PUBPOL 5734

Disasters, Vulnerability, and Resilience

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

This hands-on course addresses key topics and themes to understand what makes communities vulnerable to disasters and how to build resilience and capacity to adapt with changing spaces and places. This course is designed for anyone who will be in a leadership role who wants to build a toolkit to manage and prepare for a range of crises including natural, environmental, social, and resource-related disasters. The focus is on developing innovative policy solutions to prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate natural and human-made disasters through understanding exposure and sensitivity to changes in the environmental and social system. We will actively do this through vulnerability assessments and resilience planning. The goal is to use policy and planning strategies to equitably invest in building resilience and adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities. (MPA-ENPO, MPA-INTPMN, MPA-PUBNON, MPA-SOCPOL)

Program Requirements (MPA-ENPO, MPA-INTPMN, MPA-PUBNON, MPA-SOCPOL)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA, 2025SP, 2024SP, 2023SP

Learning Outcomes

• Describe, examine, and explain key trends in disasters, disaster prevention, and disaster recovery.
• Identify the roles that different institutions play in disaster prevention and recovery spheres.
• Identify and evaluate obstacles to effective disaster prevention, recovery, and adaptation.
• Examine key political, financial, educational, and technical questions that need resolution.
• Describe and analyze innovative and equitable policy solutions to prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate disasters.

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