Program Overview

Course Information

The course SGLK13022U Disaster Risk Management - From Theory to Practice is a compulsory course in the study track 4 of the MSc in Global Health program. The course has a limited capacity of 10 participants and is taught in English.

Course Description

The course focuses on the central space vulnerability takes in understanding disasters, examining the nature, scope, context, concepts, and dynamics of vulnerability and risk. It puts people at the centre of the examination, focusing on the socio-economic and political dimensions as well as health aspects of vulnerability and disasters rather than hazards per se. The course also touches on issues of climate change and forced migration, and overall vulnerability reduction and resilience building.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature, typology, and dynamics of vulnerability.
• Demonstrate a critical and practical understanding of the factors affecting and leading to vulnerability not only on a local level but those emanating from structural global processes.
• Understand the complex connections and interaction between hazards and vulnerabilities and how risk is contextually configured.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the central role of disaster-related health impacts and health status as chronic vulnerability issues that reduce people’s resilience in the face of extreme events and hazards.
• Have a command of the key concepts, theories, models, and principles relevant to disaster management and risk reduction.
• Have an adequate understanding of climate change and climate adaptation in general and in relations to extreme events in particular and be able to relate long-term impact of climate change to disaster risk management where both impacts overlap and add to further complexity.
• Identify the main actors in risk and disaster management and understand their impact in the field.

Skills

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Research into the issues of risk and vulnerability in a specific country or for a specific event/hazard.
• Demonstrate knowledge of methods and tools for risk analysis and risk evaluation, including methods for identification and analysis of hazards and vulnerabilities.
• Acquire the conceptual basis to appreciate the complexities of vulnerability, risk, and disaster management.
• Develop a better ability to engage with and relate to disaster professionals – across sectors and disciplines and work collaboratively in a field situation through understanding what constitutes vulnerability and how to deal with it.
• Develop some research ability in constructing vulnerability and disaster profiles.
• Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of policies and practices in the field that could potentially lead to increased vulnerability of the population.

Competencies

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Apply tools used for teambuilding and stress management and demonstrate knowledge about intercultural communication.
• Identify and formulate a relevant and current research question and develop a vulnerability profile for a case study assignment.
• Work independently in self-directed study.
• Work in a group – teamwork and presentation.
• Engage in dialogue and discussions, and argue a case.
• Negotiation, including compromise, argument, and trade-offs.
• Read and critique literature.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course will employ a variety of teaching and learning methods, including:

• Lectures: Imparting knowledge, concepts, theories, and models.
• Exercises: Inquiry or skills-based with emphasis on analytical skills and problem-solving.
• Videos: Guided with a set of questions or an exercise that follows.
• Seminars: Self-directed by students and guided and mentored by tutors.
• Presentations: Of group assignments and feedback by a panel of tutors.
• Paper: To develop academic writing skills and assessed by course leader and external examiner.

Workload

The workload for the course is as follows:

• Exam: 16 hours
• Exercises: 40 hours
• Lectures: 36 hours
• Preparation: 116 hours
• Total: 208 hours

Exam

The exam for the course is a written assignment in the form of a journal article, no more than 5 pages (single-spaced font size 11), organized and structured around a certain topic or question and relevant to disaster risk management or health in disasters. The paper topic or question needs to be checked and validated by the course leader first. All aids are allowed, and the marking scale is a 7-point grading scale with external censorship.

Course Information

• Language: English
• Course code: SGLK13022U
• Credit: 7.5 ECTS
• Level: Full Degree Master
• Duration: 1 block
• Placement: Block 1
• Schedule: See Syllabus
• Course capacity: Max. 10 participants
• Study board: Study Board for International Health
• Contracting department: Department of Public Health
• Course responsibles: Peter Furu and Mohamed El Mahdy Hamza Al-Morsy

Criteria for Exam Assessment

To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student shall be able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and competencies outlined in the learning outcomes, skills, and competencies sections. The student should be able to apply the concepts, theories, and models relevant to disaster management and risk reduction, and demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature, typology, and dynamics of vulnerability. The student should also be able to identify the main actors in risk and disaster management and understand their impact in the field. The exam assessment will be based on the written assignment, and the marking scale will be a 7-point grading scale with external censorship.