Social Dimensions of Disasters

Relevant honours degree or practice experience accepted.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

• IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) 56 overall with a minimum of 51 in each sub-skill.
• IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.

The structure of the module is divided into two parts.

Part 1: Theories and Concepts

• The role of sociology in disaster research and responses, including the ethical issues raised.
• The sociology of disasters: theories and concepts.
• Understanding the roles of key players in disaster responses, from the UN to local emergency professionals.
• The disaster cycle and the interdependencies between socio-economic formations, social stratification and status, cultural traditions, governance structures and how these impact different groups of people, depending on vulnerabilities.
• Understanding complex and cascading disasters such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster in Japan.
• Global interdependencies between disasters and their impact on victim-survivors during disasters and need for external assistance and support.
• Global governance in disasters and humanitarian aid.
• Local disaster policy, legislation and disaster action plans: The social inclusion and exclusion of diverse social actors at local authority level in the UK.

Part 2: Case Examples

• Case studies of disasters covering the social impacts on victim-survivors, communities inhabit, issues arising from the onset of a disaster to reconstructing sustainable communities.
• Examples of disasters and their impacts upon society, including health pandemics like Covid-19, climate change, air pollution, nuclear explosions, extreme weather events such as flooding, drought, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, wildfires, and terrorism.
• Climate change migration and refugees – policies and responses to a global crisis.
• The internationalisation of humanitarian responses: social issues and dilemmas raised.
• Rebuilding communities after disasters: evaluating social actors' roles and performances to include state officials, civil society organisations, private enterprises, and local residents.

Individual tutorials will be agreed with students.

A single 20-credit module delivered online. Students are treated as adult learners responsible for contributing to their own education and that of others.

The module has a poster presentation formative assignment and a 3000-word case study.

A student who successfully completes the assignment for the SWKPG88 module can ask to be exempted from SWKPG80, (Humanitarian Aid: Ethics, Values, and Human Rights) also worth 20 credits if they subsequently decide to register for the MSc in Disaster Interventions and Humanitarian Aid.

If a student chooses not to complete the assignment, they will be given a certificate of attendance, which may be used towards fulfilling their CDP requirements.

Professor Lena Dominelli