**EM 331 *Populations at Risk Offered ONLINE Spring 2002***

Institute for Emergency Preparedness, Jacksonville State University

Brenda D. Phillips, Ph.D., Professor

1-800-231-5291 x 8053 or 1-256-782-8053

<Brenda@jsucc.jsu.edu>

Office hours: I am in from 8:30 to 4 most days but please call before
stopping in the office. I can also meet you in the Virtual Classroom for
a live chat.

# Course Description

Documents and analyzes the social construction of vulnerabilities to
disaster. Methods to reduce vulnerabilities and build local capacity are
covered. Emphasizes social, economic, and policy explanations for human
vulnerability to disaster. Uses case studies primarily from the U.S. but
includes international cases as well.

# Disability Support Services

JSU and the IEP work to support the Americans with Disabilities Act. You
can access support at <http://www.jsu.edu/depart/dss/index.html>. Please
let me know if I can assist you with furthering your success in this
course.

# About Online Instruction

Online courses can be wonderful, fun and informative---but it takes a
real commitment from the student and the instructor to maximize the
experience. I'm ready for a great semester and hope that you are too.
The course is truly what you make of it, so dive in and get everything
out of it that you can. In the words of Adrienne Rich, "claim your
education." Claiming your education means that you have an ethical
responsibility to yourself to participate actively through discussion,
class participation, and by questioning the professor, interrogating the
material, and conducting your own independent inquiries.

To maximize our interaction, we offer several avenues:

1.  The Virtual Classroom is critical to your education. We will be
    holding *[live]{.underline}* VC sessions 1-2 times a week, and I
    will arrange them around the majority of your schedules. I expect
    that you will [prepare for class]{.underline} by reading the
    material in advance and writing down questions and comments before
    entering the VC---then entering those items during the session. When
    we have guest speakers, I ask you to email me questions one day in
    advance so that I can help the guest prepare her or his comments. On
    the infrequent occasions when you cannot attend the VC, you can read
    the comments in the Archive. However, you will miss out on some of
    what went up on the whiteboard and may not totally understand the
    context of some of the comments. The URLs are archived for you, but
    the comments that I write are not, nor are the markings that I may
    make on a web site that I may pull up.

2.  The Discussion Board Forums are designed to offer asynchronous (not
    live) times for you to post assignments. The assignments are
    designed for me to test how well you understand the material and to
    prepare you for the mid-term and final examination. I will expect
    you to post assignments by the due date (see policies below). I also
    expect you to interact with each other on the DB by posting comments
    and queries to your classmates. I will do the same.

3.  I am available via email and the 1-800 number. Please have a
    specific comment or question in mind when communicating with me. I
    will spend as much time with you as I can but please bear in mind
    that faculty have additional responsibilities and I must also do
    committee work, teach other classes, and conduct research. Please
    use office hours wisely. Depending on how busy the day is, I usually
    check email first thing in the morning, several times throughout the
    day and sometimes at night. I usually check my voice messages first
    thing, before and after lunch, and before I head home at the end of
    the day. The 1-800 number does not work after 4:30 central time.

4.  I will post comments and lecture notes for each week under Course
    Documents. DO NOT FORGET to read them---this is what will get you
    focused and rolling each week.

# Things I ask of you to get us rolling

1.  Familiarize yourself thoroughly with the course syllabus and the
    course web site. Try to get into the Virtual Classroom *today*.

2.  Go to your student email account at
    [http://gem.jsu.edu](http://gem.jsu.edu/) *NOW*. If you prefer
    another account, forward your GEM mail to it [NOW]{.underline}. I
    will be using **ONLY** the GEM account for your email from now on.

3.  Visit the JSU Distance Education Page. There is a TON of useful
    material there. [http://www.jsu.edu](http://www.jsu.edu/), click on
    Distance Education, then Online Courses, then Help, then Select
    Student. Wow, what a list!

4.  Take the Blackboard Tutorial at
    http://www.jsu.edu/depart/distance/DLBbTutorials.htm.

5.  Consider creating your Home Page. The function for this can be found
    under Tools. It's pretty easy to do and you can upload a photo of
    yourself if you want. If you do not have that capability, send me a
    picture and I will scan it and send it back to you. To find each
    other's Home Pages, follow this series of steps:

> -Click on the Communications button, left side of the Course.
>
> -Click on Roster.
>
> -Click on "list all", the UPPER TAB on the far right.
>
> -Click on "list all", the lower level button (different from the last
> "list all").
>
> -Click on the person's name.
>
> -You should see their home page.

6.  Please take the time at the beginning of the semester to make sure
    that you have the articles for several weeks ahead. If you are
    missing anything or have trouble finding the article, contact me
    immediately. Thanks!

7.  Start a three-ring binder note book for this course or create an
    electronic file for the course on your computer. Get organized from
    the very beginning.

8.  Make sure your computer works...and have 1-2 backup computers
    around. Make friends with a neighbor, find the nearest
    Kinko's---have a contingency plan.

# Readings

There are several books that could be used for this class but some are
dated, others are expensive, and some are not appropriate for an
undergraduate level. To compensate and to make sure that we are as
current as possible, I will be assigning articles. These articles will
be listed in the tentative outline below and in the course web site. The
articles will either be made through electronic reserve at the JSU
library or through photocopies that will be mailed to you. We have
obtained special permission from the International Research Committee on
Disasters to post articles electronically from their *International
Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters*, so you will see a lot of
articles from this journal. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank the International Research Committee on Disasters and the
Huston-Cole Library at JSU for this new advance in online instruction.

# Course Objectives

As a result of this course, students should be able to:

1.  Discuss the varying ways to identify and define populations believed
    to be socially and economically vulnerable to mass emergencies and
    disasters.

2.  Identify varying explanations for why social and economic
    vulnerability exists.

3.  Apply an explanation to a particular group, indicating why the
    social vulnerability exists.

4.  Identify strategies for reducing social vulnerability.

5.  Describe varying organizations and programs for vulnerable
    populations.

6.  Identify and describe critical pieces of research on vulnerability.

7.  Conduct a preliminary vulnerability assessment for a specific
    community and present a tentative plan to reduce their
    vulnerability.

# Course Requirements

1.  Discussion Board Postings 40%. You are expected to post to the
    discussion board forum once per week and to interact with others on
    the DB by asking questions, making comments, and participating in
    creating a shared knowledge base for the course. Think of the
    assignment as the building block for a future e-community of
    colleagues you will work with to reduce vulnerability to disasters.

2.  Virtual Classroom. Attendance is expected in at least one third of
    the sessions. Please see the course policies below. Attendance in
    the VC usually results in better grades and improved use of the
    course materials in future professional capacities. On several
    occasions we will have guest speakers. Some of the guest speakers
    are also the authors of articles you will be reading. Please make
    every effort to attend these sessions as they represent very unique
    opportunities for your education. Their comments will be covered on
    examinations and projects. Your participation in the VC will be used
    to determine borderline grades; up to five points (half a letter
    grade) may be added for high-quality and consistent participation.
    For example, an 85\--which is normally a B\--would be an A with
    quality participation.

3.  Mid-term examination 25%. Your mid-term will be based on the first
    seven weeks of the course and will be a take-home exam (no proctor
    is needed). The mid-term will be a combination of reflection on the
    course materials and practical application within your own
    communities. Be prepared to spend time on the mid-term. Doing so
    will necessitate some local research on your part. I encourage you
    to begin early in the semester by acquiring and familiarizing
    yourself with census data on varying populations in your county or
    city ([http://www.census.gov](http://www.census.gov/)).

4.  Final examination/project 35%. The final will also be a combination
    of reflection on course readings and applied work. You will be
    expected to discuss why social vulnerability exists and to develop
    an action plan for a specific community or organization or group in
    order will reduce vulnerability. I encourage you to begin early by
    identifying useful organizations within your community and to
    collect brochures, web sites and other potentially useful and
    informative items. Think about this project. You are also welcome to
    work on this project collaboratively with someone in the class or
    with an organization or emergency manager in your community.

\*\*\*\*Further details will be posted in the course site regarding the
mid term and final examinations. I want to spend time getting to know
you, your communities, and your needs before I finalize the assignments.
Please feel free to tell me about your communities and your needs so
that I can develop really worthwhile projects for you.

\*\*\*\*Grading for the projects will be based on the following:

A = very high quality work, integrating course materials with practical
application. The work is understandable, well-organized, exceptional
work that follows the guidelines.

B = above average work, integrating course materials with practical
application. Well-organized, well-written, follows the guidelines.

C = average work, uses some course materials, attempts to apply
material, follows majority of the guidelines, organized.

D = below average work, uses few course materials, minimal application,
fails to follow a majority of the guidelines, not organized.

F = assigned to plagiarized papers and to those that fail to meet
standards for a "D" grade.

# Course Policies

1.  Appropriate norms of "netiquette" will be observed, especially in
    use of the Discussion Board and Virtual Classroom. You can read more
    about Netiquette at
    [www.jsu.edu/depart/acsv/use-policy.html](http://www.jsu.edu/depart/acsv/use-policy.html).

2.  I expect that you will attend the Virtual Classroom. Doing so
    provides valuable insights and tips into the course material and
    assignments. While attendance is voluntary, grades are usually
    affected if you do not actively involve yourself in class materials
    and discussions through using the VC.

3.  Late assignments are docked five points per week they are late. I do
    understand that the nature of many of our emergency management jobs
    means that emergencies may occur and must be handled. Contact me
    when these types of situations occur and I will try to accommodate
    you as appropriate. The same is true with personal or family
    emergencies. However, this policy should not be abused. If you fall
    behind in class, you should consider dropping the course or
    requesting an incomplete (see policy on incompletes below).

4.  Plagiarism is not tolerated. You need to write in your own words but
    to cite other works, ideas and contributions appropriately. To learn
    more about the university policy on academic dishonesty, visit
    <http://www.jsu.edu/depart/handbook/page17.html#honesty>.

5.  Times posted for chats are Central Time. Times will be posted on the
    Announcements section of the course; email reminders will usually be
    sent.

# Grading

1.  Generally, the following guidelines will be followed:

    a.  DB will be graded within 72 hours after the due date. Late
        posting will be graded at the convenience of the professor's
        schedule.

    b.  Midterms will be graded and posted within one week.

    c.  Finals will be graded and posted within 48 hours after the last
        day of exams.

2.  Grades will be based on these guidelines:

    a.  A= 100-90

    b.  B= 89-80

    c.  C= 79-70

    d.  D= 69-60

    e.  F= below 60

3.  Incompletes are given only in extremely extenuating circumstances.
    You should discuss this situation prior to the final drop deadline
    for the semester. You need to have completed at least half of the
    assigned work and the midterm to qualify for an incomplete.

# **Tentative Schedule\-\--**

# **Specific dates will be announced on the course web site**

The following topics are tentatively scheduled for spring semester but
will vary depending on student interest and need, unscheduled events,
and the availability of guest speakers. We will be flexible in our
approach---some of these topics will be integrated into a single class,
others will be addressed independently.

## Section I: Thinking about Social Vulnerability Weeks 1-2

-   Introduction to each other and to the course

-   Conceptualizing populations at risk in a disaster framework:

    -   Definitions: vulnerability, marginalization, capacity-building,
        community-based participation, disasters, hazards, risk.

    -   Terminology and changes over time (special needs, special pops,
        etc.)

        -   Defining disasters, emergency management, social services.

*The Key to understanding readings:*

*Library=on electronic course reserve, follow directions above. We also
recommend that you print 1-2 pages at a time and that you enlarge the
print (click on increase %percentage on your Adobe Acrobat program, or
download the program free at the Library Course Reserves web site). If
you have problems, contact me. Your printer may print slowly.*

*CD=posted under Course Documents inside the EM 331 Blackboard course.*

*USPS=sent to you via U.S. Postal Service.*

***To use the electronic reserve, do this:***

1.  Go to [http://www.jsu.edu](http://www.jsu.edu/)

2.  Select the Library Button.

3.  Click on Course Reserves.

4.  On the Instructor blank line, pull down the menu and select
    Phillips.

5.  Click the Search Button.

6.  Select the appropriate article by checking the title or noting the
    EM 331 course designation.

7.  You can print, save, or read it online. You may need to enlarge the
    font size (use the increase percentage button on Adobe Acrobat).
    Your printer may print slowly, so try printing 1-2 pages at a time.

+------+---------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Week | Topic               | reading                                 |
+------+---------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| 1    | Introduction to the | Familiarize yourself with web resources |
|      | Course              | for the course, visit External Links    |
|      |                     | button in the course; search the JSU    |
|      | Introduction to     | Library Electronic Course Reserve.      |
|      | each other          |                                         |
|      |                     |                                         |
|      | Internet resources  |                                         |
|      |                     |                                         |
|      | JSU's Electronic    |                                         |
|      | Reserve             |                                         |
+------+---------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| 2    | Critical course     | "Social vulnerability, sustainability,  |
|      | concepts,           | mitigation and recovery" by Brenda      |
|      | definitions, and    | Phillips. CD                            |
|      | terminology.        |                                         |
|      |                     | "Let them eat risk?"by James Boyce, see |
|      |                     | External Links or go to                 |
|      |                     | http://www.apu.ac.uk/geogra             |
|      |                     | phy/radix/resources/boyce-disasters.doc |
+------+---------------------+-----------------------------------------+

## Section II: Who is Vulnerable? Weeks 3-7

-   Identifying vulnerable populations

    -   Methods for identifying vulnerable groups (i.e. census, surveys,
        etc.)

    -   Issues of: Income, Single parents, Chronic illness and Medical
        needs, Language and literacy, Pre-disaster homelessness and
        street children, Immigrants and issues of Legal Status, Race and
        Ethnicity, Gender, Elderly, Transients and tourists, Isolation
        (rural), Differently abled, Sexual orientation, Religion,
        Children, Battered Women, Social Isolation, Household size and
        structure, et al.

    -   Intersecting vulnerabilities---it's not just one variable, it's
        the "mix."

+------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| Week | topic  | reading                                             |
+------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 3    | M      | Methods Lecture to be posted under Course           |
|      | ethods | Documents.                                          |
|      |        |                                                     |
|      | P      | Lecture on Poverty and Social Class under Course    |
|      | overty | Documents.                                          |
|      | &      |                                                     |
|      | Social | "Creating, sustaining and losing place:             |
|      | Class  | homelessness" by Phillips, USPS.                    |
+------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 4    | Gender | "What's Gender got to do with it?" by Morrow and    |
|      |        | Phillips. Library                                   |
|      | Race   |                                                     |
|      | and    | Read the first two chapters of Dr. Enarson's online |
|      | Eth    | work on Gender and Natural Disasters at             |
|      | nicity | <http://www.ilo.org/publ                            |
|      |        | ic/english/employment/recon/crisis/publ/index.htm>, |
|      |        | also found under External Links on the BB course.   |
|      |        |                                                     |
|      |        | "Race, ethnicity and disasters in the U.S." by      |
|      |        | Fothergill et al., USPS                             |
+------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 5    | Disabi | http://www.jik.com/disaster.html Please read        |
|      | lities | through this site carefully.                        |
|      |        |                                                     |
|      | E      | "Elderly female headed households" by Childers.     |
|      | lderly | Library                                             |
|      |        |                                                     |
|      |        | See the Lecture under Course Documents.             |
+------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 6    | Ch     | See the Lecture under Course Documents              |
|      | ildren |                                                     |
|      |        | Link to <http://www.fema.gov/kids/> and read all    |
|      | Pets   | you can.                                            |
|      |        |                                                     |
|      |        | "A Study of Pet Rescue" Library                     |
+------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 7    | Global | Read chapter 3 of Dr. Enarson's paper at            |
|      | Ineq   | <http://www.ilo.org/publ                            |
|      | uality | ic/english/employment/recon/crisis/publ/index.htm>, |
|      | and    | also found under External Links.                    |
|      | Deve   |                                                     |
|      | loping | Read posting by Dr. Ben Wisner under External Links |
|      | N      | or go to                                            |
|      | ations | http://www.apu.                                     |
|      |        | ac.uk/geography/radix/resources/boyce-disasters.doc |
+------+--------+-----------------------------------------------------+

## *[Mid-term Examination Week 8]{.underline}*

## Section III: Understanding Why People are Vulnerable Weeks 9-11

-   Understanding and explaining vulnerability

    -   The Eco-Systems Approach to Social Vulnerability

    -   Individual and psychological explanations

    -   Social structural explanations, issues of social inequalities

        -   Organizational barriers

        -   Institutionalized discrimination

        -   Economic, political, cultural explanations

        -   Issues of global inequalities, developing nations

+------+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
| Week | Topic                   | reading                            |
+------+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
| 9    | Report from the United  | Turkey Conference is posted under  |
|      | Nations Conference in   | Course Documents.                  |
|      | Turkey, November 2001   |                                    |
|      |                         | Reaching Women and Children is     |
|      | Report from the         | found under External Links,        |
|      | "Reaching Women and     | <http                              |
|      | Children in Disasters"  | ://www.anglia.ac.uk/geography/gdn> |
|      | Conference in Miami,    |                                    |
|      | June 1999               | We will try to schedule a live     |
|      |                         | chat with Dr. Maureen Fordham      |
|      |                         | (United Kingdom) and Dr. Elaine    |
|      |                         | Enarson (United States) around     |
|      |                         | this week.                         |
+------+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
| 10   | Individual,             | "Intergroup Relations in Disaster" |
|      | Organizational and      | by Phillips et al. USPS.           |
|      | Institutionalized       |                                    |
|      | Barriers                | See External Links on              |
|      |                         | Organizations. Please review these |
|      |                         | thoroughly                         |
+------+-------------------------+------------------------------------+
| 11   | Economic, Policy, and   | ""What is social vulnerability"    |
|      | Cultural Barriers.      | posted under Course Documents.     |
|      |                         |                                    |
|      |                         | "The lack of warnings before the   |
|      |                         | Saragosa tornado" by Aguirre,      |
|      |                         | Library.                           |
+------+-------------------------+------------------------------------+

## Section IV: Practicing Vulnerability Reduction through Participatory Action and Capacity-Building Weeks 12-14

-   Reducing Vulnerability: roles and responsibilities of the emergency
    manager

    -   Ethical issues regarding public safety and pops at risk

    -   Comprehensive EM: mitigation, preparedness and planning
        (warning), response and recovery with populations at risk

    -   Strategies for working with pops at risk (guest lectures)

        -   Capacity-building

        -   Participatory action, education and research: Partnerships!

        -   Working with organizations and agencies

        -   Addressing social, political, economic, cultural
            inequalities

            -   The role of social justice movements

            -   Policies and enforcement

+------+-----------+---------------------------------------------------+
| Week | Topic     | reading                                           |
+------+-----------+---------------------------------------------------+
| 12   | Role of   | "Gender, risk and disaster" by Fothergill,        |
|      | EM,       | Library.                                          |
|      | Vuln      |                                                   |
|      | erability | "Cultural diversity in disasters" by Phillips,    |
|      | R         | Library.                                          |
|      | eduction, |                                                   |
|      | and       |                                                   |
|      | Comp      |                                                   |
|      | rehensive |                                                   |
|      | EM: a     |                                                   |
|      | focus on  |                                                   |
|      | gender,   |                                                   |
|      | race and  |                                                   |
|      | ethnicity |                                                   |
+------+-----------+---------------------------------------------------+
| 13   | S         | "Expanding women's participation" by Helena Molin |
|      | trategies | Valdes (USPS)                                     |
|      | at the    |                                                   |
|      | organ     | "But she's a woman and this is a man's job" by    |
|      | izational | Krajeski and Peterson. Library                    |
|      | and       |                                                   |
|      | community | Your choice: go to Dr. Enarson's "Promoting       |
|      | levels: a | Social Justice" article at                        |
|      | focus on  | http://www.apu.ac.uk/geogra                       |
|      | gender    | phy/radix/resources/gender-guidelines-enarson.doc |
|      |           | OR Read Chapter 4 from Dr. Enarson's work at      |
|      |           | http://www.ilo.org/publ                           |
|      |           | ic/english/employment/recon/crisis/publ/index.htm |
+------+-----------+---------------------------------------------------+
| 14   | S         | Fred Cuny, TBA                                    |
|      | trategies |                                                   |
|      | at the    |                                                   |
|      | social    |                                                   |
|      | s         |                                                   |
|      | tructural |                                                   |
|      | level: a  |                                                   |
|      | focus on  |                                                   |
|      | poverty   |                                                   |
|      | and       |                                                   |
|      | de        |                                                   |
|      | velopment |                                                   |
+------+-----------+---------------------------------------------------+

## Review and Final Exam Week 15 & Finals Week