This advanced comparative politics course is intended not only for researchers and university-level graduate students interested in the “politics of disaster” but also for emergency managers, humanitarian assistance personnel, and related professionals.  These latter individuals are a special group because they often find themselves involved in risk management or disaster situations that become—often unexpectedly and usually unpleasantly—political.  While the politicization of risk and disaster management is overwhelmingly viewed as negative by emergency management and other disaster professionals, however, it is much more the rule than the exception.  That is, wishing it were otherwise will not make the “politics of disaster” disappear. 

Therefore, this course is explicitly designed to help all concerned— scholars, students, and practitioners—better understand the politics of disaster.  To be equally explicit, this course also has a particular perspective, an “attitude” in current vernacular, on disasters and especially on their causes.

The course will be offered in two versions: Graduate Level 3 credits, and a Certificate version.

Endorsements of CPO 6771

“This frankly stunning course attacks a topic recognized as crucial for decades but also feared because of the complexity of the questions and the implications of the findings. A true pioneer in this area, Olson has crafted an almost unbelievable course that integrates a thorough history of the connections between politics and disasters, recent and current findings (many of those from Olson and his team), and a framework that promises great advances. The syllabus alone, with its annotated reading lists, is a major contribution to knowledge. I have already started borrowing from it. “Combining rigor, depth, and flexibility, this course will be equally useful for the novice as well as the experienced emergency manager, policy-maker, or researcher. Indeed, I know of nothing like it anywhere, and a person could take the course several times and grow with each experience. I can hardly wait to read the research papers!” Ronald W. Perry Professor, School of Public Affairs Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona August 2003 Hurricane Mitch nearing Honduras, 1998

Earthquake Damage in Managua, 1972 "Dr. Olson has done an outstanding job constructing his Disaster and Politics web course, a product that embodies a fine and representative assemblage of works in the important and growing scholarly literature on disaster politics, policies, and emergency management. Olson has been a pioneer of disaster politics research and a master teacher of the subject. His web course is well conceived pedagogically, and it will be immensely valuable to students. This work rides the bow wave of a growth industry in academic research and instruction in disaster policy and emergency management. Because his course is web-based, it offers the prospect of dynamic growth, regular updating, and mass dissemination to eager audiences far and wide. I am especially impressed by Olson’s ability to incorporate and blend domestic and international dimensions of the subject." Professor Richard Sylves Political Science and International Relations University of Delaware September 2003

I can't get over this course. It is stellar and a “must-take” for all emergency managers and for anyone seeking a serious analytic understanding of hazards and disasters. I have been struck over the years that in the wake of virtually every major disaster the same questions keep repeating: “Why in the hell did this happen again? Why weren't we prepared? Who is going to get what in the way of recovery aid, and when? What can we do to prevent this from all happening again?” These are not easy questions to answer, but they are precisely the questions addressed by this course. We need a better understanding of the political causes and consequences of disasters, and this course accomplishes it. No one is better qualified to develop and teach such a course than Professor Olson. Few can equal his wealth of knowledge and experience. Combining his expertise with that of his team means that a student will be offered an unparalleled pedagogical experience. The syllabus alone is a masterpiece and reflects a course of breadth, depth, and rigor. I cannot endorse this course more strongly. Walter Gillis Peacock, Ph.D. Professor of Urban Planning and Senior Research Fellow, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning College Station, Texas Texas A&M University October 2003