UnitLevel 1Undergraduate

ATS1310 Extreme earth! Natural hazards and human vulnerability

Faculty of Arts

ATS1310 Extreme earth! Natural hazards and human vulnerability is a level 1, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2021 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 1 unit, leading on to 8 units in all.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2021
Semester 1
Clayton
Assessment
No exam
4 tasks
Workload
144 hours
per semester

This is the 2021 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.

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Requisites

Before ATS1310

No prerequisites or corequisites.

After ATS1310

1 unit list ATS1310 as a prerequisite or corequisite.

Overview

This unit takes as its starting point the catastrophes of our world today, such as droughts, earthquakes, epidemics, fires, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis and weather extremes, and seeks to provide a blended understanding between the mechanics and dynamics of these environmental phenomena with the social contexts in which these disasters occur. This subject analyses the wide range of environmental processes (hazards) that pose risks to human lives, livelihoods and settlements, and brings together physical and human geographical approaches to explore how risk in a chosen area is a function of both the hazards and the community's vulnerability. Local and international case studies form a central component of this unit. As well, questions pertaining to the role of international aid and risk management (including mitigation, protection and adaptation strategies) will be discussed.

Offerings in 2021

Teaching periodCampusMode
First semesterClaytonOn campus

Assessment

  • Short Essay - Natural Disaster Overview
    15%
  • Major Research Essay
    40%
  • Workshop Activity Worksheets
    20%
  • Briefing Paper: Responding to a Natural Disaster
    25%

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

  1. 1

    Gain awareness of the range of environmental processes that are recognised as hazards to human lives, livelihoods and settlements

  2. 2

    Understand the nature and origin of hazardous environmental processes, including concepts of event magnitude and frequency of occurrence

  3. 3

    Appreciate regional variations in the characteristics of environmental and socio-economic processes that produce catastrophes

  4. 4

    Recognize the social and demographic factors through which an environmental process becomes a human disaster

  5. 5

    Appreciate the range of factors than may influence the vulnerability of particular regions or communities to hazardous environmental processes

  6. 6

    Be able to summarise and discuss some of the strategies used to minimise the risk of environmental disaster and to respond to disasters that occur.

Workload and teaching

  • Tutorials20 hours
  • Teaching approachActive learning

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Where it fits

ATS1310 is part of 5 areas of study in the 2021 handbook.

Contacts

Unit Coordinators
Associate Professor Megan Farrelly
Chief Examiners
Associate Professor Megan Farrelly

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for ATS1310?

ATS1310 has no prerequisites.

What can I take after ATS1310?

ATS1310 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 1 unit, including BIO2011. Those lead on to 8 units in all.

When is ATS1310 offered?

In 2021, ATS1310 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.

How much work is ATS1310?

The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.

Does ATS1310 have an exam?

No. ATS1310 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.

Which majors and minors include ATS1310?

ATS1310 is part of Geographical science and Human geography.

More details

Credit points
6
Level
1
Study level
Undergraduate
Faculty
Faculty of Arts
Organisational unit
Human Geography Anthropology & Development Studies
Type
Coursework
EFTSL
0.125
Student contribution
SCA Band 2
Study abroad
Available