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 collection and 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 fieldtrip location in 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 is a field-based 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 field research skills.
• The module starts with context lectures, background literature reviews and discussions thereof, and group project preparation in Terms 1 and 2 of Level 3, prior to a residential fieldtrip during the Easter vacation. The field trip will last approximately two weeks, during which time students will learn about hazards in mountain environments and implement the preparatory work undertaken earlier in the academic year.
• 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.
• Before the trip, students will develop a comprehensive engagement with the literature and available secondary datasets designed to give them the conceptual and theoretical grounding that will be required to operate effectively in the field. This will culminate in the preparation of a policy-facing 2-pager summative assignment submitted at the end of Term 2. During the field trip, students will generate and analyse new data to support and develop their chosen project, with support on data handling and interpretation from the module staff.
• On the trip, students will benefit from direct interaction with government, the development and humanitarian community, industry and academics, who study and manage dynamic mountain landscapes. In visiting overseas partner organisations and in conducting projects within rural mountain communities, the fieldtrip importantly offers students an opportunity to reflect upon issues of research ethics in the context of lower and middle income countries, risk and disasters, and will allow students to consider the importance of the emerging agenda around decolonising the geosciences.
• Students will form groups and undertake research projects over 4 field days that combine theory, hypotheses, data collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination around the themes of the module, developed around their collective interests.

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
• Undertake field work with due regard for safety and risk assessment, and research ethics
• 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 collected in the field
• 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 field-based 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 group discussions before the field trip will help students to divide into groups of similar mutual research interests, and to formulate the field-based project that they will undertake. Sessions in the field will be used to impart basic facts and information necessary to fulfil the aims of this module, introducing students to both the landscape, and people who are tasked with managing the hazards.
• 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 in Term 2 will provide support in the development of the projects. This process will culminate in the development of the group research project policy-facing 2-pager, completed in Terms 1 and 2, that provides vital foundational knowledge for students prior to the field trip.
• The field trip 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. In the field, students will be trained in good practice (to include: field note taking and data collection, advanced measurement techniques, time and project management, division of responsibilities and tasks) which will be assessed in the summative field notebook. 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.
• Continuous assessment will end with presentations of the group projects at the end of the field trip. In Term 3, students will be asked to draw upon their experiences in the field, their learning from the literature, and their reflections on their own data, in order to compete an unseen examination.
• Important Information
• The 2-week field trip will visit Nepal in March 2027, and will leave the UK at the end of Term 2 (provisionally Saturday March 20th 2027), and return approximately 2 weeks later. We schedule the fieldtrip at Easter to avoid the intense rainfall experienced in Nepal during the summer monsoon which extends from June-September, and the cold temperatures at the peak of winter in December to February.
• The cost range for this module is forecast to be £750 - £950. A significant portion of the cost is the flight, which is subject to cost fluctuations at the time of booking due to fuel prices and availability. Forecast costs include travel, accommodation and subsistence, but students will need to arrange their own transport on return to the UK after the trip from the airport onwards if they are not returning to Durham, and any costs associated with vaccinations. Please note that the total field trip cost is heavily subsidised by student fees.
• Please note that you are required to read and consider the risk assessment for this trip prior to signing up. Full participation in the module requires a reasonable degree of fitness and a willingness to work in a challenging and sometimes uncomfortable environment. The fieldtrip number is capped by logistical constraints of accommodating and transporting the group within the field sites in Nepal. All travellers must hold a passport with at least 6 months validity at the time of the fieldtrip, as well as meeting public health guidelines instituted by the UK, Nepal and for transit countries if applicable (likely UAE, Qatar, or Oman). Please speak to the module staff, Prof Matt Brain and Prof Nick Rosser, if you have any questions related to this.
• Non-UK/EU passport holders
• Please ensure you have read carefully the information available on the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office website regarding requirements for entry into. Entry requirements vary greatly and it is important that you highlight this to the Department at the point of selecting this module so that any necessary entry arrangements can begin as early as possible. All additional visa costs must be met by the student.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative feedback will be provided in the following ways: on the initial group project development in the term 2 workshop and during the group project presentations at the end of term 2; throughout the field trip, including on student field notebooks and after the ‘presentations in the field’; in addition to contact time with staff throughout the module.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.