Overview
This is a foundational unit that introduces the fundamental concepts and frameworks that underpin the effective management of emergencies and disasters. You will gain a basic understanding of the nature of hazards and disasters and will Introduce the key stakeholders involved with emergency and disaster management, explore the historic and contemporary principles, policies, and legal frameworks guiding the field of practice. The unit will explore local and global concepts of emergency and disaster management and the models, systems and processes required to effectively mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from various disasters.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2022
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Feedback from students
Use of video conferencing to connect Melbourne, Sydney, and online tutorial groups was ineffective due to technological problems and situation on the ground in different campuses.
In future terms, on-campus and distance tutorials should be at different times to minimise the possibility of technology-related disruption and better meet the needs of different student sub-groups.
Feedback from Discussion with students and other Emergency and Disaster Management staff
Structure of learning materials is for an on-campus class (modified from MPH classes) and does not reflect the "one-stop" nature of some online students' engagement.
For the next time the unit is taught, the learning materials can be converted to a Moodle learning book format which can be easily used by both on-campus and online students, as well as being more consistent with other DSMG classes.
- Evaluate the characteristics of natural and human-caused hazards and vulnerabilities particular to global, regional and national emergency and disaster contexts
- Explain the principles of Emergency and Disaster Management using the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery (PPRR) model
- Analyse how environmental, political and social vulnerability differs from traditional approaches to disasters and emergency management
- Conduct a social vulnerability analysis relevant to the emergency and disaster management context
- Identify limitations and opportunities that promote or restrict strategies for addressing vulnerability in the context of the United Nations' Sendai framework and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Presentation - 40% | |||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 60% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
d.fanany@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Module 1: Emergency and Disaster Management Background
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Introduction to Emergency and Disaster Management
Module/Topic
Module 1: Emergency and Disaster Management Background
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Preparedness and Prevention
Module/Topic
Module 1: Emergency and Disaster Management Background
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Response and Recovery
Module/Topic
Module 1: Emergency and Disaster Management Background
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessing Vulnerability to Disasters
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 1: Emergency and Disaster Management Background
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Systems Approaches in Emergency and Disaster Management
Module/Topic
Module 2: The Emergency and Disaster Management Context
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Risk Communication
Individual assignment due Friday, December 23rd
Submission via file upload on Moodle
Poster Presentation Due: Week 6 Friday (23 Dec 2022) 7:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Module 2: The Emergency and Disaster Management Context
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Economic Dimensions of Emergency and Disaster Management
Module/Topic
Module 2: The Emergency and Disaster Management Context
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Political and Policy Approaches to Emergency and Disaster Management
Module/Topic
Module 2: The Emergency and Disaster Management Context
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Collaborative Approaches to Emergency and Disaster Management
Module/Topic
Module 3: Emergency Management Futures
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Technological Advancement and Disruption
Module/Topic
Module 3: Emergency Management Futures
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Demographic Impacts on Emergency Management
Module/Topic
Module 3: Emergency Management Futures
Chapter
See study guide for discussion and reading activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
Climate Change
Individual assignment due Friday, February 10th
Submission via file upload on Moodle
Report on Risk and Mitigation Due: Week 12 Friday (10 Feb 2023) 7:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Presentation
Note: This is an individual assessment.
Early in the term, you will select a topic from the list of historical emergency management events on the Moodle site (under the Poster Presentation section in the Assessments menu, available from week 1). You will produce a one-slide poster presentation with up to one page of speaker’s notes. The poster should be an easily-digestible summary of your findings, and the notes should cover the content of what you would say if you were presenting your topic at a conference. This would include expanded explanations of some content from your poster, eg. if there was anything that needed to be presented in shorter form on the poster.
Examples of poster presentation layouts and templates are available on Moodle.
Your presentation and notes should cover:
- A description of the events that occurred and what impact they had on people living nearby (or farther away, if applicable)
- An identification of the characteristics of the incident which posed danger (the hazards), and the ways in which they threatened people living nearby or farther away (the risks)
- An identification of specific factors in nearby or farther-away communities which made them vulnerable to risks related to the event
- A brief explanation relating some of the points you have identified to the prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery framework (PPRR) and your opinion on an action that could have been taken to enhance one or more parts of this framework
Upload your poster presentation to the relevant section of the Moodle site by the end of Week 6 (Friday December 23rd). The poster and the speaker's notes should be in separate files.
This assessment is worth 40% of the overall grade for this unit. You must receive a score of 50% on this assessment (ie. 20 out of 40) to pass the unit.
Week 6 Friday (23 Dec 2022) 7:00 pm AEST
Upload the completed poster presentation and notes to Moodle; PowerPoint format recommended for poster and Microsoft Word or PDF for speaker's notes
Week 8 Friday (13 Jan 2023)
Description of events and their direct impact 10%
Characterisation of hazards and risks arising from the event 30%
Identification of factors impacting on vulnerability 30%
Discussion of PPRR applicability to the event 20%
Appropriate academic writing style and referencing 10%
Note: the complete marking rubric will be available on the unit's Moodle site, from week 1 of the term.
- Evaluate the characteristics of natural and human-caused hazards and vulnerabilities particular to global, regional and national emergency and disaster contexts
- Explain the principles of Emergency and Disaster Management using the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery (PPRR) model
- Conduct a social vulnerability analysis relevant to the emergency and disaster management context
2 Written Assessment
Note: This is an individual assessment. It concerns the same topic that you considered in the presentation. It builds on your past work, and should incorporate any new knowledge and ideas you gained during the course of the term.
For this assessment, you will be considering the potential impact that a similar event to your presentation topic would have on the state of Queensland. Note that while none of the historical events in Assessment 1 took place in Queensland, there are parts of the state that are vulnerable to a similar event.
You will prepare a short report (maximum 1,500 words) describing the relevance of the event to Queensland, the risks it would pose to the state, and how the perspective of the Sendai Framework could assist the state government in reducing the risks. Your report should discuss:
- The characteristics of a similar event which would pose a risk to the state’s population
- Which parts of the state or sub-populations would be most at risk from a similar event (eg. urban vs rural populations; specific demographics; geographical regions, etc)
- Social factors and characteristics which put either the state as a whole or specific sub-populations at particular risk from a similar event
- Suggested strategies for the government and other stakeholders to reduce risk and vulnerability to a similar event, with attention to the perspective of the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals and the factors they identify as relevant to social vulnerability
You may draw on your previous research on the event, such as you did for the first assessment, for the purposes of this report. Many of the issues and topics relevant to this report will be covered in the second half of the unit, and your study of those weeks' content may be a good place to start. To support your arguments and suggestions, you should also search for additional literature and sources. For example, there is extensive information available about Queensland's demographics, population distribution, and economic activity, which may be relevant to certain kinds of impacts.
This assessment is worth 60% of the overall grade. You must achieve a minimum score of 50% on this assessment to pass the subject (ie. 30 out of 60).
Week 12 Friday (10 Feb 2023) 7:00 pm AEST
Upload the completed report to Moodle in Microsoft Word or PDF format
Exam Week Friday (17 Feb 2023)
Assessment will be returned within two weeks of the due date
Identification and discussion of risks that a similar event would pose to Queensland 15%
Identification of vulnerable populations or sub-groups 20%
Identification of characteristics causing increased vulnerability 20%
Discussion of risk reduction and mitigation strategies 35%
Appropriate academic writing style and referencing 10%
- Evaluate the characteristics of natural and human-caused hazards and vulnerabilities particular to global, regional and national emergency and disaster contexts
- Analyse how environmental, political and social vulnerability differs from traditional approaches to disasters and emergency management
- Conduct a social vulnerability analysis relevant to the emergency and disaster management context
- Identify limitations and opportunities that promote or restrict strategies for addressing vulnerability in the context of the United Nations' Sendai framework and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
