Unit information: Natural Hazards in Central America (without fieldwork) in 2022/23

Unit name	Natural Hazards in Central America (without fieldwork)
Unit code	EASCM0050
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Phillips
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	EASCM0065 Volcanic Processes, Models and Hazards
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	N/A
Units you may not take alongside this one	N/A
School/department	School of Earth Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Unit Information

Students are introduced to physical (e.g. ash), derived (e.g. isopach/isopleth) geophysical (e.g. seismic or geodetic) and/or remote sensing observations of the volcanic centres and their associated hazards.

Students will be challenged to research the socio-economic context of their work as a field-based unit is designed to do in situ.

This unit is designed to be an alternative if the fieldwork unit EASCM1008 is unable to take place due to travel-related restrictions OR if students are unable to take EASCM1008 for financial or other reasons.

Your learning on this unit

On successful completion of the unit, you will be able to:

• Use remote sensing and/or geophysical data to investigate and delimit volcanic processes
• Further develop an understanding of the physical processes governing the behaviour of volcanic hazards
• Use measurements of volcanic activity using various geophysical techniques, including processing of remote sensing data.
• Discuss in detail the climate, demographics, politics and natural hazards of Central America
• Fully appreciate the difference between hazards in the developed and developing world
• Describe the history of the impacts of natural hazards in Central America

How you will learn

Supervised research over a three week period.

How you will be assessed

Coursework (100%) consisting of a 3000 word report that will focus on a specific research question, addressable with the data provided.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EASCM0050).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.