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Unit of study_
GEOS2111: Hazards, Climate Change and Disasters
2025 unit information
The unit provides an essential framework for understanding the classification of natural hazards within Earth systems and explores key examples of geological, atmospheric, hydrological and biological hazards and explores the social relations and processes that turn hazard events into disasters. Given the vast majority of disasters are climate and weather-related, basics of weather, climate and climate change will be explored. Students will be introduced to key concepts in the study of hazards and disasters including underlying theories and models as well as critically interrogating concepts of vulnerability and resilience. Basic elements of the process of disaster risk reduction will be introduced. Case studies and examples from Australia and around the world will be drawn upon to unpack the nuances of hazard and disasters.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Geosciences Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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6 credit points of 1000-level units from (GEOS1XXX or GEOL1XXX) |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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GEOS2911 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Describe and classify the Earth’s four major planetary systems and be able to associate the relevant natural hazard types
- LO2. Critically describe and interrogate the core concepts underpinning the study of natural hazards and disasters (drawing from disciplines such as geography, earth sciences, governance and political sciences, health systems, engineering and social and cultural studies) and demonstrate their intersection with climate change and disaster risk reduction and management
- LO3. Identify and explain how concepts of vulnerability, resilience, risk and adaptive capacity interact to determine disaster losses (or not) in a particular situation or context
- LO4. Review and comment upon the causes, processes, impacts and effects of selected natural hazard types
- LO5. Review and describe the basics of climate change and relate human-induced climate change to the occurrence of commonly occurring hydro-meteorological hazards
- LO6. Describe and discuss the various approaches to disaster risk reduction and management
- LO7. Provide a range of examples and case studies to illustrate your knowledge of natural hazards, climate change and disasters from high, medium and low-income countries
- LO8. Critically understand the range of technologies available to support spatial analysis as a mechanism for assessing hazard, risk and vulnerability and managing disasters
- LO9. Organise and communicate a coherent account of personal research about various aspects of natural hazards, climate change and disaster management using various written formats (e.g., report, newspaper article, poster etc)
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
