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 2023 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 2 units, leading on to 10 units in all.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ATS1310
No prerequisites or corequisites.
After ATS1310
2 units 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 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Case studyAssignment20%
- Essay30%
- MultimediaMixed mode30%
- ExercisesAssignment20%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Gain awareness of the range of environmental processes that are recognised as hazards to human lives, livelihoods and settlements
- 2
Understand the nature and origin of hazardous environmental processes, including concepts of event magnitude and frequency of occurrence
- 3
Appreciate regional variations in the characteristics of environmental and socio-economic processes that produce catastrophes
- 4
Recognize the social and demographic factors through which an environmental process becomes a human disaster
- 5
Appreciate the range of factors than may influence the vulnerability of particular regions or communities to hazardous environmental processes
- 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
- Lectures12 hours
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- 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.
This unit includes case-based teaching, where students apply their knowledge and engage in analytical and reflective thinking to solve complex contextual scenarios. Activities are often designed so that there is not one clear answer, but students need to work together to examine, analyse and make decisions to resolve the situation.
This unit allows students to develop their research skills by engaging in structured inquiry using a systematic approach and discipline-specific methodologies.
This unit includes problem-based learning approaches, where students engage in research, integrate theory and practice and apply knowledge and skills to develop viable solutions in response to a problem or set of problems.
This unit engages students in actively applying their knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Learning resources
Required resources
There are required texts for this unit. Required texts are usually available for purchase through the University Bookstore (https://www.monash.edu/retail/books) and are sometimes available for short-term loan or as eBooks through the library (https://www.monash.edu/library).
Technology resources
This unit requires access to a laptop that meets minimum specifications (https://www.monash.edu/esolutions/students/bring-your-own-device-byod).
Free specialist software is available via MoVE (https://www.monash.edu/learning-teaching/innovation/learning-technologies/move).
Where it fits
ATS1310 is part of 5 areas of study in the 2023 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Svenja Keele
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Svenja Keele
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 2 units, including BIO2011 and EAE3051. Those lead on to 10 units in all.
When is ATS1310 offered?
In 2023, 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.