Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies

1. Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies An Overview of Brandon University’s ADES Department This presentation is an updated version of the one originally presented by John Lindsay at the PSEPC Higher Education workshop, November 2005.

2. The New Path to Emergency Management • Brandon University began offering a four year degree program in 2001 and has graduated both BA and BSc students in disaster studies. • The ADES degree is designed to combine social and physical sciences perspectives of hazards and disasters within a liberal arts education framework. • The ADES department has three full-time faculty and draws expertise from across Canada. • In 2005/06 over 60 students declared ADES as their major and 50+ students in the 1st year classes.

3. Exciting New Faculty • As of January 06 the ADES faculty is: • Dr Jason Levy • crisis decision making, decision support software • Dr Elaine Enarson • disaster sociology, social vulnerability • John Lindsay • emergency management systems and practices

4. The Original ADES Path • Initially the prescriptive 4 year program relied on heavily courses from other departments. • ADES and these other core courses accounted for 75 of the 120 credit hours for the degree • At least 18 credit hours of elective courses were also selected from either the science (BSc) or planning (BA) concentrations. • The remaining credit hours were for Liberal Education and prerequisite requirements.

5. Challenges* • The original program design, while driven by necessity, created some challenges: • Scheduling difficulties effectively limited the variations possible. • A high degree of homogeneity in the students’ transcripts arose. • Limited students’ options to pursue a minor to complement ADES. * This slide was not included in original presentation.

6. Major / Minor Solution • ADES is now offering a major and minor based program starting in September 2006. • This builds on the established core ADES course offerings while giving students more flexibility in selecting their electives. • The BA/BSc will be based on the selection of Science or Arts electives. • ADES will also be available as a minor.

7. ADES Core Courses • 40:151 Intro to Disaster Studies • 40:152 Intro to Emergency Management • 40:251 Hazards: Causes and Consequences • 40:252 Emergency Planning • 40:253 Hazard and Risk Assessment • 40:352 Emergency Management Law • 40:362 Disaster Response Management • 40:448 ADES Practicum (6 credit hours) • Total Credit Hours: 27

8. ADES Electives • An additional 15 ADES credit hours (5 courses) are selected from topics including: • Disaster Mitigation • Crisis Decision Making and Support Systems • Disaster Sociology • Disasters and Development • International Emergency Management • Risk Communication • Current Issues in Emergency Management

9. Balancing Core and Supporting Courses • The challenge that the ADES program is solving is how to focus students on a discipline that has not yet matured and will be best studied in an interdisciplinary approach. • The combination of core ADES courses with an inclusive set of electives (an additional 12 credit hours) forming the ‘major’ area of study ensures students have a balanced perspective.

10. Theory in Practice • The applied aspects of the program come through in four main ways: • Use of the Emergency Operations Lab • Assignments based on ‘practical’ tasks, including preparing policy related documents • Incorporating current practitioners as guest speakers and sessional instructors. • Client-focused final practicum projects

11. Disaster and Emergency Practicum • Develop and complete a “client based” emergency management project in order to: • Understand the goals, structure and functions of the agency, and how the agency fits into the larger emergency management system. • Identify, comprehend and apply relevant emergency management related concepts and skills. • Gain experience while contributing to local efforts.

12. PLAR* • Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is a BU initiative that allows students who have gained university-level knowledge and skills through life-and-work-experience to apply for academic credit. • ADES welcomes PLAR applications to help recognize prior emergency management experience and training. * This slide was not included in original presentation.

13. Second Degree* • Students who already have a Bachelor's may qualify to take the ADES program as a “second degree student” and finish sooner. • This recognizes the prior degree and reduces the credit hours for the 4 year degree to just what’s required to fulfill the major and minor (e.g. 54 for ADES + 18 for geography = 72) * This slide was not included in original presentation.

14. Liberal Education • Maximum of 18 credit hours (6 credits per area) from courses in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences. • Courses can count toward both the ADES requirement and the Liberal Education requirement. • This complements the interdisciplinary nature of the ADES program.

15. Campus-based Program • ADES is combining the convenience of distance learning with the benefits of campus resources like our Emergency Operations Lab. • To fulfill the residency requirement 60 credit hours must be Brandon University courses – and this may include BU courses offered on-line through Campus Manitoba. • Students considering a combination of distance and campus based study should contact ADES .

16. for more informationwww.brandonu.ca/academic/ADES/ call (204) 727-9768 drop by the ADES offices (ground floor Brodie Science Building)