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UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction

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Postgraduate modules

RDR postgraduate programmes are based on core taught department, programme and skills modules. These vary between programmes so please check the individual programme information to find out which modules comprise the different programmes.

Availability of modules

This module list is indicative and we cannot guarantee availability of modules, especially those in other departments. You should check the UCL Module Directory for the full list of modules for this academic year. We will endeavour to communicate any changes made during the year.

For undergraduate modules, please see the programme page or the UCL Module Catalogue.

RDR Core Taught Modules

These modules are compulsory for all our Master's programmes:

    IRDR0015 - Integrating Science Into Disaster Risk Reduction

    Module Tutor: Professor Joanna Faure Walker 
    Module code: IRDR0015, 15 credits
    Department: RDR
    Keywords: Risk, Hazard, Vulnerability, Disaster, Natural disaster, Risk modelling, Catastrophe model, Insurance, Mitigation, Risk reduction

    Full module details

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    IRDR0002 - Emergency Planning and Management

    Module Tutor: Dr Dan Haines and Dr Sarah Dryhurst
    Module code: IRDR0002, 15 credits
    Department: RDR
    Keywords: Emergency, Crisis, Disaster, Emergency plan, Business continuity planning, Response, Recovery

    Full module details

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    RDR Taught Skills Modules

    Taught skills modules available in all our programmes (see individual Master's programme pages in our prospectus to find out which are compulsory/optional):

      IRDR0004 - Data Analysis and Interpretation

      Module Tutor: Dr Bayes Ahmed
      Module code: IRDR0004, 15 credits
      Department: RDR

      Full module details

      IRDR0005 - Practice and Appraisal of Research

      Module Tutor: Dr Yasmine Sabri and Dr Lisa Danquah
      Module code: IRDR0005, 15 credits
      Department: RDR

      Full module details

      Further RDR Taught Modules

      These module can be compulsory or optional for different masters programmes and are not available across all programmes:

      IRDR0001 - Natural and Anthropogenic Hazards and Vulnerability

      Module Tutor: Dr Ting Sun
      Module code: IRDR0001, 15 credits
      Department: RDR
      Keywords: Hazard, Vulnerability, Resilience, Natural hazard, Anthropogenic Hazard, Extra-terrestrial Hazard, Geological hazard, Geophysical hazard, Meteorological hazard, Risk, Disaster, Natural disaster, multi-hazard, Earthquake, Tsunami, Landslide, Volcano, Severe storm, Hurricane, Cyclone, Tornado, Flood, Drought, Terrorism, Building vulnerability

      Full module details

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      IRDR0003 - Crisis Management and Supply Chain Resilience

      Module Tutor: Dr Gianluca Pescaroli and Dr Yasmine Sabri
      Module code: IRDR0003, 15 credits
      Department: RDR
      Keywords: Emergency, Crisis, Disaster, Emergency management, Business continuity management, Response, Recovery

      Full module details

        IRDR0006 - Conflict, Humanitarianism and Disaster Risk Reduction 

        Module tutor: Professor Ilan Kelman
        Module code: IRDR0006, 15 credits
        Department: RDR

        Full module details

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        IRDR0008 - Catastrophe Risk Modelling

        Module Tutor: Dr Roberto Gentile
        Module code: IRDR0008, 15 credits
        Department: RDR
        Keywords: Risk, Hazard, Vulnerability, Disaster, Risk modelling, Catastrophe model, Insurance

        Full module details

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        IRDR0009 - Digital Health: Epidemics and Emergencies in the Era of Big Data (not running in 2024/25 academic year)

        Module Tutor: Professor Patty Kostkova
        Module code: IRDR0009, 15 credits
        Department: RDR
        Keywords: Public health, global health, big data, serious games, computer science, disaster surveillance

        Please note: this module will not run in the 2024/25 academic year.

         

        IRDR0010 - Advanced Hazards

        Module Tutor: Dr Saman Ghaffarian
        Module code: IRDR0010, 15 credits
        Department: RDR
        Keywords: Risk, earthquake, seismology, statistical modelling, numerical modelling, earthquake science, seismic risk assessment

        Full module details

        IRDR0012 - Risk, Disaster and Resilience Project

        Module Tutor: Dr Yasmine Sabri
        Module code: IRDR0012, 60 credits
        Department: RDR

        Full module details

        IRDR0014 - MRes Risk and Disaster Reduction Project

        Module Tutor: Dr Sarah Dryhurst
        Module code: IRDR0014, 105 credits
        Department: RDR

        Full module details

        IRDR0016 - Gender, Disaster and Conflict

        Module Tutor: Dr Punam Yadav 
        Module code: IRDR0016, 15 credits
        Department: RDR
        Key words: Structural vulnerabilities in disaster and conflict, sexual minorities, disaster, conflict and gender as a continuum, gender theory, intersectionality, climate change, internal displacement and migration, gender responsiveness policies and practices

        Full module details

        This module has been receiving excellent  feedback from students every year.

        The module is incredibly versatile, as it combines diverse perspectives on conflict and disaster from experienced academics and practitioners within the field. I have found the weekly guest lectures interactive and engaging, bringing key insights about the real-world challenges of developing meaningful gendered research and policy. I have particularly appreciated hearing first-hand about academics’ experiences of conducting gendered research in different cultural contexts, ranging from Brazil to Nepal to Lebanon. Engaging with critical, intersectional and decolonial discourses has also encouraged me to expand my understanding of gender and power from the personal to the institutional level. This module has changed the ways in which I will think about inclusive peacebuilding, development, and disaster risk reduction going forward, and I would highly recommend it to students will all levels of gender knowledge (student’s feedback from 2022-2023 cohort).

        This module offered so much more than I was expecting, and I am sad to leave it behind. The seminars never failed to disappoint; always highly informative and challenging and I enjoyed the class discussions. The involvement of guest lecturers brought diversity to the syllabus. Punam is very good in encouraging discussion and comment around difficult topics, and she is skilful in managing positive group participation. I find this unique amongst the modules I have taken over the course of my Masters, and would encourage anyone to take this thought-provoking module (student’s feedback from 2020-2021 cohort).

        This was module was my favourite module of my Masters course. The well-structured material, coupled with the seminar interactive sessions made this module a great learning experience. The small class size made contributing to discussions easy and the group breakout discussions worked really well. I also thought the critical reading and blog assessments were really interesting (Student’s feedback from 2020-2021 cohort).

        The module has completely changed how I now view and analyse disasters. I started the Gender, Disaster and Conflict module, with little understanding of gender studies. However, not only have I gained knowledge in gender theory, and its applications within the disaster and conflict context, but I have also had the opportunity to participate in discussions with leading academics and practitioners, that have undertaken incredibly meaningful research. Without doubt I will take this new perspective forward with me in my future work and career. (Student’s feedback from 2019-2020 cohort)

        Recommended reading

        • Judith Butler (2006). Gender Trouble: feminism and the subervision of identity. Routledge.    
        • RW Connell and Rebecca Pearse (2015). Gender: In world perspective. Polity Press
        • R W Connell (2020): Masculinities, University of California Press 
        • Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge (2016). Intersectionality. Polity press  Punam Yadav (2020). Can women benefit from war? Women’s agency in conflict and post-conflict contexts. Journal of Peace Research, vol 58 (3): 449-461 https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343320905619 
        • Gaillard, J.C., Gorman-Murray, A. and Fordham, M. (2017) Sexual and gender minorities in disaster, Gender, Place and Culture, Gender, Place and Culture 24 (1), pp. 18-26. Carol Cohn (2013) (ed.). Gender and Wars. Polity press
        • Punam Yadav and Denise Horn (2021). “Continuum of violence: feminist peace research and gender-based violence”, in Tarja Väyrynen, Swati Parashar, Élise Féron, and Catia Cecilia Confortini (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Feminist Peace Research. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/continuums-violence-punam-yadav-d...
        • Yadav, P., Saville, N., Arjyal, A., Baral, S., Kostkova, P. and Fordham, M. (2021). A feminist vision for transformative change to disaster risk reduction policies and practices, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Vol 54, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.102026 
        IRDR0017 - Business Continuity Management and Operational Resilience

        Module Tutor: Dr Gianluca Pescaroli
        Module code: IRDR0017, 15 credits
        Department: RDR

        Full module details

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        IRDR0026 - Statistical Modelling of Hazards and Risks 

        Module Tutor: Prof Fatemeh Jalayer
        Module code: IRDR0026
        Department: RDR

        Full module details

        IRDR0046 - Resilience, Adaptation and Development

        Module Tutor: Prof Mark Pelling
        Module code: IRDR0046
        Department: RDR

        Full module details

        IRDR0047 - Geospatial Data Science

        Module Tutor: Dr Saman Ghaffarian
        Module code: IRDR0047, 15 credits
        Department: RDR

        Full module details