GV420-4-AU-CO:
The Impact of Disease and Disaster
2023/24
Government
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 4
ReassessmentOnly
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
11 February 2022
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
GV421, GV422
(none)
The module will explore how disease and disaster affect society and the state, and how states and societies can respond and be resilient. We will look at the economic, social, psychological and political implications and responses to disease and disaster from an inter-disciplinary perspective.
We also examine how states build capacity, and the importance of state -societal, and interpersonal trust. In doing so, we also look at the changing definitions of human security.
1. To develop students knowledge and understanding of the conceptual and methodological issues associated with the study of disease and disaster
2. To provide the opportunity for students to learn about existing research on disease and disaster, and offer an overview of the key concepts along with an introduction to competing theories on human security and state capacity
3. To develop and promote students` general analytical skills and capacities to undertake subsequent academic study and for employment, personal development and participation.
4. To maintain an intellectual environment that is exciting and challenging, fostering students` capacities for study and dialogue and maintaining high standards of teaching and learning.
5. To enhance students` skills in teamwork, technical skills, research techniques, critical thinking and writing.
1. To show evidence of the development of students’ skills in teamwork, technical presentations, research techniques, writing and critical thinking.
2. To demonstrate in-depth understanding of how disease and disaster impact state and society
3. To demonstrate the ability to understand and analyse the main findings of disaster and disease research
4. To develop an understanding of sources of information for studying disease and disaster from an inter-disciplinary perspective
5. To develop knowledge of the main theoretical and empirical concepts in human security, disease, disaster, economic development, political stability, state and societal capacity and state and societal trust
6. To evaluate both orally and in writing developments, issues and debates in human security, disease and disaster and state capacity
Week 2: Human Security
What do we mean by human security?
This week is mostly an introductory week, but the seminar will explore the changing conceptions of security and what role disease and disaster play in security frameworks.
Week 3: Infectious diseases
What are the big diseases that threaten humanity? What are the ways in infectious diseases stretch the state? This week provides a summary of the various human diseases that undermine development in countries, with particular focus on AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, known as the big three. Neglected tropical diseases will also be explored as will water washed, water borne and water based diseases. This week investigates the effects of epidemic health crises on development and the state. Other viral infectious diseases such as COVID-19, SARS and Ebola also introduced.
Week 4: Natural disasters and adverse environments
The seminar explains the major environmental issues that states face, such as extreme weather patterns, poor soil quality, unpredictable rainfall, adverse terrain, natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons, and fires) and resource abundance or scarcity. This week explores the effects of these environmental challenges on development and the state.
Week 5: Global contributors to disease and disaster
This week examines the global contributors to disease and disaster such as climate change and looks more specifically at the challenges posed by increased movement of people. Overall, this week provides an overview of the exigencies brought about by globalization to open markets, goods and services, leaving countries more vulnerable to disease and disaster.
Week 6: Poverty vulnerabilities
This week looks at the impact of poverty and conflict in creating disease vulnerabilities. The week explains why low-income countries and those who live in poverty are particularly vulnerable to disease and disaster.
Week 7: Conflict vulnerabilities
This week looks at the impact of conflict on disease and disaster. We also look at complex humanitarian emergencies. In this week, the role of displacement, violent-non state actors and failed states is examined. In doing so we try to understand why there are more deaths in a conflict due to disease than due to deaths in battle.
Impact of Disease and Natural Disaster
Week 8: Economic impact of disease and disasters, Part I.
This week explores the global economic and macro-economic consequences of diseases and disaster, with a special focus on the impact of COVID-19. This week will look at how it impacts growing inequalities and poverty.
Week 9: Societal impact of disease and disasters
This week examines how societies are impacted by disaster in disease, including looking at how it may impact state-society relations, interpersonal trust, crime, domestic violence and civil society. COVID-19 will be specifically looked at. This week may also look at the role of colonial histories.
Week 10: Psychological impacts of disease and disaster
This week explores the trauma and mental health concerns during and in the aftermath of disease and disaster. The week’s discussion focuses on the challenges faced by the public on a personal level, from grief, to loss of work or loss of one’s home, to disruptions in access to health care and medications for chronic conditions and uncertainty regarding employment and school for one’s children.
Week 11: Reading week and assignments due (take home test)
1 hour pre-recorded lecture and a 50 minute online seminar per week. Students will be given prepared content ahead of time in the style of a flipped classroom so that they are able to use the seminar/class to discuss key concepts in depth. This gives students more flexibility with how they want to consume information provided by the lecture and gives them a chance to follow up with discussions. The teaching is designed to help students gain breadth and more in depth understanding of the intersection of disease, disaster, the state, and society.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Reassessment without attendance 2022-23 ONLY IF REQUIRED BY THE EXAM BOARD |
|
|
Additional coursework information
Students will have the opportunity to undertake formative assessment
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Natasha Lindstaedt, email: nezrow@essex.ac.uk.
Professor Natasha Lindstaedt
Natasha Lindstaedt nezrow@essex.ac.uk
Nicola Rowley govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
Yes
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Government
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