Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, any references to assessment tasks and on-campus delivery may no longer be up-to-date on this page.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Peter Rogers
|
---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
|
Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
Unit description |
Unit description
These are uncertain times, but how do we deal with them? Given the increased frequency and severity of crises this is a key concern for us all. Floods, fires, epidemics, wars, riots, corruption, pollution, terror attacks (real and imagined); be it sudden shocks or slow stressors we are constantly required to be vigilant, for danger is everywhere. But why? Is the world truly so dangerous? How do we study and research this; how do we secure the world and make it a safer place. This unit breaks down these questions and provides insight into the study of disasters through the study of resilience. In this unit we question the use and utility of these concepts and explore the tools now used for governing these uncertain times. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Assessment details are no longer provided here as a result of changes due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Students should consult iLearn for revised unit information.
Find out more about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and potential impacts on staff and students
MAJOR ESSAY
The Major essay requires students to pick one topic area from (a) Risk, (b) Disaster or (c) Resilience and one disaster event from the following list:
They will then write an essay explaining (a) the core concepts of the theory, (b) the application of this theory by researchers, related specifically to the disaster event chosen from the above list.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GROUP PROJECT
The assessment policy requires that "at least 50% of group work assessment shall be allocated to individual performance". To comply with this policy the group project is divided into 3 components - two group components and an individual component. These grades are then combined to give students a final mark for the group project assessment.:
IMPORTANT NOTES:
------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION / ATTENDANCE / COMPLETION OF ACTIVITIES
There is no 'active participation' component of assessment in this unit. Students who complete the learning activities according to instructions (be they on campus or online) have historically achieved better grades than those who do not. The choice and responsibility, however, are entirely yours. See ATTENDANCE / COMPLETION OF ACTIVITIES in the Delivery and Resources section below for more details.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.
Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
WORKLOAD
Managing expectations is important. Students will benefit from the practice of time management through planning ahead. This helps to ensure they meet the requirements of study.
This unit is worth 10 credit points which equates to 150 hours of work; therefore, you should expect to commit an average of 12 hours of your time per week to this unit including all scheduled (e.g. lectures, tutorials/online activities = 3 hours per week on average) and unscheduled activities (e.g. reading, tutorial preparation, online activity preparation = 6 hours per week on average) as well as preparing and executing the assessment tasks (e.g. updating the group wiki space each week, writing your essay, presenting your project = 3 hours per week on average).
Workload will fluctuate somewhat throughout term, with more time required for assessment around deadline dates, so it is important to plan ahead. If you are concerned about your time management practices seek advice from academic staff early in the session. Further support and training is also available in the library and from student support services.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LECTURES
The lectures in this unit are pre-recorded and available on echo.
Powerpoint slides are not provided in this unit. Academic research has proven that instructor-provided slides had no impact on class attendance and have an adverse impact on course performance for students using these slides in their note-taking process:
"While the present study found few educational benefits from the deployment of [PPT] slides, it did confirm the long-established effect of class attendance. Thus, students may need to worry less about whether their instructors are providing IP slides to a class and instead worry more about simply going to that class." (Worthington & Levassuer, 2015: 21) [read the full study here]
Instead of downloading PPT slides, you can review the echo recording. If you have a learning disability and require assistance please contact the disability support team and help will be provided.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTENDANCE / COMPLETION OF ACTIVITIES
There are no compulsory on campus sessions for this unit for fully online/external students.
There is also no 'active participation' component of assessment in this unit. Students who complete the learning activities according to instructions (be they on campus or online) have historically achieve better grades than those who do not. The choice and responsibility are entirely yours.
Discussion activities will be provided for online students every week. You will find these tasks in General Discussion Board, in iLearn. Fully online/external students are invited to contribute to these discussions in lieu of attending a tutorial on campus.
Fully online/external students are invited, but not required, to attend the on campus discussion groups in week 11 and 12. These will be recorded and monitored and students are invited to ask questions through the live lecture recording chat. Academic staff will monitor this and attempt to answer those questions each week - if not during the live recording then through the discussion board and online activities.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
READING
Leganto will be used as the main resource for your reading list.
Check the Leganto block in iLearn for links to your weekly reading. Due to copyright restrictions beyond our control not all readings will be available on Leganto for the entire term. It is important to download and access your readings in a planned and timely manner. This is even more important if students choose not to or cannot afford to buy multiple textbooks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERAL SUPPORT
Full details and links to the policies and procedures at MQ are included in this unit guide, under the heading 'policies and procedures'.
General questions about the unit not covered in this unit guide can be posted to the appropriate thread in iLearn for 'general enquiries'. If you need to speak to a member of academic staff about any aspect of the unit content or unit assessment you may do so by email or by appointment (email the unit convenor for a date and time).
For administrative matters (such as enrolment or tech support) please check the askmq FAQs and student support services.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status
See iLearn
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.