This course examines both ‘natural’ and ‘anthropogenic’ risks, hazards and disasters, and the relationships between the two.  It explores social conflict over how we calculate and manage risks and hazards and the impacts of risk and disaster events on communities. The course will examine what can be learnt about risks – such as those associated with climate – from actual disaster events including cyclones, tsunamis, nuclear power station failures, airline crashes, coal mine explosions and mass deaths in sporting stadia. The course will look at how these disasters have been explained and the ways in which society attempts to apportion blame, very often to individuals. It will evaluate the arguments made by sociologists that risk managers systematically underestimate the likelihood of unusual events because of failures to understand the connections between natural and socio-technical systems. It will show that in almost all circumstances there are organisational failures involved, particularly failures to collect and act on warning signs. The course will also show how the organisational perspective developed in the course can be used to explain other phenomena such as corporate crime and deaths in custody.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

i) Explain, from a sociological perspective, the cause of risk and disaster events.

ii) Utilise sociological theory and evidence to explore the implications of risk and disaster events for people and communities.

iii) Critically analyse policy and other responses to risks and disasters.

i) Essay of 1,500 words on key concepts covered in the course (30%) [LO 1]

ii) Research essay of 3,500 words in which students analyse the causes and outcomes of a contemporary disaster. (70%) [LO 1 - 3]

There will be one two hour lecture and one one hour tutorial every week. Students will be expected to undertake 6 hours independent learning each week.

12 units of 1000 level courses in CASS or with permission of lecturer.

Appropriate first year courses.

Hopkins, A. 2005. Safety, Culture and Risk. CCH: Sydney.

Gunter, V. and Kroll-Smith, S. 2007. Volatile Places: A Sociology of Communities and Environmental Controversies. Pine Forge Press: Thousand Oaks, CA.