Geo 210 - the Geography of Global Danger

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

RYERSON UNIVERSITY

GEO 210: THE GEOGRAPHY OF GLOBAL DANGER

(WINTER, 2012)

Instructor: Dr Abednego Aryee

Office: JOR 623

Office hours: Mondays 3-4 pm

Tel: 416-979-5000

E-mail: aaryee@ryerson.ca

Course Description

The course examines the global threat from various natural and human-made hazards from a Canadian perspective. It sets out to provide an understanding of how they are perceived by the public and assesses individual and collective mechanisms that have been developed to reduce the threat to life and property. This is accomplished by examining selected geophysical, biological, climatic, environmental and malevolent factors that impinge on well-being.

Course Objectives

1. To enhance students’ understanding of the nature of global dangers, occurrence, risk assessment, preparedness and mitigation.

2. To examine the spatial and temporal basis of environmental and human-made risks and to heighten students’ personal awareness of the various hazardous events and the proximity and vulnerability of human populations to these events and landscapes where