Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- Online
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Politic Sc & Internat Studies
This course provides students with an understanding of the policies, practices and politics of disaster and crisis management. The course locates contemporary disasters and crises within domestic, international and developing contexts and it applies development, public policy and political science lenses to understand them. This allows students to think practically about the ways in which disasters can be managed and to think critically about the ways in which disaster management ought to proceed. Students will apply their practical and critical thinking to the exploration of vulnerability, resilience and crisis planning, leadership, decision making and emergency responses, and modes of reform and recovery that are participatory and emancipatory in nature.
This course introduces students to the world of disaster management with a specific emphasis on developing contexts and international comparison. We will examine if/how nations can reduce vulnerability to disasters and strengthen pre-crisis preparedness. We will examine the extraordinary challenges that await the institutions and agents that are tasked with responding to disasters during the emergency stage. And we will examine the dynamics of post-crisis reform, accountability and blame which characterise aftermath reconstruction periods. Through discussion of an eclectic range of literatures (from public policy, governance, development, geography, anthropology) and analysis of a range of topical case studies (for example, Haitian and Pakistan earthquakes, Asian Tsunamis, Bangladesh floods, Ugandan landslides, Victoria Bushfires) students will be equipped with a practical and critical insight into disaster management. This course requires a serious investment bothﾠin terms of weekly readings and completion of assessment.ﾠProspective students wishing to know more can email alastair.stark@uq.edu.au to receive a copy of last year's learning guide.ﾠ
Course requirements
Restrictions
Minimum of 10 enrolments
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Timetable
Additional timetable information
This course if for external students who will be given directed learning activities, recorded lectures and online assessment. There will be an external tutorial in this teaching mode but there will not be a participation mark.
Aims and outcomes
This course has three core aims:
- To introduce students to the field of disaster management;ﾠ
- to develop students ability to use disaster management knowledge in a practitioner-orientated manner;
- to facilitate a critical-analytical process through which students revise and sensitise disaster management knowledge to developing and international contexts.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
1. Demonstrate an accurate critical understanding - 1. Demonstrate an accurate critical understanding of contemporary disasters and their impacts in various international contexts.
LO2.
1. Demonstrate an accurate critical understanding - 2. Investigate, diagnose and evaluate the causes of disaster with particular reference to weaknesses caused by development practice (or lack thereof).
LO3.
1. Demonstrate an accurate critical understanding - 3. Critically appraise efforts to resolve disaster emergencies in developing nations. Problematize and reflect upon the unique leadership challenges of crisis response in a development context.
LO4.
1. Demonstrate an accurate critical understanding - 4. Analyse the dynamics of post-crisis change and inertia with a specific emphasis on politics and participatory governance.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Pre-Crisis Preparation Assessment | 25% |
31/03/2025 5:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Acute-Phase Assessment | 25% |
6/05/2025 5:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique | Case Study Research Essay | 50% 3000 Words |
30/05/2025 5:00 pm |
Assessment details
Pre-Crisis Preparation Assessment
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
31/03/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
This will be emailed at 9am, Friday and is due back 5pm, Monday. The paper will be sent to your UQ student email address and it should be returned via electronically via Turnitin (details given out in class).
The exam paper will contain 3 questions that reflect the pre-crisis preparedness sections of the course. These three questions will also reflect the core aims of the course. Thus one question will demand that you engage with a strand of disaster management literature, a second will demand that you think about disaster management from a practitioner-orientated perspective and the third will expect you to think critically (and independently) about a problem pertaining to disaster management knowledge and practice.
You are required to type roughly 1 page responses to each question (ie.500 words). More details are in the course learning guide.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Acute-Phase Assessment
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
6/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
This will be emailed at 9am, Friday and is due back on Monday at 5pm. The paper will be sent to your UQ student email address and it should be returned via electronically via Turnitin (details given out in class).
The exam paper will contain questions that reflect the acute-stage crisis management sections of the course. These three questions will also reflect the core aims of the course. Thus one question will demand that you engage with a strand of disaster management literature, a second will demand that you think about disaster management from a practitioner-orientated perspective and the third will expect you to think critically (and independently) about the problems of disaster management knowledge and practice.
You are required to type roughly 1 page responses to each question (500 words).
More details can be found in the course learning guide.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Case Study Research Essay
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 50% 3000 Words
- Due date
30/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
You must choose a case study of a specific crisis or disaster. You must then write an essay that: 1) summarises the case chronologically with reference to the PPRR stages; 2) presents an argument about the case which reflects a theme found in our specific course literature; 3) presents lessons for crisis management practitioners and/or researchers. More details are available in the learning guide.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does not address the question, shows no evidence of reading and minimal comprehension of the issues at hand. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: communicates information or ideas in ways that are frequently incomplete or confusing and gives little attention to the conventions of the discipline: The student addresses the question poorly and shows very little evidence of reading. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: presents undeveloped or inappropriate or unsupported arguments; communicates information or ideas with lack of clarity and inconsistent adherence to the conventions of the discipline: The student makes an effort to establish a single major argument for the essay or coherent answer for the exam question and employs some research which is correlated with the argument. Makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flow appears throughout the assignment. The student addresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However, falls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a Pass. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: develops routine arguments or decisions and provides acceptable justification; communicates information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline: The student makes a reasonable effort to provide evidence to support a visible argument and employs an adequate research base to support the argument or answer. Achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay. The student answers the question and shows evidence of adequate research and a degree of understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: communicates information and ideas clearly and fluently in terms of the conventions of the discipline: The student provides suitable evidence to support an argument and employs a comprehensive research base that directly relates to the topic, though it may not completely support the argument. Achieves decent levels of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, well supported fashion and shows evidence of some wide reading and a reasonable understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student demonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic and provides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs a reasonably extensive and well-organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves a high level of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, reasonably sophisticated fashion, employs wide research and shows a sound understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: critically evaluates problems, their solutions and implications: The student demonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic and succeeds in addressing the question by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct and elegant fashion, employs significant research and shows a deep understanding of the issues at hand. |
Additional course grading information
1.ﾠFailﾠ 1 - 19%
2. Failﾠ 20 - 44%
3. Failﾠ 45 – 49%
4. Passﾠ 50 - 64 %
5. Creditﾠ 65 - 74 %
6. Distinctionﾠ 75 - 84 %
7. High Distinctionﾠ 85 - 100 %
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Word Length Penalty
Unless otherwise indicated, in the case of written submissions with a specified word count, you are given a +10% leeway on the upper word limit. If your written submission is over this leeway limit, it will attract a 10 percentage point penalty. For example, if your essay is 1,500 words, you may write up to 1,650 before attracting a word count penalty. If your essay exceeds the upper word limit, it will attract a 10% word count penalty. Therefore, if your essay is worth 40 marks, you will lose 4 marks from your allotted grade. Unless specified, penalties only apply to exceeding the word length, not for failure to write a sufficient amount.
Students should note:
• The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word length;
• References in the Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word length. If you are using footnotes, any content included in footnotes beyond the specific text reference will count towards the word length.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Essay Guide
The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.
The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments.
Essay Writing Assistance
The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.
There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you.
The day and time of these sessions will be finalized at the beginning of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.
Student Services
Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.
Library Resources
UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.
The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.
There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.
Email: librarians@library.uq.edu.au
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Lecture |
Introduction to Crisis Management In this introductory lecture I will be aiming to spark your enthusiasm for the study of crisis. The focus of the lecture will be on types of crises, the characteristics of crisis management and the way in which these events provide a lens into our (rather dystopian) future. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Lecture |
Crisis Management Paradigms his week the lecture will introduce three paradigms which have underpinned how researchers and policymakers have thought about crisis management for the past 40 years. These are the hazard paradigm, the vulnerability paradigm and most recently the resilience paradigm. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Lecture |
Pre-Crisis Planning and Preparedness In this lecture we begin to make a gear change by moving away from academic issues and moving towards practical thinking about how to prepare for crises. We do that in this lecture by working through three aspects of the pre-crisis stage. First, the preparedness cycle. Second, sensemaking processes. Finally, crisis planning, which is one of my favourite topics because it allows us to examine how modes of rational crisis management can be completely undone when they meet the real world in all its glorious uncertainty. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Lecture |
Crisis Politics Prior to discussing the more practical elements of a crisis response I want to spend a week discussing politics because it is a fallacy to believe that politics go on hold during an emergency. Perceptions about what constitutes successful and unsuccessful crisis management, and corresponding notions of legitimacy and illegitimacy (winners and losers) are bound up with political dynamics. In this regard a crucial part of understanding crisis management performance requires us to understand how certain types of communication can, for example, reassure citizens, assert control or court controversy, allocate blame, reward heroism and ultimately determine our understanding of who is affected and how they should be helped. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Lecture |
Guest Lecture and Position Statement This week we will have a guest lecturer who can talk to us about crisis planning in the real world. This is an opportunity for you to see how our theories play out in the reality of crises via an interaction with an experienced crisis manager. We will also have a 'position statement' session in which I recap what we have learned in anticipation for our first assessment. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Lecture |
Crisis Response Frameworks We are now entering another two-week block of teaching which will once again end in an assessment. When we talk about the acute-stage of disaster management we are using a generic term for the period in a disaster which is most demanding; a period in which individuals and organisations often need to make life or death decisions under conditions of high uncertainty. In this lecture I will focus on crisis coordination via a conceptual and empirical introduction to response frameworks, which represent the primary mechanisms for responding to crises. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Lecture |
Participation in Emergencies This week we shift the lens from the mechanics of a crisis response to the environment in which responses have to operate. We do this by examining the different ways that crisis management scholars have analysed public participation during crises. These are important because participatory governance solutions are now very fashionable in pre-crisis planning and crisis response but we often forget that we are always the initial emergency responders in any disaster. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Lecture |
The Post-Crisis Stage: Learning v Accountability We are now moving on to examine the post-crisis recovery period. Many people believe that when the acute-stage ends the disaster or crisis is over. However, crisis researchers know that post-crisis periods often share all of the characteristics of the preceding stage in the sense that they are uncertain, highly dynamic and require decision making with serious consequences attached. In this environment practitioners need to get to grips with the tension between learning and accountability and the politics of recovery and reform. This is the focus of this lecture. Learning outcomes: L01, L04 |
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
No Class |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Lecture |
Guest Lecture and Position Statement This week we will have a guest lecturer who can talk to us about emergency decision making in the real world. We will also consolidate what we have learned about crisis responses so that we are ready for the second class test. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Lecture |
Post-Crisis Recovery: Social Capital his week we will explore the role of social capital in relation to recovery and specifically focus (once again) on how participatory mechanisms can leverage community efforts to collectively recover from crises. I am hoping to be joined by a recovery practitioner this week who will help us bridge theory and practice in terms of this stage. Learning outcomes: L01, L04 |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Lecture |
Overview This is the final lecture and at this point in the semester, I will be keeping it brief! A short synopsis of what we have learned so far. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Workshop |
Lesson Learned Workshop In this final week we will summarise what we have learned from the course and from our research on our lesson learning essays. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.