UnitLevel 1Undergraduate

ATS1310 Extreme earth! The geography of disasters

Faculty of Arts

ATS1310 Extreme earth! The geography of disasters is a level 1, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 4 units, leading on to 20 units in all.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2026
Semester 1
Clayton
Assessment
No exam
4 tasks
Workload
144 hours
per semester

This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.

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Requisites

Overview

The world today is increasingly shaped by extreme events – bushfires, floods, earthquakes, droughts, hurricanes and tsunamis – that cost lives, damage infrastructure and ecosystems, and disrupt livelihoods and economies. In a changing climate, it has never been more important to understand the natural hazards and human vulnerabilities that shape disasters, and to use this understanding as a powerful tool for positive change in the way we prepare for, respond to and recover from these events. In this unit, you will develop a geographical understanding of interconnected environmental and social processes to explain the highly uneven distribution of disaster risk around the world, and you will explore a wide range of disaster risk management solutions through engaging lectures, skills-based tutorials and real-world case studies. As future leaders, practitioners and researchers, your knowledge and insights gained from this course will play a pivotal role in contributing to resilient and sustainable societies in the face of an ever-evolving landscape of hazards and disasters!

Offerings in 2026

Teaching periodCampusMode
First semesterClaytonOn campus

Assessment

  • Case studyWritten
    20%
  • EssayWritten
    30%
  • MultimediaArtefact
    30%
  • QuizQuiz / Test
    20%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Learning outcomes

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

  1. 1

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

  2. 2

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

  3. 3

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

  4. 4

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

  5. 5

    recognise and explain the range of factors that may influence the vulnerability of particular regions or communities to hazardous environmental processes;

  6. 6

    evaluate some of the strategies used to minimise the risk of environmental disaster and to respond to disasters that occur.

Workload and teaching

  • Tutorials24 hours
  • Lectures12 hours
  • Teaching approachProblem-based learning
  • Teaching approachActive learning
  • Teaching approachCase-based teaching
  • Teaching approachResearch activities

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 problem-based learning approaches, where you 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 you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.

This unit includes case-based teaching, where you apply your 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 you need to work together to examine, analyse and make decisions to resolve the situation.

This unit allows you to develop your research skills by engaging in structured inquiry using a systematic approach and discipline-specific methodologies.

Learning resources

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 7 areas of study in the 2026 handbook.

Contacts

Unit Coordinators
Professor Peter Adey
Chief Examiners
Professor Peter Adey

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 4 units, including BIO2011, EAE2011, EAE2322 and EAE3051. Those lead on to 20 units in all.

When is ATS1310 offered?

In 2026, 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; Human geography; and Sustainability and responsible management.

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