A survey of the methods and models used to understand human responses to hazards. The course reviews the rich tradition of hazards research in geography, particularly through the lens of social science. The course will include discussions of both so-called "natural hazards" (e.g., floods, fires, earthquakes) and "technological hazards" (e.g., nuclear technology, genetically modified organisms, terrorism, war) as examples. View most recent syllabus.
This course concerns the human uses of and impacts on the environment and resources through a social science and policy lens. While we will use the concept of "sustainability" throughout, we will critically analyze the meaning of this term in various contexts. We will examine contemporary environmental and resource issues using case examples throughout the term. View most recent syllabus.
A survey of a range of social scientific methods for studying humans (e.g., interviews, questionnaires); with an emphasis on research designs involving human interaction. Topics include identifying research problems, questions and designs, sources of error, ethics and values in research, methods of data collection, data analysis and presentation of findings. View most recent syllabus.
This is a survey course regarding the links between human health and environmental hazard exposure. Issues will include the health impacts of water pollution, air pollution, solid and hazardous waste, toxic substances, pesticides and radiation. The limitations of models and methods are discussed. View most recent syllabus.
Research design is a practical course leading towards the production of a provisional thesis proposal and a public presentation of the proposal. The logical structure of proposals and the substance of the arguments are reviewed and rehearsed across a broad spectrum of research design strategies. This course is restricted to Geography students only. View most recent syllabus.
This course introduces students to epistemological issues that distinguish qualitative from quantitative methods and provides an overview of several of the main types of qualitative research methods. It also considers ethical issues and data analysis and management challenges that are associated with qualitative research. Students will use the knowledge that they gain in this course to write a research paper. View most recent syllabus.
A customizable "readings" course to cover advanced studies topics not covered in the other EDH specialty courses and offered as needed, particularly for my own students, but when I do so, others are very welcome to join. Past topics have included: social theories of risk and waste geographies. View most recent syllabus.
