UGB222EB The ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong
NATURAL HAZARDSDepartment of Geography and
自然災害Resource Management (FYB)
Second Term, 2008-2009
Lecturer: ProfChen Yongqin陳永勤(Coordinator, FYB224A, 2609-6539,)
ProfNgSai-leung伍世良(FYB208, 2609-6527, )
Tutor: Ms. Gao Xuehua, Emmy高雪花(FYB219, 2609 6233, )
Ms. Li Lu李璐(FYB221A, 26961025, )
Lecture Time and Location: Tuesday 5:30-6:15pm, ELB LT2
Thursday 10:30am-12:15pm, ELB LT2
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Course Description
This course examines the physical and human dimensions of natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods and landslides, droughts and famines. The focus is on the causes of major natural hazards, their geographical distribution, risk and disaster to human society, and human response to prepare, prevent and mitigate negative impacts. Study of the interaction between society and natural hazards will help students better understand the man-environment relationship. An issue-based approach from a topical perspective is adopted to address a wide variety of geological, meteorological, and hydrological hazards. The importance of geographical regions in understanding natural hazards and their socio-economic impacts is highlighted throughout the course. While the coverage will be broad and global, case studies of threats, occurrence and consequences of natural hazards in Hong Kong and Mainland China is emphasized.
Course Objectives
What are the major natural hazards and why do they occur around the world? What places are most vulnerable to each kind of hazard? What are the disasters caused by a hazard and how do people respond? Students will find enormous interests in seeking answers for questions like these. Therefore, through a variety of teaching and learning activities, this course will help students understand major types of natural hazards from a regional perspective, in terms of their causes, location and distribution, human responses to prepare, prevent and mitigate impacts.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Students are expected to develop a general understanding of the causes and consequences of extreme natural events and thus to appreciate the impacts on the lives and properties of people around the world. The course will discuss natural hazards from dual perspectives of physical and human geography. Therefore, students will not only gain basic knowledge of geophysical concepts and rules of natural hazards, but also learn how environmental risk arises from the complex interaction between the physical environment and human society. As concerned world citizens, students will need to be equipped with these capabilities and knowledge in order to better understand the challenges and potential calamities posed by natural hazards.
Teaching and Learning Activities
Activity / ObjectiveLecture (1-2 units every week) / Equip students with basic knowledge of natural hazards
Forum and discussion
(10 sessions) / Involve students in information sharing and open discussion of certain multiple hazards affecting a selected geographical region around the world
Video watching (5 sessions) / Watch educational and documentary video to learn about earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami, tornados, and floods.
Student Assessment
(1)Quiz --- 40%, four 15-minute in-class quizzes (10% each) will be administered throughout the semester (see class schedule below). The format and scope of the quizzes will be announced in class. You are required to pay close attention to the course development and review what you have learnt promptly.
(2)Forum discussion --- 30% (group presentation 12% and individual participation 18% = 9×2%), students will first be divided into two parts (A and B) and each will be further divided into 10small groups. Each small group will be responsible for a forum on a topic of your choice. Your group will select a geographical region around the world which is affected by multiple natural hazards. Group members will work together to prepare a 45-minute forum in the format of presentation or expert panel, which should include a Q&A and discussion session of at least 5 minutes. All other students in the audience will join the discussion and complete a short quiz.Students who are 15 minutes late or leave the forum early will not receive any mark for the quiz.
Each forum should first introduce the geographical setting and characteristics of the selected region and then use major historical events to discuss the types of natural hazards and their causes, and how people respond to the disasters. Each group is required to prepare four questions in a format of Multiple-choice or True/False or fill-in-blank to test the effective participation of other students in the audience. A score will be given to each individual student based not only on the overall group performance, but also on his or her contribution to the group project as rated by all group members.
Each group must provide your topic no later than Feb3 (T). ALL topics will be finalized and announced on Feb 5 (H). One week before your forum, each group is required to submit your Powerpoint file and the four questions to the tutor for distribution to the class.
(3)Video watching --- 20%, participation and answering True/False and MC questions in each of the 5 sessions (4% each).
(4)Essay --- 10%, Eachstudent is required to review and follow the international mass media coverage of major natural hazards since July1, 2008. Information and data of one selected major event of media headlines around the world will be compiled to write a feature story or journal of no more than 1,500 Chinese characters or 2,000 English words.
Your essay should basically address the location and time, causes and processes, socio-economic impacts (local, regional and international) of the disastrous events, as well as the mitigation methods and lessons learned. The marking scheme is: appropriate selection of events and description of affected areas – 10%, major records of the events and their causes processes and significances – 30%, analysis of impacts – 30%, organization, structure and text – 30%. The due date is Thursday,April 16 (the last class). Late submission will be penalized by reducing 10% of the mark of your essay for every one day of delay.
Class Schedule
Week / Dates (Tue & Thu) /Activity
/Topic
/ Instructor1 / Jan6 (T) & 8 (H) / Lecture / Introduction: Is the world becoming less and less safe? / Chen &
Ng
2 / Jan 13 (T) &15(H) / Lecture / Dynamic Earth / Ng
3 / Jan20 (T)
22 (H) / Lecture
Video 1 / Geologic hazards: earthquakes
Earthquakes / Ng
4 / Jan 27 (T)29 (H) / Happy Chinese New Year!
5 / Feb3 (T)
5 (H) /
Lecture
Video 2 / Geologic hazards: volcanoesQuiz 1
Volcanoes / Ng
6 / Feb 10 (T)12 (H) / Lecture / Geologic hazards: tsunami / Ng
7 / Feb 17 (T)
19 (H) / Lecture
Video 3 / Geologic hazards: landslides
Quiz 2
Tsunami / Ng
8 / Feb 24 (T)
26 (H) / Forum 1
Lecture / A: B:
Meteorological hazards: typhoon / Chen/Ng
Chen
9 / Mar3 (T)
Mar 5 (H) / Forum 2
Video 4
Lecture / A: B:
Tornadoes
Meteorological hazards: tornado / Chen/Ng
Chen
10 / Mar 10 (T)
12 (H) /
Forum 3
LectureQuiz 3 / A: B:
(Continued) / Chen/Ng
Chen
11 / Mar 17 (T)
19 (H) / Forum 4
Forum 5
Forum 6 / A: B:A: B:
A: B: / Chen/Ng
12 / Mar 24 (T)
26 (H) / Forum 7
Video 5
Lecture / A: B:
Flooding
Hydrological hazards: flood / Chen/Ng
Chen
13 / Mar31 (T)
Apr2 (H) / Forum 8
Lecture / A: B:
(Continued) / Chen/Ng
Chen
14 / Apr7 (T)
9 (H) / Forum 9
Lecture / A: B:
Hydrological hazards: drought / Chen/Ng
Chen
15 / Apr14 (T)
16 (H) / Forum 10
Quiz 4
Video / A: B:
National Geographic: Nature’s Fury / Chen/Ng
Chen
References (* required, # recommended)
There are two types of references. First, you are required to read the light, casual and interesting articles selected from a variety of popular magazines and you will enjoy reading them. Please note that the scope of the quizzes will cover the contents of the required readings. Second, you are recommended to read the book chapters in the following two textbooks, if you wish to learn the concepts, principles, and theories of the subject more rigorously.
Smith, Keith, 2004. Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster. 4th ed. London and New York: Routledge, 306 pp. (UL: GB5014 S6 2004)
Abbott, P. L., 2004. Natural Disasters. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 460 pp. (UL: GB5014 A24 2004)
All references can be found either at the course WebCT or in the course material box in Reference Room 218, GRM Department (WongFooYuanBuilding).
Introduction (Chen & Ng)
*Abramovitz, J.N., Are humans to blame for exacerbating many natural hazards? In: USA Today Magazine, Jul. 2002, Vol. 131, Iss. 2686, p. 37-39.
*Nature’s wrath – a field guide. The Atlantic Monthly, Sept. 2005, p. 58-59.
*Jarraud, M., Preventing and mitigating natural hazards. Message for WMD 2006.
#Chapter 1 Hazard in the environment. In: Smith (2004), p. 1-18.
Dynamic earth and earthquakes (Ng)
*Altenburger, E. Earthquake hazards in Taiwan – the September 1999 Chichi earthquake. In: Focus on Geography, Winter 2004.
*Valery, N. Shaky ground. In: The Economist, Apr 22, 1995. Vol. 335, Iss. 7911.
#Chapter 2 Plate tetonics and earthquakes. In: Abbott (2004), p. 28-58.
Volcanoes (Ng)
*Perkins, S. When mountains fizz – What makes some volcanic eruptions so explosive? In: Science News, Jan. 29, 2005, Vol. 167, Iss. 5, p. 74-76.
*The environmental catastrophe that changed history. In: EarthIsland Journal, Summer 2000, p. 29.
#Chapter 6 Tectonic hazards: volcanoes. In: Smith (2004), p. 104-122.
Tsunamis(Ng)
*Shiva, V. The lessons of the Tsunami. In: The Ecologist, March 2005, p. 21-24.
*海嘯—駭人的巨浪. 香港天文臺, June 2006.
#Chapter 3 Basic principles of earthquake geology, seismology, and tsunami. In: Abbott (2004), p. 87-94.
Landslides (Ng)
*Hong Kong slope safety problems. Y.S.A. Yeung, Geotechnical Engineering Office, HKSAR Government, 2006.
*After the deluge - A disaster made by man as well as the monsoon. In: Economist, 8/6/2005, Vol. 376, Iss. 8438.
#Chapter 7 Mass movement hazards. In: Smith (2004), p. 123-141.
Typhoon (Chen)
*Spencer, R.W., Tropical twisters: hurricanes. In: The Saturday Evening Post, Sept./Oct. 2005, p. 32-38.
*The 2004 hurricane season: global warming in action? In: Global Environmental Change Report, Nov. 2004, Vol. XVII, No. 11, p. 1-3.
*Weathermen get to grips with typhoons. In: New Scientist, 01/28/1995, Vol. 145, Iss. 1962, p. 18.
#Chapter 11 Hurricanes and the coastline. In: Abbott (2004), p. 302-333.
Tornado (Chen)
*Nature’s weapon. In: Scholastic Scope, October 13/20, 2003, p. 16-17.
*Vasquez, T., Tornado! An evening with the Fort Worth, Texas, National Weather Service. In: Weatherwise, Nov/Dec 2003, p. 33-38.
# Chapter 10 Severe weather. In: Abbott (2004), p. 291-298.
Flood(Chen)
*Is China Ready for Another Devastating Flood? In: Beijing Review, 07/19/1999, Vol. 42 Issue 29, p. 12-17.
*Leung, John, Flooding problem in Hong Kong. Drainage Services Department, HKSAR Government, 2005.
#Chapter 10 Hydrological hazards: floods. In: Smith (2004), p. 186-209.
Drought(Chen)
*A land turned to dust. In: New Scientist, 4-10 June 2005, Vol. 186, Iss. 2502, p. 38-41.
*Thirsty city. In: Beijing Review, 02/19/2004, Vol. 47, Iss. 7, p. 28-29.
#Chapter 11 Hydrological hazards: droughts. In: Smith (2004), p. 210-226.
Important Notice
Your attention is drawn to the University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations, as contained in the website Your assignment must be original except for source material explicitly acknowledged, and the same or related material has not been previously submitted for another course. You must follow the University policy and regulations to maintain academic honesty for achieving the teaching and learning objectives of this course.
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