Disastrous Encounters explores the complex interaction between human beings and their environment by examining so-called "natural disasters" as key historical moments in the evolution of cultural relationships in the world from the 17th through the 20th centuries. It focuses on the material causes of natural disasters resulting from developments and adaptations of technology across cultural boundaries, with emphasis on how people have shaped their environments and assessed and responded to the resulting risks of disaster. Of equal importance is the role of systems for the exchange of information in predicting, preparing for, and responding to natural disasters. Students will analyze how people have been affected differently according to their race, ethnicity, class, and sex and use this knowledge to think about continuing environmental change and the disasters faced by the global community now and in the future.
By the end of the class students will be able to:
+ Explain the scientific principles behind disasters, including cyclonic weather, global climate change, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, river flooding, famines, and diseases.
+ Analyze to what extent a given disaster is in fact at all, but rather was either caused by or exacerbated by human actions.
+ Draw connections between different types of disasters, recognizing that major disasters often produce predictable secondary disaster effects.
+ Write strong analytical essays.
+ Read documents critically, especially in terms of the author's agenda and the author's likely biases.
This course is being taught simultaneously at CMU-Qatar by Prof. Benjamin Reilly.