GEO 490.101: Natural Hazards and Disasters
Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00 – 12:15 pm, LSCB 018, Spring 2011
Dr. Carol Sawyer, Assistant Professor
Office: LSCB 341
Email: sawyer@usouthal.edu (preferred contact method)
Phone: (251) 460-6169
Course website: http://www.southalabama.edu/geography/sawyer/geo385
Office Hours: 1:00-3:00 pm Mondays & Wednesdays, 9:00-10:30 am Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:00-2:00
pm Tuesdays, or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This 3-credit hour lecture course presents an overview of natural hazards and disasters from a scientific perspective.
The course will focus on the occurrence and impact of environmental hazards, such as volcanoes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, floods, mass movements, and coastal hazards. Mitigation techniques used to make the human
environment more resilient against natural hazards are also covered. In addition, the viewpoint of hazard and
emergency managers toward natural disasters will be studied.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
The goals and objectives of this course include students learning about the processes that produce natural disasters,
why a natural process might be considered a natural hazard, and the mitigation techniques typically used to protect
life and property against the damage caused by natural disasters.
COURSE CONTENT (see schedule for details)
Course topics include: atmospheric hazards, coastal erosion, earthquakes, floods, mass movements, volcanic
eruptions, subsidence, tsunamis, and hazard mitigation methods.
TEXTBOOK
The required textbook for this course is Natural Hazards: Earth’s Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and
Catastrophes by Edward A. Keller and Robert H. Blodgett, 7th Edition (ISBN: 978-0-13-231864-8). Other required
readings will be placed on the course website, handed out in class, or placed on reserve in the library. It is the
student’s responsibility to acquire and complete the assigned readings.
ATTENDANCE and CLASSROOM POLICIES
Students are required to attend class, be on time, and stay the entire time. Keep in mind that missing any class,
excused or not, will likely have a detrimental affect on your grade. Good attendance will be rewarded with extra
points on the final exam: Students without any unexcused absences (see Exam Make-up and Late Work Section for
what constitutes an unexcused makeup) will receive ten extra points, students with one unexcused day will receive
seven points, and those with two unexcused days will receive four extra points. Students are responsible for signing
the roll sheet when it is passed around the room.
There is no talking in class, reading newspapers or other non-course related material, coming late, sleeping, leaving
early or texting/messaging. Turn off all cell phones, pagers, and text messaging devices and put them away! You
will be asked to leave if you text during class. The University of South Alabama’s policy regarding Academic
Disruption is published online in The Lowdown. Disruptive academic behavior is defined as conduct that interrupts
or interferes with any educational activity or environment, infringes upon the rights and privileges of others, results
in or threatens the destruction of property and/or is otherwise prejudicial to the maintenance of order in an
academic environment.
EVALUATION AND GRADING POLICIES
Grading is from three exams, three exercises, and a term project.
• Three exams will be given during the course, with each exam worth approximately 14% of your course grade.
The exams will cover the readings, lecture materials, term projects, and the assignments. I make every effort
to grade the exams in a timely manner.
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• Three exercises will be completed during the course, with each one worth approximately 12% each. These
assignments will be described in detail at the time they are assigned (see the course schedule for the dates
when the assignments will be given and are due).
• A term project will be completed during the semester and is worth approximately 21.5% of your course grade.
Sections from the project will be assigned throughout the semester. Instructions on the term project will be
given the first week of class.
The final grades will be determined strictly based on the following percentages:
A: 100 to 90%
B: 89 to 80%
C: 79 to 70%
D: 69 to 60%
Course component
Exams (3)
Exercises (3)
Term project (1)
Points each
100
83.3
150
Total
Total points
300
250
150
700
F: <60%%
Approx. percentage
42.8% (14.25% each)
35.7% (11.9% each)
21.5%
100%
EXAM MAKE-UP, ABSENCES, and LATE WORK POLICY
If you miss an exam and have a valid excuse, you must contact me in via email either before the exam or within 24
hours after an exam is administered to schedule a makeup exam. All legitimate excuses (either for exam makeup &
attendance credit) require written validation. Valid excuses include: illness (your’s or a dependent’s), a death in
the immediate family, or a university-related event. Only exceptional excuses from work-related absences are
accepted. Students who do not have an excused absence for the exam will have 15 points automatically deducted
from their make-up exam grade. All make up exams will be different from the original exam.
Unless otherwise indicated, all work is due into my office mailbox by 4 pm on a Friday. If you are unable to make
it to campus that day, it may be submitted early or via email but a hard copy must still be placed in my mailbox at
the earliest possible time. Each day an assignment is late (INCLUDING WEEKENDS) 10% will be deducted from
the assignment or part of the term project grade.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The University of South Alabama provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.
The Office of Special Student Services will certify a disability and advise faculty members of reasonable
accommodations. If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify
me and provide certification from Disability Services (Office of Special Student Services). OSSS is located in room
270 of the Student Center (460-7212).
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
The University of South Alabama’s policy regarding Student Academic Conduct Policy is published online in The
Lowdown and includes the following: As a community of students and scholars, the University strives to maintain
the highest standards of academic integrity. All members of the community are expected to exhibit honesty and
competence in academic work. Any dishonesty related to academic work or records constitutes academic
misconduct including, but not limited to, activities such as giving or receiving unauthorized aid in tests and
examinations, improperly obtaining a copy of an examination, plagiarism, and misrepresentation of information,
altering transcripts or university records. Consequences of any form of academic misconduct include receiving a
zero on an exam, exercise or project; failing the course, probation, or expulsion from the university.
CHANGES
The course schedule is tentative and may be changed if necessary. Students will receive at least 48 hours notice if
possible in writing.
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TENTATIVE Course Schedule**
Week of
Topic
Readings
Jan 17th
Introduction to Natural Hazards
Jan 24th
Hazard mitigation
Jan 31st
Plate tectonics and earthquakes
Ch 2
Feb 7th
Earthquakes
Ch 2
Feb 14th
Tsunamis
Feb 21st
Exam I
Volcanic hazards
Ch 4
Feb 28th
Volcanic hazards cont’d
Ch 4
Mar 7th
No Class March 8th – Mardi Gras
Mass wasting and slope instability
Ch 6
Mar 14th
Activities
Ch 1
Ch 1 &
handouts
Ch 3
Term project part I due*
Exercise 1 due*
Term project part II due*
Term project part III due*
Spring Break – No Class
Mar 21st Mass movements
Ch 6
Exercise 2 due*
Mar 28th Subsidence and soil hazards
Ch 7
Term project part IV due*
Exam II
Atmospheric hazards
Ch 8
Apr 11
Atmospheric hazards
Ch 8 & 9
Apr 18th
Coastal hazards
Ch 10
Apr 25th
Flooding
Ch 5
May 2nd
Geologic global change
Apr 4th
th
Ch 11 &
Handouts
Term project part V due*
Term project part VI due*
th
Tuesday, May 10
Final Exam, 10:30 am – 12:30 p.m.
Exercise 3 due*
*Exercises and parts of the term project are always due on Fridays by 4 pm with the exception of
Exercise 3, which is due at the time of the final exam.
Tentative dates exercises will be handed out:
Exercise 1: Region readiness - January 18th
Exercise 2: Region vulnerability analysis - February 15th
Exercise 3: Disaster analysis - March 29th
**Schedule may be modified during the semester. Students will be given adequate notice of any changes.
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