Photo by Marc Szeglat on Unsplash

Course Description: This course provides an introduction to the causes, occurrence, and consequences of natural disasters.  Students will analyze the physical causes as well as the distribution and frequency of disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, and extraterrestrial impacts.  Case studies will include local and regional examples of historical and recent disasters.  The course will focus on naturally-occurring disasters but will also consider the role of human activities in both contributing to and mitigating natural disasters.