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

Excluded Combination of Modules

• GEOG3691 Iceland: Field Research In Glacial Environments; GEOG3491 Alpine Landscapes And Processes; GEOG3501 Berlin: Culture, Politics And Contestation; GEOG2581 Jerusalem; GEOG3521 The Arctic; GEOG3551 Chicago: 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 interpretation of field 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 on Nepal reflects the current 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 provides a research-led 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 and policy decisions are made to reduce risks. We aim to give direct experience of undertaking research in such environments, as well as training in a range of relevant research skills.
• The module starts with context lectures, background literature reviews, discussions and group project work in Terms 1 and 2 of Level 3.
• Topics normally covered in the module include: earthquakes; landsliding; disaster risk reduction; mountain region development; secondary hazards; interdisciplinarity; sediment cascades; monitoring, warning systems and community awareness; engineering geomorphology; hazard and risk.
• Students will develop a comprehensive engagement with the literature and available datasets designed to give them the conceptual and theoretical grounding as part of small group research projects that tackle an issue of critical importance in hazardous mountain regions. Projects will combine theory, hypotheses, data collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination around the themes of the module, developed around their collective interests.
• To provide unique context and insight to issues around disaster risk in Nepal, during Term 2 the group will have guest speaker sessions with leading figures from the disaster risk reduction community in Nepal, potentially including: BBC Media Action Nepal, British Embassy Kathmandu, the UN Nepal, the National Society for Earthquake Technology, and the Government of Nepal. These sessions will provide first hand insight into policy and practice around disaster risk reduction in Nepal, in addition to personal reflections on working in this field, research ethics in the context of lower and middle income countries, and the emerging agenda around decolonising the geosciences.

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
• Develop skills in the transfer of results of theoretical and conceptual models to understanding of field observations
• 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, and the rapid social and environmental changes ongoing
• Describe and explain approaches to hazard mitigation and management and present these to a range of audiences
• Apply knowledge to problem solving based upon a series of real-world case studies focused upon mountain hazards

• 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 hazardous processes in steep mountain regions
• Evaluate the contribution of physical and social science in mitigating risks from hazards

• Perform interpretations explained in lectures and extract patterns from environmental data
• Summarise the state of knowledge and understanding of complex environmental topics to a policy-facing audience
• Present logical written and oral arguments
• Undertake critical analysis and interpretation of data and text
• Solve problems and make reasoned decisions in the field
• Undertake research-led appraisals of hazard mechanisms and mitigation strategies

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

• Briefing lectures and small group discussions will help students to divide into groups of similar mutual research interests, and to formulate the research project that they will undertake. Support sessions will be used to impart basic facts and information necessary to fulfil the aims of this module, introducing students to the context of Nepal and people who are tasked with managing the hazards, providing background for the group-based research projects. Students will be trained in good practice (to include: data collection and analysis, advanced measurement techniques, time and project management, division of responsibilities and tasks). They will also be given training in relevant decision-making processes in the management of mountain landscapes, which will provide a central focus of the assessment throughout the module.
• 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. Project workshops and drop-in sessions through Term 2 will support the development and completion of the projects. This process will culminate in the presentation of the final group project results, and the submission of a group research project policy-facing 2-pager.
• In Term 3, students will be asked to draw upon their experiences from the module, their learning from the literature, and their reflections on their research, 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: during the project workshops in term 2 and during the group project presentations at the end of term 2; in addition to 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