CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH Geography 558-01: Hazards and Risk Management Sum/17 ticket # SNS 11859 online/mostly asynchronous

Instructor Information: Instructor: Dr. C.M. Rodrigue E-mail: rodrigue@inbox.com Instructor's Home Page: http://web.csulb.edu/~rodrigue BeachBoard: BeachBoard (need to log into BB) Course home page: https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geog558/ Office Hours: E-mail

Syllabus Links: Course Information Expected Course Outcomes Required Texts and Materials Grading Course Outline Special Issues for Internet Courses University Policies

Course Information:

Catalogue Description:

Prerequisite: one earth science course (e.g., Geography 140 or Geology 102 or 163 or 190 or permission of the instructor) and one social science course (e.g., Geography 100 or 160 or permission of the instructor).

Provides a broad overview of hazards and disasters, whether natural or partly technological. This course emphasizes understanding of the physical and social dynamics that must interact to produce hazard, the spatial and temporal distributions of various hazards, and policy options for disaster preparation and loss reduction.

Course Concerns:

Earthquakes, tsunami, wildfires, mudslides, floods, droughts, and other disasters continue to kill and injure, sometimes thousands of people at once and other times over an extended period of time (e.g., the Ecuador � earthquake of April 2016; the Ebola outbreak of 2015; Typhoon Haiyan of 2013, � the Haiti earthquake of 2010; the Tōhoku earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima reactor meltdown of � 2011; the Chilean earthquake and tsunami of 2010; the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the Nevado Ruiz eruption of 1985, and the Horn of � Africa drought of 2011).

Life loss is particularly large in the Third World � but sometimes in the developed world, too (Katrina underscoring that possibility in 2005). Economic losses have accelerated far beyond inflation, particularly in the developed world, with the United States alone experiencing arguably $100 billion of losses in Katrina, $68 billion in Hurricane Sandy, $40 billion in � the Northridge earthquake, at least $20 billion in Hurricane Andrew, and more than $15 billion in the 1993 Midwest floods.

For a variety of global environmental and social reasons, these losses are projected to increase at increasing rates into the foreseeable future. Hazards and the disasters they generate, thus, are inherently engaging subjects. They also depend on a multidisciplinary approach for their investigation and mitigation, bringing in the insights of natural scientists, social scientists, engineers, planners, emergency managers, first � responders, and others. Geography is a very active discipline in the investigation of hazards, with its physical science, social science, and mapping traditions, as well as its ability to integrate these very different conceptual approaches with � practical applications at all stages of the disaster cycle. In this course, � we'll start out with consideration of the human dimensions of disaster, � basically an all-hazards review of relevant social science findings. The � second half of the course will engage more with the natural science � underpinning a few hazards and disasters types. We will consider three � disaster types of particular interest to Californians: earthquakes, � wildfires, and floods. We may have time to consider one or two other disaster � types, too, and the class will get to vote on a choice of such events as � drought (creeping onset disaster), extraterrestrial impacts (vanishingly small � probability but unimaginably consequential), climate change, hurricanes, � volcanoes, disease outbreaks (the Black Death of 1347-49? the flu of 1918? � Ebola in 2015? Zika in 2016?).

Expected Course Outcomes and Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, course participants should be able � to:

• understand the basic physical dynamics creating various hazards (e.g., earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami, wildfire, floods and landslides, � hurricanes and other extreme weather events)
• analyze the underlying probability distributions of various hazards, including magnitude and frequency distributions for different hazards
• grasp hazardousness as a naturally given and socially constructed attribute of place, which varies across space
• appreciate the value of spatial analysis, mapping, GIS, and remote sensing for risk assessment and real-time management of disasters and their effects
• understand specific ways that technological mitigations can both reduce and exacerbate hazards in different circumstances
• analyze the economic and political contexts and impacts of hazards and the social construction of differential vulnerability to hazards
• understand common perceptions of, and behaviors in, risky situations and the human attachment to risky places
• analyze different policy options for mitigating and preparing for disaster and managing emergency situations
• appreciate that hazards research is inherently interdisciplinary and value all relevant approaches to understanding and dealing with a given hazard (e.g., natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, arts and humanities, and government policy, including first response functions, and business management)
• show professional research, analysis, writing, and presentation skills in both individual and collaborative settings

Required and Recommended Materials:

Access to the CSULB Library:

You will need to visit the CSULB Library web site and, if you haven't already � done so, create a library PIN so that you can access the online databases and full-text journal articles required for this course.

• CSULB Library http://www.csulb.edu/library/
• Setting up online access: http://www.csulb.edu/library/access.html

Required Textbooks:

There is no required textbook. Required readings will be posted, including a mix of web sites and refereed journal articles from our Library's online collection or through Google Scholar.

Recommended Texts:

While not required, you may want to add one or more of the following to your personal library:

• Abbott, Patrick Leon. 2013. Natural � Disasters. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Alexander, David. 2000. Confronting Catastrophe: New Perspectives on Natural Disasters. Oxford, New York, and other places: Oxford University Press.
• Atkinson, Christopher L. 2013. Toward Resilient Communities: Examining the Impacts of Local Governments � in Disasters. London: Routledge.
• Birkmann, Jörn. 2014. Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Towards Disaster Resilient � Societies . New York: United Nations University Press.
• Bryant, Edward. 2005. Natural Hazards, 2nd ed. � Cambridge and other places: Cambridge University Press.
• Cox, Stan, and Cox, Paul. 2016. How the World Breaks: Life in Catastrophe's Path, from the Caribbean to Siberia. New York and London: The New Press.
• Cutter, Susan L. 2006. Hazards Vulnerability and Environmental Justice. London and Sterling, VA: Earthscan.
• Haddow, George; Bullock, Jane; and Coppola, Damon P. 2013. Introduction to Emergency Management, 5th ed. Oxford and Boston: Butterworth- Heineman.
• Hyndman, Donald, and Hyndman,David. 2014. Natural Hazards and Disasters,4th � ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.
• Keller, Edward A., and DeVecchio, Duane E. 2014. Natural Hazards: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall.
• Lindell, Michael K.; Prater, Carla; and Perry, Ronald W. 2007. Emergency Management. Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons.
• Montz, Burrell E.; Tobin, Graham A.; and Hagelman, Ronald R., III. 2017. Natural Hazards: Explanation and Integration, 2nd. ed. New York: The Guilford Press.
• Philipps, Brenda D.; Nea, David M.; and Webb, Gary. 2011. Introduction to Emergency Management. � Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
• Smith, Keith. 2013. Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risks and Reducing Disaster, 6th ed. London and New York: Routledge.
• Sylves, Richard. 2014. Disaster Policy and Politics: Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
• Tomaszewski, Brian. 2015. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) � for Disaster Management. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis � Group.
• Wisner, Ben; Blaikie, Piers; Cannon, Terry; and Davis, Ian. 2005. At Risk: Natural Hazards, People's Vulnerability, and Disasters. London and New York: Routledge.

Grading:

Methods of Instruction:

This course is taught in a distance learning format so much of your work will be done on-line. This will entail such activities as reading lecture notes, viewing multimedia materials, staying current with reading assignments, and contributing thoughtfully to class discussions each week. Students are � expected to interact with one another in online discussions and, therefore, � will need to stay current with all assignments and discussion threads. Since � the course is taught asynchronously, you have a lot of discretion about when � you are active in the class each week, as long as you do directly engage it for at � least four hours each week. Remember that summer session runs about three-fourths the length � of a normal semester, so each week's workload is about a third higher than usual! A common � observation is that every hour of direct class engagement needs another two or � three hours background work behind the scenes, doing such things as assigned � readings and labs, doing research for your papers and projects, � coördinating with collaborators, and writing things up. That background � work can sneak up on you, so be careful about time management.

Assessments:

Grading is based on a midterm, a final, a critical review of articles on a topic of your choosing, a collaborative research project, labs, and active course participation.

• The exams comprise a mix of objective questions and short essays done online.
• The critical review will compare and contrast at least eight sources on a hazards-related topic of particular interest to you, of which at least five sources must be articles from refereed research journals. The comparison and contrast should include comments on data sources used in the refereed articles, as well as the methods used to collect, process, and analyze them.
• The collaborative project will entail small student groups collecting information on hazard issues to be selected from a list provided to the class and then presenting them to the class in a Collaborate virtual room as an � illustrated "consultants' report." The projects should be illustrated with maps, graphs, and tables.
• Labs will be exercises relevant to the physical dynamics and social issues found in particular types of hazards and disasters.
• Participation includes contributions to discussions, submitting short "executive summaries" of reading assignments, and peer-evaluated rôles � in the collaborative project. It is important to note that it is not possible to earn more than a "C" without active and responsible participation and collaboration.

Grading is done on the curve. Since you are all graduate students, you have already crossed a high threshold just to get into our master's program: You have already earned a bachelor's degree and maintained a 3.00 in your last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units, and you are expected to maintain a 3.00 during your work in the EMER program. Rather than center the grade distribution around a 2.0, then, I center grades somewhere around 3.00 or 3.25 � (depending on my sense of the overall quality of the class' work). The majority of the course can be expected to earn a "B," which means good graduate-level work. Truly outstanding work, of the caliber that I think would allow you to do well in a doctoral program, earns an "A." If your work is uneven or at the level of an upper-division undergraduate, you will earn a � "C." If your work is at the level of a lower-division student, very uneven, or incomplete, that would result in a grade below "C."

The allocation of grade points is weighted as follows:

15% = midterm examination
15% = final examination
20% = critical review
20% = collaborative report, including figures and maps
10% = labs
20% = participation

Tentative Schedule of Topics:

• What is hazard?
  • What is natural hazard?
  • What is technological hazard?
  • What is terrorist hazard?
  • What is the difference between risk and vulnerability?
  • How can vulnerable communities become resilient communities?
• Risk assessment science
  • Dealing with inherently uncertain situations
  • Epistemological problems
  • Type I and Type II errors
• Risk management policy
  • Safeguard human life at all costs: precautionary principle
  • Minimize regulatory burden: de minimis principle
  • How policy preferences affect risk assessment
  • What is the connection between sustainable development and disaster-resilient communities?
  • What are the political and economic obstacles to sustainability and � resilience?
• The magnitude and frequency issue
  • Reducing recurrent low level hazards can raise vulnerability to catastrophic events
  • Costs versus benefits of mitigating low probability but high impact events
• GIScience and hazards
  • GIS, remote sensing, cartography, and volunteered geographical � information in assessing risk
  • Real-time application of the geospatial techniques during a disaster
• Case studies drawn from at least four of the hazards below
  • Natural hazards
    • Geological hazards:
      • Earthquakes
      • Tsunami
      • Volcanoes
      • Landslides
    • Meteorological and climatic hazards:
      • Wildfires
      • Floods and storms
      • Hurricanes/typhoons
      • Tornadoes
      • Blizzards
      • Avalanches
      • Droughts
    • Extraterrestrial impacts: Vanishingly small probabilities and � inconceivably huge consequences
  • Technological and other sociogenic hazards
    • Chemical regulation
    • Space exploration
    • Terrorism

Special Issues for Internet Courses:

Communication:

We will be communicating regularly using the following methods:

• E-mail
• Discussion board (BeachBoard)

The best way to contact me is by e-mail. I will be very happy to explain something to you by e-mail at any time. Remember that in an online � environment, I can't "see" from your facial expressions, body language, or tone of voice that you might have questions or need assistance, so it is up to you to "speak up" and contact me with any questions or concerns you have about the course or your progress. I will try to detect and respond to emerging problems while � I'm "lurking" on the discussion boards, too.

The Online Week:

Day 1	Monday
Day 2	Tuesday
Day 3	Wednesday
Day 4	Thursday
Day 5	Friday
Day 6	Saturday
Day 7	Sunday

What a Typical Week Might Look Like:

Each week, visit the BeachBoard site for the class or, if you don't feel like � logging in, visit the mirror � site.

• First, head over to Readings and � download or visit the reading materials for that week and sit down and read � them. As you go, highlight or put marginal checkmarks by important or � striking concepts, laws or processes, and definitions. If you do this � judiciously, then you can just re-read those sections the week before the � midterm or final.
• Then, go to Lecture notes � and read the topics I introduce each week. If you like, you can also download � the Lecture � viewgraphs to see visual materials that illustrate the lecture notes. Take a day or two to think about the � lecture and readings.
• Now, think about the articles and write down 3-5 points to share with your � colleagues, perhaps summarizing what you think are the most important, or � perhaps just the most interesting, points you got out of the week's materials.

Each week, check Deadlines to � make sure you're on track for whatever might be coming up.

• Pick an activity to do that will support an upcoming deadline, such as � finding and reading a new article for your critical review essay.
• Or, later in the semester, you might decide to confer with your group and � do whatever task is needed for the group work at that point in time.

Each week, log into BeachBoard once or twice for things you can't do at the � mirror site, such as commenting on notes, readings, or your colleagues' comments.

• First, see if there are any new announcements on the start page.
• Then, � head over to the Discussions tab up top. Look through the discussion boards � to see what other people may have posted on the week's materials.
• Then, either reply to someone's thread or start one of your own and give � your impressions of the articles' or lectures' main points. At a minimum, � make one post each week on the readings and on the lectures (two comments per � week, minimum).
• Optimally, try to make a comment in reaction to your colleagues' comments: The core of a � graduate seminar is group discussion of common readings, and the discussion � boards are the closest thing in an all-online course. One of the things you � may find intriguing is how different people reading the same materials you did � interpret them quite differently than you did -- and sometimes those � differences really make you change your own thinking. This kind of "parallax" � is the essence of a good seminar session!
• At the end of the semester, when I'm assessing participation, I'll be going � back through the discussion threads to see whether you faithfully commented � each week, the general quality of your commentaries, and whether you seemed � really to get engaged in the discussions, arguing with or adding to what � someone else said or relating it to your own work situations.

Computer Skills Needed:

In order to be successful in this course, you should be able to perform the following technical tasks with little or no help:

• E-mail - Send and receive e-mail; send and receive attachments; check e-mail each day for class-related messages. Make sure that you have set up � your profile in MyCSULB to route class e-mail to your favorite e-mail account. � By the way, when you send me an e-mail, PLEASE start your subject line with � "558," so I can see you're a student in � this class and not a spammer or phisher. I get several dozen e-mails each day, so I really don't want your e-mail to get lost among them: If you start your subject line with "558" I'll easily be able to find you.
• Web browser - Start up and close out a web browser, such as Firefox, Epic, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, Lunascape, or � Internet Explorer. BeachBoard is a little fussy about browsers, however, � preferring Firefox 6.0 or later and tolerating Chrome and Epic (latest), � Internet Explorer 11.0 or later or Safari 6.0 or later. For more information � about BeachBoard and browsers, please click here. � You can use any browser you like to access the course mirror site.
• BeachBoard - Be able to log in, get to GEOG 558, and access news, discussion forums and topics, files, and Collaborate. � BeachBoard gets moody on occasion, so I will mirror course content (lectures, � readings, deadlines, study guides, assignment guidelines) on my own web page as Plan B.
• Word processing - Create a new file, save a file, modify a file, copy, and paste. An excellent freeware and open-source program for this purpose is OpenOffice, which you can download at http://www.openoffice.org/. It is also available as LibreOffice at http://www.libreoffice.org (they started out identical, but they will diverge with time: LO is more actively developed but less stable; OO is polished and stable but not as powerful in some ways). Either is much easier to use than the latest editions of Microsoft Office and can read MS's files and write to them flawlessly. I usually provide viewgraphs and spreadsheets in � Open/LibreOffice formats.
• Spreadsheets - Create a new file, save a file, enter text, enter numbers, enter formulas, copy, and paste. OpenOffice/LibreOffice contains an excellent freeware spreadsheet.
• Viewgraphs - Be able to open, save, create, or modify a presentation. Examples of this class of software are OpenOffice/LibreOffice Impress, Microsoft Office Powerpoint, Google Docs Slides, Prezi, and there is a similar feature in Collaborate called the Whiteboard.

Optional but Helpful Computer Skills:

The software types listed below are not requirements for the class, but they are helpful to have just to speed things up in a group project:

• GIS - geographical information systems, such as ArcGIS, MapInfo, and the open-source QGIS or Grass, or GIS interfaces, such as Depiction and Google Earth. It is not required that you know GIS or the interfacing packages, but I hope to find enough of you who have some exposure to GIS to put one of you in each group.
• Statistical software, such as SPSS, Minitab, or the freeware PAST or PSPP.
• Graphical software (you can do a lot of mapping and graphing in one of these, without GIS or statistical software), such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, CorelDraw, or the open-source GIMP.
• Flowcharts - pyou might enjoy a freeware program called Dia, which makes flowcharts and diagrams and is very easy and intuitive to learn. Totally optional, but very useful.

Technical Support:

CCPE Blackboard Tech Support is available by phone or e-mail Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

• 1 (562) 985-2900
• CCPE-Help@csulb.edu

Computer Requirements:

For smoothest course access, make sure the computer you will use to access this course meets the following minimum technical requirements. If you are not sure if your computer meets the minimum requirements, please contact Tech Support. They have put together a more detailed discussion of computer � requirements at
http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/academic_technology/itss/beachboard/d2l/browser_issues_solutions.html.

Please note that these are really marginally minimal requirements. Computers have become so cheap that it may be well worth your while to spring for a somewhat better than minimalist computer, just in terms of the aggravation saved!

• Platform:
  • Windows 98, 98SE, NT, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8.1, and 10
  • Mac OS X or higher
  • BeachBoard won't work with smart phone browsers, but the mirror site � will.
• Browser:
  • latest versions of Firefox and ESR; Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer; Safari; Chrome (I've had no problems using Epic though it's not listed)
  • JavaScript and cookies must be enabled (JRE 1.6 update 13 or higher � recommended)
  • Cookies must be enabled for the session (you can clean them out when you're done)
  • Pop-up blockers must be disabled for the session (and enable them when you're done if you prefer)
  • AOL users will need to download one of the above browsers before beginning the course in order to participate fully.
• Internet Connection:
  • 56K modem, DSL, or, ideally, cable modem
  • Users with a 56K modem may expect some loading delays and tedium
  • Clicking your mouse before a screen is completely loaded may also cause delays or loading errors.

University Policies:

Makeups:

Makeups are possible in the event of a documented unexpected emergency in a student's life or through prior arrangement with the instructor when the student has advance knowledge of a conflict in schedule, including jury duty or other governmental obligation; death, injury, or serious illness/caretaking responsibilities in the household/family/close circle of � friends; work-related issues; certain University sanctioned activities; or religious obligations and observances. Makeups under these circumstances will not be penalized with:

Prior notice or documentation. Scheduling a plane flight before the final is not a compelling conflict in schedule and will be penalized. All other makeup requests, especially those requested after the fact or unsupported by documentation, are subject to denial or serious penalty.

Withdrawal:

It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from classes. Instructors have no obligation to withdraw students who do not attend classes and, because of the bureaucratic difficulty involved, generally choose not to do so. This often catches students coming here from other institutions by surprise, because some of them require instructors to drop non-attending students and provide easy and routine mechanisms for them to do so. If you've been "spoiled" by that system, please be aware that it doesn't work that way here.

The instructor's signature on a College of Continuing and Professional Education drop form is required to drop a credit course after the first class meeting. Instructor and department approval are required after 27% of the course time has elapsed (fourth week in), at which time a "W" will be posted on the student's transcript. The last day to submit a withdrawal request is before the start of the final week of the course.

Accessibility:

It is the student's responsibility to let me know at the beginning of the semester if s/he has a disability that may require accommodation. I am personally committed to making my classes accessible and providing accommodations that will help everyone have the same chance at success. I need to know about the issue at the beginning of the semester, though, so that we can work out a mutually reasonable and satisfying accommodation. For more information on campus support services for disabled students, please check out http://web.csulb.edu/divisions/students/dss/.

Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism:

Work that you turn in is assumed to be original unless your source material is documented appropriately. Using the ideas or words of another person, even a peer, or a web site, as if it were your own, is plagiarism. Simply changing the wording around so that it's not a direct quotation is still plagiarism if you don't give credit to the source of the ideas. If you use the exact wording of your source, enclose the statement in quotation marks or (with longer quotations) indent and single space it and then cite the source and page. When in doubt, cite. Besides protecting you from charges of � cheating and plagiarism, careful attention to citing your intellectual debts � makes you look like a competent professional. Cheating and plagiarism are � serious academic offenses: They represent intellectual theft. Students should read the section on cheating and plagiarism in the CSULB catalogue, which can be accessed at http://web.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/catalog/current/academic_information/cheating_plagiarism.html.

Furthermore, students should be aware that faculty members have a range of academic actions available to them in cases of cheating and plagiarism. At a minimum, I will give a student cheating or plagiarizing on a particular assignment a failing grade on that assignment, but only if I think that there was some misunderstanding about what these offenses are; if I feel that the decision to cheat or plagiarize was intentional, I will fail a student in the course. I also may then refer the student to Judicial Affairs for possible probation, suspension, or dismissal.

When in doubt, please ask me if you think you're getting into a grey area. To learn a little more about plagiarism, please take a look at this workshop on ethics in science that several faculty in Geography, Geological Sciences, and Chemistry and Biochemistry put together: The second section is about plagiarism. http://web.csulb.edu/geography/gdep/ethics.html.

Dr. Rodrigue's Home |   GEOG 558 Home |   Geography Home |   EMER Home |   ES&P Home

BeachBoard |   MyCSULB |   CSULB Home |   Library |   Bookstore

Document maintained by Dr. Rodrigue
Last revision: 05/17/17