Natural Hazards and Society

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label Diverse autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:01 history_edu Ioana Dinescu
When natural hazards like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and floods interact with vulnerable human populations and their structures, disaster can devastate communities. Drawing on expertise from physical and social sciences, this course examines how natural hazards are formed, monitored and managed, and the serious impacts they can have.

Using modern techniques including field exercises and simulation learning you'll consider issues of vulnerability, visualisation of information, and natural hazards in the media. And, drawing on multiple stakeholders in the heart of London including NGOs, the media, government agencies, and reinsurers, plus a trip to the renowned Natural History Museum, you will have the opportunity to investigate aspects of science communication and hazard management in the real world.

Here, you'll develop a key understanding of the complex and often uncertain physical and human dimensions for a range of natural disasters and the vital role played by effective communication. Whether you are interested in hazards from the perspective of earth sciences, international development, politics, insurance or the media this course will give you a solid foundation on natural hazards and their interaction with society.You will experience strong elements of experiential learning through field visits and simulation exercises, which allow you to apply hazard research and management in real life situations.

The course will be strongly interactive, with group work allowing you to critically analyse the way in which data is gathered and communicated to multiple stakeholders. This course will allow you to:

- Develop an understanding of the basic physical and human dimensions for a range of natural hazards.

- Identify the key parties involved in disaster risk reduction and emergency response.

- Recognise the significance of effective communication in the context of natural hazards.

- Understand that natural disasters are a complex mix of human and physical factors which have varying degrees of uncertainty

.- Gain an overview of the data and tools available for assessing natural hazards, applying these in an independent study.

This course is new for 2013 and aims to give a fresh review of research into natural hazards and disaster risk reduction. The course is taught by a young and dedicated pair of academics who currently work in the field. They are passionate about combining scientific and social techniques to the study of natural hazards, particularly through contemporary methods, tools and data sources. These include:

- Undertaking unique field and site visits - such as the world famous Natural History Museum.

- Participating in simulation exercises and group work that will enable you to analyse how best to apply your knowledge in real-life situations.

Period
01-07-2013 - 19-07-2013 (3 weeks)



Target group
This course is suitable for students from both physical and social science backgrounds who have an interest in natural hazards, however is open to students from all disciplines with an interest in this area. Whether from the perspective of earth sciences, international development, politics, insurance or the media, this course will give you a solid foundation on natural hazards and their interaction with society.

Course aim
This course will help you to:

- Develop an understanding of the physical and human dimensions for a range of natural hazards.

- Identify key parties involved in disaster risk reduction and emergency response.

- Recognise the significance of appropriate communication to a range of audiences.

- Understand that natural disasters in the real world are a complex mix of human and physical factors which have varying degrees of uncertainty

.- Gain an overview of the data and tools available and apply these in an independent study

.- Use novel and state-of-the-art techniques to obtain and disseminate information.

Credits
7.5 ECTS credits

Many of our students get credit for the summer courses taken at Kings. You should approach your home university before applying to find out whether they accept our courses for credit. We would recommend a three-week course to be equivalent 4 US credits or 7.5 ECTS, for instance.

Course fee
GBP 1350: tuition fee only

Course leader
This course will be co-taught by Faith Taylor and Joel Gill, both PhD students in the Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Research Group of Kings College London and Class Teachers at the London School of Economics. Their experience and interests span

King's College London
Address: Strand, London
Postal code: WC2R 2LS
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/summerschool
E-mail: summerschool@kcl.ac.uk
Phone: +44 20 7848 1533