Social Vulnerability in Disasters ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

This course provides learners with the historical, contemporary, and evolving social, political, cultural, and economic factors that impact the capacity of some individuals and communities to anticipate, cope with, and recover from disasters. Learners will analyze how specific demographic dimensions such as disability, age, health, gender, indigeneity, ethnicity, race, and socio-economic status predispose communities to increased hazard risk and exacerbate their disaster burden. This phenomenon is especially evident as climate change increases disaster frequency and intensity. Learners will examine disaster science theory, as well as social vulnerability frameworks, concepts and policies in order to understand how systematic processes can create and exacerbate risk resulting in vulnerability and global disaster injustice. Course learning activities will include review of critical case studies that demonstrate practices, policy, research, and technologies that mitigate vulnerability. Learners will explore, analyze, and apply social vulnerability index datasets and indicators necessary for planning and implementing structural and non-structural resilience strategies.