Theories of Risk, Crisis and Disasters

Module code: MN7631

During the last forty years, risk has increasingly become of interest to social analysts and practitioners. Risk, however, is not a new problem. It could be argued that humans have been attempting to manage the problem of risk for as long as they have had powers of cognition. Certainly, from examining early documentary sources, the risk issue has been considered for almost as long as writing itself.

In the complex social world in which we now live, particularly since the 1980s, risk has emerged as a key concept for the social sciences. Some theorists have even suggested that risk represents a fundamental principle for organisation in the social sciences.

A formative two-week induction on Academic Writing and Language Skills is integrated into this module in order to help students with no academic background or first degree to develop their academic writing skills.

Topics covered

• Theories of crises
• Systems ideas and risks
• Health and safety management
• The management of organisational risks
• Safety culture
• Academic writing skills, planning and structuring academic assignment, and avoiding plagiarism 
• Case studies