledge of the material, for 60% of the
final grade. You will also prepare four take-home written exercises, for 40% of
the final grade. The exercise instructions and (data if needed) will be posted
on the website. While you may certainly consult with fellow students on these
exercises, but be sure to answer the questions with your own calculations and
in your own words. Initial grade breaks will be in 10% increments (e.g.,
90-100% = A; 80-89% = B, with pluses and minuses).
Class Schedule:
Jan. 15: Introduction to
natural hazards and disasters
Jan. 17: Hazards concepts (Smith
Chap. 1)
Jan. 22: continue: Hazards
concepts.
Jan. 24: Measuring and
characterizing hazards and disasters (Chap 2).
Jan. 29: Continue both Chap. 2 and
Jan. 31: Assessing and defining “Risk” (Chap. 3: pp.
36-40)
Feb. 5: Extreme event analysis: the statistics of
rare events (Chap. 3: pp. 40-44).
Introduce: Exercise
1: Magnitude and Frequency of Natural Events
Feb. 7: cont., and risk perception and communication
(pp. 44-47).
Feb. 12:
Exercise 1
due.
Feb. 14: Intro to risk management
and hazard reduction (pp. 47-53 of Chap. 3, and Chap 4)
Feb. 19: cont.
Feb. 21: Protection: Macro
and Micro (chap. 4 thru p67)
Feb. 26: Exam 1
Feb. 28: Preparedness, warning systems, and land use (finish Chap. 4)
Mar. 4: Tectonic hazards:
Earthquakes (Chap. 5)
(For more background, see:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ and: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/nehrp.shtm)
Mar.
6: Mitigating Earthquakes hazards
Mar.
11: Tectonic hazards: tsunami
Mar.
13: Tectonic hazards: volcanoes (Chap. 6)
(Background, see: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/)
Mar.
18: Severe Storms: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) (Chap. 8)
(Background
see: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
and choose subject details from the left-hand margin, like:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastprofile.shtml)
Mar.
20: Hurricanes cont.
Introduce: Exercise 2: Assessing and Protecting from the Hurricane Risk
Mar.
25 and 27: Spring Break, no class
Apr.
1: Finish hurricanes and other severe storms
Apr.
3: Intro to Floods (Chap. 10)
Apr.
8:
Apr.
10: Flood cont. Introduce Exercise 3:
Apr.
15: Flood cont.
Apr.
17: Droughts (Chap. 11)
Apr. 22: Hazards of Global Change (Chap. 13: “Context Hazards”).
Introduce: Exercise 3 DUE, Exercise 4 introduced
Apr.
24: A closer look at Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
Apr. 29: Continue
May
1: Last Class
Final exam:
May 7. 10:30 am. Please note
this late final and plan your summer travel accordingly.
The Fine Print:
Our responsibilities to you are to present the material
clearly and in an interesting way, stick to the class schedule (recognizing
that the material may call for some drift, or that student requests for
clarification might alter the schedule slightly at times), to respond to all of
your requests for clarification and further explanation, and to grade you
fairly. Your responsibilities include attending class regularly, taking good
notes, asking questions where needed for clarification, making comments as
appropriate to the material, and behaving in a way that allows other students
to pay attention and take good notes (meaning not talking during class, nor
making loud and disturbing arrivals and departures in mid-lecture). See polices on classroom behavior, academic honesty,
disabilities, and religious observances, at these web sites:
Classroom behavior: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html
Academic honesty: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html
and http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/index.htm
Accommodation for
disabilities: www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices
Campus policy
regarding religious observances: https://webmail.colorado.edu/horde/util/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.colorado.edu%2Fpolicies%2Ffac_relig.html&Horde=6624dd75dfb6b94445f496118ed461f0