GS 118 - (IS, CC) Disasters and Social Vulnerability

Semester Hours: 3-4

This introductory course emphasizes a critical approach to understanding hazards and how they interact with human vulnerability while focusing on key case studies from the global south that stress the experiences of locals before, during, and after events such as tsunamis, earthquakes, nuclear reactor meltdowns, and consequences of global climate change. 

Key questions include: What makes a disaster? How can we understand terms such as nature, disaster, hazard, emergency, risk, and vulnerability? How are geographic concepts such as scale used to address disaster preparedness and response? How do diverse actors in different cultures and governments use these terms? Is there such a thing as a natural disaster?

Students will be able to critically analyze the sources and challenges of disinformation, differentiate between a hazard and a disaster, understand cultural approaches to emergency management, and apply course concepts to contemporary events.

Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
To receive 4 credits, students will develop and execute their own mapping project. They will address a key concept or case study pertient to the course materials through a spatial visualization project of their own design. 

Credit will be given for this course or GEOG 118 ​, not both. 

View Course Offering(s):

Summer I 2025

Summer II 2025

Summer III 2025

Fall 2025