Disaster Management

Degree Type: 

Master of Science

Department: 

Department of Geography and Regional Planning

Programme Duration: 

2 years (Standard Entry)

Modes of Study: 

Sandwich

Entry Requirements: 

.

Goal / Aim / Objectives: 

Aim

The MSc. programme aims at producing post-graduates who have in-depth and contemporary knowledge in all aspects of the disaster risk management cycle and are capable of deploying and coordinating at both macro and micro levels of governance, disaster risk reduction strategies which are in line with prevailing global frameworks.    Objectives

The objectives are to:

  • Strengthen the capacity of students to apply the concepts, theories, models and principles in disaster management. 
  • Build the expertise of students in the area of disaster risk reduction and management. 
  • Develop the skills of students to conduct hazard mapping, vulnerability and risk assessment. 

Programme Structure

Level 800

First Semester

DMS 801S: Environmental Resource Management and Policy
3 Credit(s)

Objective

To strengthen the capacity of students to contribute to environmental resource management and policy issues.  

Content 

The course will expose students to the benefits provided by the environment through ecosystem services and the plethora of environmental problems such as deforestation, poaching of wildlife and environmental pollution which threaten environmental sustainability and provide a legal basis for management and policy. National, regional and global conventions, agreements, protocols and laws policy instruments and best practices guiding the sustainable development and management of environmental resources such as the National Environmental policy, Ramsar convention on wetlands, the Kyoto protocol, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, The Basel, Stockholm and Bamako conventions, SDG’s and Sendai frameworks would also be explored. 

Mode of Delivery

The course will be delivered through lectures, seminars, assigned readings, individual and group presentations.
DMS 802S: Concepts and Models in Environmental Hazards and Risks
3 Credit(s)

Objective 

To equip students with relevant theoretical concepts, models and frameworks for assessing environmental and hazards risks

Content

The course exposes students to the methods and approaches used in defining and assessing environmental hazards and risks. Emphasis will be on the nature and characteristics of both technological and natural hazards and the qualitative and quantitative approaches for assessing risk emanating from these hazards. Models for hazards and risk assessment would be examined from various stand points including A. Anuard, Villegran de Leon and Birkmann viewpoints. Concepts such as Individual and Societal risk, Potential loss of life, the use of Risk Criteria, Risk Tolerability, ALARP, etc and the principles underlying the use of Fragility curves, f-N/F-N curves for expressing vulnerability and risks would be explained. Tools such as Checklist, Index based methods, HAZOP and the application of Fault and Event Trees and Bowties and risk matrixes will be explained. Students will be given an overview of the benefits and pitfalls of each approach. 

Mode of Delivery

The course will be delivered through lectures, seminars, assigned readings, individual and group presentations.   

DMS 803S: Research Methods
3 Credit(s)

Objective 

To equip students with the knowledge and skills to conduct research in the field of disaster management.

Content 

This course fundamentally exposes students to the processes involved in conducting research on issues related to disaster risk reduction. These include philosophy of social science research, conceptualization of a research problem, data collection and instrumentation, techniques in fieldwork, data analysis and presentation of results.

Mode of Delivery

The course will be delivered through lectures, seminars, fieldwork, individual and group presentations.
DMS 804S: Environmental Degradation and Remedies
3 Credit(s)

Objective 

To expose students to theoretical and empirical issues of land degradation, water and air pollution as well as remedial measures to restore environmental quality. 

Content 

The course deals with natural and anthropogenic causes of environmental degradation such as land, water and air pollution. Local problems of environmental degradation will be identified and analyzed in order to derive remedies which are participatory and sustainable. Practical emphasis will be on the changing relationships between people and the environment and effective responses to challenges of environmental management. Natural resource extraction and their impact on the environment will also be discussed. 

Mode of Delivery

The course will be delivered through lectures, seminars, fieldwork, individual and group presentations.
DMS 805S: Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
3 Credit(s)

Objective

To develop the skills and competence of students in spatial techniques for data capture, analysis and representation for all stages of disaster management.

Content

This course introduces students to the role geospatial technologies play in different phases of disaster risk management. It focuses on teaching the use of basic remote sensing and geographic Information systems techniques such as analysis and interpretation of satellite and UAV images, Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping, spatial analysis and visualization of spatial information to support key aspects of disaster risk management such as risk assessment, evacuation planning, response planning, damage assessment, etc. Students will also undertake practical exercises and field exercises using state of the art tools to enhance their skills.

Mode of Delivery    

The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercise, group exercise and presentations.
DMS 805S: Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
3 Credit(s)

Objective

To develop the skills and competence of students in spatial techniques for data capture, analysis and representation for all stages of disaster management.

Content

This course introduces students to the role geospatial technologies play in different phases of disaster risk management. It focuses on teaching the use of basic remote sensing and geographic Information systems techniques such as analysis and interpretation of satellite and UAV images, Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping, spatial analysis and visualization of spatial information to support key aspects of disaster risk management such as risk assessment, evacuation planning, response planning, damage assessment, etc. Students will also undertake practical exercises and field exercises using state of the art tools to enhance their skills.

Mode of Delivery    

The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercise, group exercise and presentations.
DMS 811S: Overview of Disaster Risk Management
3 Credit(s)

Objective

To expose students to philosophy, principles, concepts, approaches, cycle and other frameworks of disaster risk management. 

 Content

The course introduces students to disaster risk management by providing insight into disaster terminologies and concepts, spatial distribution of disasters, classification of disasters, causes of disasters and the effects of disasters on social and economic development. The course then delves into the philosophy and principles of disaster risk management and explains the major components of the disaster risk management cycle and how these components can be integrated across all levels of governance to address issues of disaster risk reduction. Tools for risk management such as EIA’s, Risk Informed Land Use Planning, Strategic Environmental Assessments, Cost Benefit Analysis, etc would be explored.

Mode of Delivery

The course will be delivered through lectures, seminars, assigned readings, individual and group presentations.
DMS 815S : Social Network Analysis of Disasters Response and Recovery
3 Credit(s)

Objectives

The objective of this module is to provide students with an understanding of social network and agent based approaches to understanding collaboration.

Course Content

The module focuses on the structure and evolution of networks, drawing on knowledge from disciplines as diverse as sociology, mathematics, computer sciences, economics, and physics. Both theoretical and applied approaches including network theory will be used to give students a practical introduction on how to make use of social network in a holistic perspective, including indigenous forms of networking for the purposes of information gathering, the maintenance of social contacts, leveraging of networks in disaster situation decision making and how people and organizations adapt to collaborative work to the capabilities offered by social media. The topics to cover under this module include; Social network theory, network for improving communication, network planning tools for practitioners, challenges in the use of social network and networking, application of social network into emergency management policy and practice.

Mode of Delivery    

The course will be delivered through lectures, fieldwork, laboratory exercise, group exercise and presentations.