Geography 3402: Natural Hazards Spring 2009
Tue and Thur, 8-9:15, HUMN 1B80
Prof: Bill Travis,
Center for
Science and Technology Policy Research
Off hrs:
Tue. 9:30-11 in Guggenheim/Geography 102C
Wed. 12-2 and by appointment, in 1333
TA: Abby
Hickcox, Guggenheim 311
Tues. and Thurs. 9:30-10:30 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.
Our social science approach differentiates this class from courses on natural
disasters taught as natural science. 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; also
pay close attention to the exercises as each exam will include questions that
draw on the exercises. 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, and
make sure you understand the concepts as they will be tested on the exams.
Initial grade breaks will be in 10% increments (e.g., 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B,
with pluses and minuses).
Class Schedule:
Jan. 13:
Introduction to natural hazards and disasters
Jan. 15:
Hazards concepts (Smith Chap. 1)
Jan. 20:
continue: Hazards concepts.
Jan. 22:
Measuring and characterizing hazards and disasters (Chap 2).
Jan. 27:
Continue both Chap. 2 and
Jan.
29: Assessing and defining “Risk” (Chap.
3: pp. 36-40)
Feb. 3: Extreme event analysis: the statistics of
rare events (Chap. 3: pp. 40-44).
Introduce: Exercise 1: Magnitude and Frequency of Natural Events
Feb. 5: cont., and risk perception and communication
(pp. 44-47).
Feb. 10:
“Really” extreme events. Reading: Huppert and
Exercise 1 DUE.
Feb. 12:
Intro to risk management and hazard reduction (pp. 47-53 of Chap. 3, and Chap
4)
Exercise 2:
Hazard Risk Assessment introduced
Feb. 17:
cont.,
Feb. 19:
Protection: Macro and Micro (chap. 4 thru p. 67)
Exercise 2 DUE
Feb. 24: EXAM ONE
Feb. 26:
Preparedness, warning systems, and land use (finish Chap. 4)
Mar. 3:
Tectonic hazards: Earthquakes (Chap. 5)
(For more
background, see: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
and: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/nehrp.shtm)
Mar. 5: Mitigating Earthquakes hazards
Mar. 10: Tectonic hazards: tsunami
Mar. 12: Tectonic hazards: volcanoes (Chap. 6)
(Background,
see: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/)
Mar. 17: 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. 19: Hurricanes cont.
Introduce: Exercise 3: Assessing and Protecting from
the Hurricane Risk
Mar. 24 and 26: Spring
Break, no class
Mar: 31: Finish hurricanes and other severe storms
Apr. 2: Intro to Floods (Chap. 10)
Exercise 3 DUE
Apr. 7: EXAM TWO
Apr. 9: Flood cont. and introduce Exercise 4: Boulder Floodplain Mitigation: A
Field Expedition
Apr. 14: Flood cont.
Apr. 16: Droughts (Chap. 11)
Apr. 21: Hazards of Global Change (Chap. 13: “Context
Hazards”).
Exercise 4 DUE
Apr. 23: A closer look at Preparedness, Response, and
Recovery.
Apr. 28: Continue
Apr. 30: Last Class, catch up and review for final
FINAL
EXAM: May 7, 7:30 am. Please
note this final schedule 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