Course syllabus

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Introduction to Disaster Response Management

VRSN11, 7,5 credits, A (Second Cycle)

Valid for: 2021/22
Faculty: Faculty of Engineering, LTH
Decided by: PLED BI/RH
Date of Decision: 2021-04-14

General Information

Main field: Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation.
Compulsory for: MKAT1
Elective for: RH4
Language of instruction: The course will be given in English

Aim

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

Competences and skills
For a passing grade the student must

Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must

Contents

Field description

Disaster response management is a broad and multidisciplinary field. A key element, and a challenge, with any disaster response management effort, is to achieve direction and coordination among multiple actors. Direction refers to e.g. overall goals with mission, or the prioritization of activities. Coordination refers to the need for making things happen in the right order, avoid unnecessary duplications, or create synergies. Direction & coordination is always oriented towards meeting various needs, such as saving lives, need for evacuation, or need for stopping the cause behind the disaster. In order to generate direction and coordination a disaster response manager should understand the contextual conditions associated with disaster response management. Furthermore, she or he needs to understand how decisions typically are made. Finally, the disaster manager needs to understand the requirements for functional leadership and organizational forms.

Course components

The main components of the course consist of:

 

The course content is applicable nationally as well as internationally and suitable for those who are interested in working with issues concerning direction and coordination in disaster management on different levels of society. Examples of associated bodies are central, regional and local authorities, health care, rescue services, private companies and humanitarian organizations.

The course includes mandatory individual homework and group project work, which are mainly based on case studies. The project work is to be presented orally as well as in writing, the latter in the form of a report.

Examination details

Grading scale: TH - (U,3,4,5) - (Fail, Three, Four, Five)
Assessment: Written group assignment, and written individual examination and written individual report.

The examiner, in consultation with Disability Support Services, may deviate from the regular form of examination in order to provide a permanently disabled student with a form of examination equivalent to that of a student without a disability.

Parts
Code: 0119. Name: Written Examination.
Credits: 5. Grading scale: TH. Assessment: Approved examination trough individual written examination Contents: Written examination
Code: 0219. Name: Written Home Assignment.
Credits: 2,5. Grading scale: UG. Assessment: Group assignment with written report, approved individual report. Contents: Group assignment with written report, individual report.

Admission

Admission requirements:

The number of participants is limited to: 40
Selection: Completed university credits within the program. Within programs where the course is given as a compulsory course students are guaranteed admission. Thereafter priority is given to students enrolled in programs that include the course in the curriculum.
The course might be cancelled: If the number of applicants is less than 12.
The course overlaps following course/s: VRSN10

Reading list

Contact and other information

Course coordinator: Christian Uhr, christian.uhr@risk.lth.se
Further information: Group assignments and seminars require active participation. Each group member must individually be able to account for the content of the project assignment. If a group member does not fulfil the demands of the group or ignores hers/his commitment, she/he can be reassigned to another group or get a fail result.