POL 210 B Disaster Race and American Politics Fall 2020 Professor Melissa Harris Perry Maya Angelou Presidential Chair Department of Politics and International Affairs What is disaster Are disasters simply tragic but natural occurrences with devastating but equal consequences for all individuals and communities within an affected area Is it useful to think of disaster as the unequal distribution of risk vulnerability and resources existing long before a storm gathers on the horizon These are some of the questions we will explore in this course This semester we will study aspects of several contemporary American disasters Hurricane Katrina 2005 Hurricane Maria 201 and the COVID 1 Pandemic 2020 In addition we will consider several historical and comparative cases Through these cases we will explore social political economic and racial dynamics operating prior to during and following major disasters with the goal of understanding how race and racialized policy choices impact vulnerability and resilience LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will develop and deepen knowledge of disaster mitigation planning and policy strategies with a specific focus on the effects of these policies in racialized communities Students will understand the ways and reasons race and class are associated with differential vulnerabilities and levels of community resilience Students will understand roles played by federal state and local governments private industry and media in racialized disasters Students will understand how race affects short and long term recovery and rebuilding Students will gain analytic skills to apply to future disaster circumstances Students will create actionable strategic plans for future disaster circumstances Students will gain competency with professional and scholarly analysis speaking and writing Because all elements of this course are delivered online it is likely you will find it easier to follow the course plan through the Canvas Site This Google Doc version of our syllabus contains the same information To assist with organization and legibility it is organized in Chapters This is a lot of information You do not need to memorize all of this You will receive reminders nudges and explanations and have many opportunities to ask questions
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Created by Melissa Harris Perry
harrismv wfu edu August 2020