Nature's Wrath? Science and Policy of Natural Disasters
ENVS 1S and PHY 1S
January Term 2002 Syllabus
Instructor: R. David Baker
Moody Science 110
x2244
Class Meeting Time: M-F 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Additional Meeting Times: Three dinnertime movies, two day-long field trips.
Office Hours: M-F 2:00-3:00 PM or by appointment.
Course Description
Tornadoes! Hurricanes! Earthquakes! Volcanoes! Asteroid impacts! Are these events truly natural disasters, or do they result in disaster because of human response and social policy? In this course, we will look in depth at the science, impact, and policy of natural disasters. The course will be split into three major sections:
1) Disasters from the Earth's Interior (Earthquakes and Volcanoes),
2) Disasters from the Atmosphere (Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Floods), and
3) Global Disasters (El Niño, Greenhouse Warming, Ozone Hole, and Asteroid Impacts).
Each student will gain expertise in the physical scientific basis of a natural event, in the immediate human and economic impact of a natural event, and in the policy of local and federal agencies to natural disasters.
This course will require two daily field trips, one to the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma, and the other trip to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Office in Denton, Texas.
Course Objectives
· To think critically about the cause of natural hazards and disasters
· To learn the physical scientific basis of natural events
· To evaluate human and economic impacts of natural hazards
· To assess emergency response and policy for natural hazards
· To synthesize information from various sources
· To communicate effectively with peers regarding science and social policy
Required
Text
Ebert, C. H. V. (2000), Disasters: An Analysis of Natural and Human-Induced Hazards, 4th edition, Kendall-Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa, 240 pp.
Course Requirements
· Participation (34% of your grade): The participation grade will be evaluated on attendance, participation in field trips, participation in peer evaluations, and audience participation during presentations. Attendance to all class sessions is required. Four unexcused absences will result in automatic failure of the course.
· Presentations (33% of your grade): Three projects will be required of each student during the January Term. Students will work in groups of three to investigate three natural events. Each student within the group will focus on one of three aspects of a particular event:
a) Science,
b) Human and Economic Impact, and
c) Natural Disaster Policy.
Since there are three major sections in this course (Interiors, Atmosphere, and Global), each student will rotate among the three aspects of natural disasters. For example, a student might investigate the science behind earthquakes for the first project, the human and economic impact of a tornado for the second project, and the policy behind greenhouse warming for the third project.
Presentations will be approximately 10 minutes in length and will be presented jointly by the members of the group. Peer evaluations of presentations will be conducted.
· Handouts (33% of your grade): Handouts outlining the natural event and the reason for its classification as a disaster should accompany the presentation. Guidelines for handouts will be provided at a later date.
A 90-100
B 80-90
C 70-80
D 60-70
F below 60
The numerical values for specific letter grades may be changed at the discretion of the professor, but the minimum value will not be raised. For example, the minimum value for a B may be below 80 but it will not be changed to a value above 80.
In this course, you will be working often in small groups to complete projects. However, all written assignments must be your own work. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated and will result in failure of this course.
Date |
Event |
Jan 3 |
First class |
Jan 10 |
Presentations |
|
Movie: Volcano |
Jan 14 |
FEMA Field Trip |
Jan 21 |
Presentations |
|
Movie: Twister |
Jan 22 |
NSSL Field Trip? |
Jan 29 |
Presentations |
|
Movie: Deep Impact |
The demand of three projects in just over three weeks will require discipline on your part. In order to have the best possible experience in this course, it will be necessary to work every afternoon on your project at a minimum. The following schedule is provided to assist you in planning your time:
Day 1: Locate and review sources.
Day 2: Revise sources and exchange information with other groups.
Day 3: Prepare the first draft of your handout.
Day 4: Prepare the first draft of your presentation.
Day 5: Revise your handout and presentation.
Natural Events
Interior Disasters
Mt. Pelee (1902)
Mt. St. Helens (1980)
Mt. Pinatubo (1991)
San Francisco Earthquake (1906)
Alaska Earthquake (1964)
Mexico City Earthquake (1985)
Loma Prieta Earthquake (1989)
Northridge Earthquake (1994)
Kobe Earthquake (1995)
Izmit Earthquake (1999)
Atmospheric Disasters
Big Thompson Flood (1976)
Midwest Flood (1993)
Galveston Hurricane (1900)
Hurricane Hugo (1989)
Hurricane Andrew (1992)
Hurricane Mitch (1998)
Tropical Storm Allison (2001)
Tornado Super Outbreak (1974)
Palm Sunday Tornadoes (1994)
Oklahoma Tornadoes (1999)
Global Disasters
El Niño (2 groups)
Global Warming (2 groups)
Ozone Depletion (2 groups)
Tunguska Meteor (1908)
Chicxulub Crater
Shoemaker-Levy 9 Comet Impact of Jupiter (1994)
A First Start on Sources
Books on Reserve
Bryant, E. A. (1991): Natural Hazards,
Cambridge University Press,
294 pp.
Comerio, M. C. (1998): Disaster Hits
Home: New Policy for Urban Housing Recovery, University of California Press, Berkeley, 300
pp.
Mileti, D. S. (1999): Disasters by
Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States, National Academy Press, 250 pp.
Platt, R. H. (1999): Disasters and
Democracy, Island Press, Washington,
DC, 320 pp.
Waugh, W. L. (2000): Living with
Hazards, Dealing with Disasters: An Introduction to Emergency Management,
M.E. Sharpe, Armonk, New York, 229 pp.
Periodicals
Scientific American
Discover
National Geographic
Time
Newsweek
Newspapers
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
Dallas Morning News
Web Sites
Unites States Geological Survey (USGS): www.usgs.gov
National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL): www.nssl.noaa.gov
National Hurricane Center (NHC): www.nhc.noaa.gov
National Climate and Diagnostics Center (NCDC): http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/extremes.html
NASA: www.nasa.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): www.fema.gov
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
Other Sources
Professor Dave Baker
Books in stacks
References in textbook
Web sites (government, education, and news agency sites). USE WITH CAUTION!!!