spring 2025
SVF-3616 Crisis and Disaster Management - 10 ECTS

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Type of course

The course is reserved for students with admission to Online Master in Contemporary Risk and Crisis Management (CRCM) and other students from the Department of Technology and Safety. May not be taken as a singular course.

Course overlap

If you pass the examination in this course, you will get an reduction in credits (as stated below), if you previously have passed the following courses:

SVF-3202 Crisis management 10 ects

Course content

This course provides analytical insights into the nature and dynamics of crises and disasters at the global level. Drawing on a mix of case-based examples and theoretical reflections on how and why disasters affect societies the way they do, this course sets out to engage with a number of on-going discussions in the disaster research field, including: 1) if and how contemporary crises differ from the crises of the past?; 2) an elementary understanding of how the global disaster management structure is organized and functions; 3) the connection between the pre-disaster conditions and post-disaster outcomes; 4) dilemmas and contradictions that arise as a result of the complexities of large-scale disasters and global patterns of disaster risk creation. The course is to a large extent placed within the context of the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 strategy.

Objectives of the course

Knowledge:

The student

  • can formulate questions engaging with the research frontiers in the field of disaster studies.
  • can identify what characterizes different types of crises and disasters in terms of scale, onset and severity.
  • can account for central theories in the field of disaster research.
  • understand central principles for sound disaster (risk) management and dilemmas between these.
  • can contextualize national, regional and global-level disaster risk reduction initiatives and interactions among these.
  • can critically engage with perspectives on human behaviour in crises and societal responses to disasters.

Skills:

The student

  • can apply central theories of either disaster risk or disaster response to a concrete case.
  • can analyse the relationship between crisis types and the distinct leadership challenges they pose.
  • can reflect on how disasters impact societies and individuals.
  • can differentiate between central principles of disaster management.
  • can understand the central aspects of the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 strategy.

General competence:

The student

  • can reflect on both the precursor events as well as lasting impacts of disasters.
  • can position national-level disaster management work within global and regional frameworks for disaster risk reduction and disaster management.
  • can critically reflect on common misconceptions of disasters as societal phenomenon and leadership challenge.
  • can apply relevant theoretical perspectives to the analysis of a particular disaster occurrence or disaster risk.

Language of instruction and examination

Language of instruction: English

Language of examination: English, but students may answer in a Scandinavian language.

Teaching methods

The course work includes module-based learning which will be given every second week with individual work tasks and project work in between.

Coursework requires active engagement with lecture and reading material as well as group-based project work.

Video lectures, written mini-lectures, live and recorded guest lectures, project work, supervision, training-through-research, digital workshops.

Schedule

Schedule

Examination

Examination: Date: Weighting: Duration: Grade scale:
Off campus exam 12.06.2025 09:00 (Hand out)
13.06.2025 09:00 (Hand in)		 6/10 24 Hours A–E, fail F
Assignment 19.05.2025 15:00 (Hand in) 4/10 A–E, fail F

Coursework requirements:

To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements:
In groups: Case study project description Approved – not approved
In groups: Presentation Approved – not approved
In groups: Peer-review exercise Approved – not approved
Individual: Essay Approved – not approved
Individual: Short essay Approved – not approved
UiT Exams homepage

More info about the coursework requirements

To qualify for assessment, student must pass (marked approved/not approved) the following coursework:

  • A case study project description
  • A presentation
  • A peer review exercise

In addition, there will be two deliverable tasks which are marked (approved/not approved) and will have to be passed to qualify for assessment.

4. Individual essay 1

5. Individual essay 2

More info about the assignment

Examination consists of two parts. One group-based semester project which accounts for 40 % of the grade, and an individual home-based written exam which accounts for 60 % of the grade.

The group-based project should be based on groups of 2-4 students and lasts throughout the semester.

Re-sit examination

Students who do not pass the previous ordinary examination can gain access to a re-sit examination.

Re-sit is granted only for the failed part of the examination.

  • About the course
  • Campus: Online | Other |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: SVF-3616
  • Earlier years and semesters for this topic