Module GEOG3701: MOUNTAIN HAZARDS

Department: Geography

GEOG3701: MOUNTAIN HAZARDS

Prerequisites

• GEOG2611 MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES AND ONE OR MORE OF EITHER GEOG2462 SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN GEOGRAPHY, OR GEOG2531 GLACIERS AND GLACIATION, OR GEOG2571 RECONSTRUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• GEOG3691 ICELAND: FIELD RESEARCH IN GLACIAL ENVIRONMENTS; GEOG3491 ALPINE LANDSCAPES AND PROCESSES; GEOG3501 BERLIN: CULTURE, POLITICS AND CONTESTATION; GEOG3731 DYNAMIC MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENTS; GEOG3581 TERRITORY AND GEOPOLITICS; GEOG3971 CAPE TOWN: GEOGRAPHIES OF ENERGY TRANSITION; GEOG3521 THE ARCTIC; GEOG3551 CHIGAGO: SITES OF GLOBAL CHANGE

Aims

• The aim of this module is to provide advanced level theoretical and practical training in the understanding of hazards in dynamic mountain environments. Students will engage in the analysis and interpretation of data as part of enquiry into mountain hazards, their assessment and mitigation. As a Level 3 module, it is intended to build upon basic grounding in relevant substantive material from Years 1 and 2, but to expand and apply this knowledge through direct experience of and undertaking investigation in a mountain environment. The focus of the module - Nepal - reflects the research interests of the relevant teaching staff in Geography, and is designed to inspire the next generation of researchers in this topic.

Content

• This module is an examination of environmental hazards in mountain regions, with a particular focus around hazard mechanisms, their mitigation and management. The aim is to provide students with an overview of the range of issues that face people in mountain environments and the manner by which management decisions are made to reduce risks. We aim to give in-depth experience of undertaking research in such environments, as well as training in a range of relevant and transferrable research skills.
• The module starts with context lectures on key current topics and case studies in mountain hazards. These are supported by small group discussion sessions focused around relevant literature throughout Term 1.
• Students will also benefit from interactions with, for example, government, the development community, industry and academics, who study and manage dynamic mountain landscapes via a series of guest lectures and discussions.
• Students will form groups and undertake research projects throughout the course that combine theory, hypotheses, data collection, analysis, and interpretation around the themes of the module, developed around their collective interests. The project groups will be supported both during dedicated computer based workshops and tutorial sessions in Term 2.
• Topics normally covered in the module include: earthquake impacts; hillslope processes; landsliding; post-earthquake risk assessment; disaster risk reduction; landslide impacts; tectonics and faulting; stress-strain behaviour of rocks; the role of precipitation and seismicity in triggering landslides; secondary hazards, including landslide dams and rock avalanches (runout mechanisms, valley blocking); rockfall; debris flows and hillslope-channel connectivity; fluvial sediment transport and evolution in steep mountain setting; monitoring, warning systems and community awareness; engineering geomorphology; hazard mapping; hillslope design and mitigation; hydro-power and sediment management.

Learning Outcomes

• Develop skills in the transfer of results of theoretical and conceptual models to understanding of real-world data on mountain hazards
• Gain a basic understanding of the current state of the art in understanding mountain hazards
• Consider the role of earthquakes and landslides in the wider evolution of mountainous regions
• Describe and explain approaches to hazard management and mitigation
• Apply knowledge to problem solving based upon a series of real-world case studies focused upon mountain hazards

• On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
• Relate general principles of geomorphology to specific situations where Earth surface processes pose a hazard to people
• Plan, design, execute and report geographical research both individually and as part of a team
• Analyse the complex interactions between geology, geomorphology and the social environment
• Apply a range of analytic skills to understand processes that causes hazards in steep mountain regions
• Evaluate the relative need & contribution for physical and social science in mitigating risks from hazards

• On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
• Perform interpretations explained in lectures and extract patterns from environmental data
• Summarise the state of knowledge and understanding of complex environmental topics via a review of published literature
• Present logical written and oral arguments
• Undertake critical analysis and interpretation of data and text
• Solve problems and make reasoned decisions
• Undertake research-led appraisals of landslide mechanism, hazard and mitigation strategies

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Context lectures, guest lectures and and small group discussion sessions underpin the group project, with together provide the core modes of learning on the module. The lecture based sessions provide the conceptual and thematic material that underpins the group-based research projects.
• Project design will require students to demonstrate that they can take background materials from a complex literature, synthesis those materials, and use them to formulate a realistic project building on a wealth of published literature and data. Computer-based workshops will provide support in the development of the projects.
• The group projects will be used to allow the students to learn key skills, and to use these to acquire the data that they need to complete their group project and to inform their answers in the examination. Students will be trained in good research practice (to include: data collection, advanced measurement techniques, time and project management, division of responsibilities and tasks). They will also be given training in relevant mountain hazards and the decision making processes in the management of such landscapes, which will provide a central focus of the assessment throughout the module.
• In Term 3, students will be asked to draw upon their experiences of working with field data, their learning from the literature and guest lectures, and their reflections on their own data analysis, in order to compete an unseen examination.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative feedback will be provided in the following ways: on the initial group project proposals prepared in Term 1; during the project workshops; on the group presentations; and via contact time with staff throughout the module.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University