Spring 2026 (DRAFT)

Most course material will be made available through the Course Canvas Page

Instructor:

Course Information

Course Objectives:

This class is developed to give students insight into the physical underpinnings of the major natural geologic and climate-related hazards, as well as strategies to mitigate damage to life, the environment and infrastructure in order to maximize long-term sustainability. We will synthesize our understanding of many components of Earth sciences (including geology, oceanography, and climatology) to understand the varied contributions that collectively create risk to populations. We will examine regional susceptibilities to hazards, including event severity and frequency of occurrence, and the impact that economics, regulations, and monitoring may have on the community.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will develop an integrated understanding of Earth hazards and their impact to populations:

  • Geologic Hazards including earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, tsunamis.
  • Atmospheric Hazards including hurricanes, flooding, climate change.
  • Synthesis of Earth System interactions as they pertain to direct and cascading hazards.
  • Data analysis and statistics based on real-world data
  • Scientific Communication through written and oral communication

Required Text:

  • Keller, E. A., & D. E. DeVecchio, Natural Hazards, 5th Ed., Taylor & Francis Group, ISBN: 9781315164298, 2019.

I don’t normally recommend E-editions for majors (great reference), but you may want to consider going entirely digital.