HSCI 3246 -- Proposed New Course

Mon Aug 21 10:26:14 2017



Approvals Received:
Department
on 7/24/17
by Julia Knoll
(jknoll@umn.edu)
Approvals Pending: College/Dean  > Provost > LE > Catalog > PeopleSoft Manual Entry
Effective Status:
Active
Effective Term:
1183 - Spring 2018
Course:
HSCI 3246
Institution:
UMNTC - Twin Cities/Rochester
Campus:
UMNTC - Twin Cities
Career:
UGRD
College:
TIOT - College of Science and Engineering
Department:
11142 - Science & Technology, Hist of

General

Course Title Short:
(Un)Natural Disasters
Course Title Long:
History of (Un)Natural Disasters
Max-Min Credits for Course:
3.0 to 3.0 credit(s)
Catalog Description:
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, wildfires, epidemic disease, and technological failures?This course will examine large scale natural events in American and world history, the social, technological, and environmental conditions that underlie them, and their historical consequences. Human societies have long been embedded in physical landscapes where they are subject to specific environmental conditions and physical risks: eight thousand-year-old wall paintings in Turkey depict the eruption of Hasan Dag volcano over the city of Catal Huyuk, for example. But then and now, it takes a certain combination of social conditions and environmental events to create a natural disaster. In this course, we will use historical natural disasters to explore the interconnections between the structures and ideas of human society and environmental forces. Humans have not been simply the random victims of natural disasters; where and how they chose to live influenced the impact of any disastrous event. Examining these events in a historical context will help us see the social, technological, scientific, and environmental systems that have been constantly interacting, but which are normally taken for granted until they break down.
Print in Catalog?:
Yes
CCE Catalog Description:
false
Grading Basis:
OPT
Topics Course:
No
Honors Course:
No
Online Course:
No
Freshman Seminar:
No
Is any portion of this course taught outside of the United States?:
No
Community Engaged Learning (CEL):
New: None
Old:
Instructor Contact Hours:
3.0 hours per week
Course Typically Offered:
Periodic Spring
Component 1:
LEC
Auto Enroll Course:
No
Graded Component:
LEC
Academic Progress Units:
3.0 credit(s) (Not allowed to bypass limits.)
Financial Aid Progress Units:
3.0 credit(s) (Not allowed to bypass limits.)
Repetition of Course:
Repetition not allowed.
Course Prerequisites for Catalog:
<No Text Provided>
Course Equivalency:
HSCI 3246/5246
Cross-listings:
Parent course: HSCI 3246, Crosslist: HSCI 5246
Add Consent Requirement:
No required consent
Drop Consent Requirement:
No required consent
Enforced Prerequisites: (course-based or non-course-based):
No prerequisites
Editor Comments:
<No text provided>
Proposal Changes:
<No text provided>
History Information:
<No text provided>
Faculty Sponsor Name:
Robert Gardner
Faculty Sponsor E-mail Address:
gardnerr@umn.edu

Student Learning Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes

* Students in this course:

- Can locate and critically evaluate information

How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated.

This course fulfills the "can locate and critically evaluate information" Student Learning Outcome. This skill is developed and assessed through individual discussion assignments and History Labs that require research and analysis of a specific topic and through reaction papers that require critical analysis of a scholarly argument. One example is that students will research primary source material to write a paper on an historical pandemic of a disease.

Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome.

Work will be assessed based on quality of research sources and final essays and papers.

- Can communicate effectively

How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated.

This course also fulfills the “can communicate effectively” Student Learning Outcome through written work in essay exams and reaction papers and verbal communication in class discussions and History Lab presentations.

Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome.

Students will be assessed on written communication based on quality of essay exams and papers. Verbal communication will be assessed based on in-class discussions and presentations.

Liberal Education

Requirement this course fulfills:
HIS Historical Perspectives
Other requirement this course fulfills:
ENV Environment
Criteria for
Core Courses:

Describe how the course meets the specific bullet points for the proposed core requirement. Give concrete and detailed examples for the course syllabus, detailed outline, laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or method.

Core courses must meet the following requirements:

  • They explicitly help students understand what liberal education is, how the content and the substance of this course enhance a liberal education, and what this means for them as students and as citizens.
  • They employ teaching and learning strategies that engage students with doing the work of the field, not just reading about it.
  • They include small group experiences (such as discussion sections or labs) and use writing as appropriate to the discipline to help students learn and reflect on their learning.
  • They do not (except in rare and clearly justified cases) have prerequisites beyond the University's entrance requirements.
  • They are offered on a regular schedule.
  • They are taught by regular faculty or under exceptional circumstances by instructors on continuing appointments. Departments proposing instructors other than regular faculty must provide documentation of how such instructors will be trained and supervised to ensure consistency and continuity in courses.

This course fulfills the Historical Perspectives Core by: • Studying the historical relationships between human settlements and societies and their surrounding environments, particularly paying attention to how perceptions of that relationship contribute to and are subsequently shaped by natural disasters • Examining the human past in regard to historical changes in physical structures and social institutions, especially as they intersect with and are influenced by natural disasters during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries • Having students use historical methods and critical thinking to examine historical events and analyze scholarly arguments. These skills will be assessed through graded reaction papers and History Labs. • Having students work with historical primary sources, particularly in interpreting historical documents as part of discussion assignments and History Labs. • Having students evaluate the uses and limitations of primary sources through class discussions and individual work in reaction papers and discussion assignments. • Considering how historical questions and sources inform our understanding of the past and its significance in creating the present, particularly through writing reading reaction papers and essay exam questions which require students to make connections between historical events and contemporary conditions.

Criteria for
Theme Courses:

Describe how the course meets the specific bullet points for the proposed theme requirement. Give concrete and detailed examples for the course syllabus, detailed outline, laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or methods.

Theme courses have the common goal of cultivating in students a number of habits of mind:
  • thinking ethically about important challenges facing our society and world;
  • reflecting on the shared sense of responsibility required to build and maintain community;
  • connecting knowledge and practice;
  • fostering a stronger sense of our roles as historical agents.

This course fulfills the Environment Theme by: • Examining major environmental issues such as urbanization, pollution, climate change, environmental justice and the influence of technologies and social structures (like colonialism and markets) on the environment • Uncovering the interrelationships between the natural environment and human society by specifically looking at instances where those relationships break down through historical combinations of natural events, technological failures, and social policies • Becoming familiar with the underlying scientific principles involved in the natural mechanisms of disasters (such as plate tectonics, hydrological cycle, and El Niño), particularly through learning the history of science and the influence of disasters in shaping environmental knowledge • Exploring the limitations of technological fixes and social or institutional programs in regard to preventing natural disasters, while recognizing that these technologies and programs continue to change in response to historical disasters • Learning how to recognize and utilize reliable sources of information about the environment and historical events through discussion assignments and reaction papers and by comparing historically changing explanations of environmental processes over the course of the semester • By understanding that solutions to environmental problems are inextricably bound up with the ethics and values of a society through recognizing that environmental issues and social justice issues are regularly joined together in the circumstances of natural disasters

LE Recertification-Reflection Statement (for LE courses being re-certified only):
<No text provided>
Statement of Certification:
This course is certified for a Core (blank) as of
This course is certified for a Theme (blank) as of

Writing Intensive

Propose this course as Writing Intensive curriculum:
No
Question 1 (see CWB Requirement 1):

How do writing assignments and writing instruction further the learning objectives of this course and how is writing integrated into the course? Also, describe where in the syllabus there are statements about the critical role writing plays in the course.

<No text provided>
Question 2 (see CWB Requirement 2):

What types of writing (e.g., research papers, problem sets, presentations, technical documents, lab reports, essays, journaling etc.) will be assigned? Explain how these assignments meet the requirement that writing be a significant part of the course work, including details about multi-authored assignments, if any. Include the required length for each writing assignment and demonstrate how the 2,500 minimum word count (or its equivalent) for finished writing will be met.

<No text provided>
Question 3 (see CWB Requirement 3):

How will students' final course grade depend on their writing performance? What percentage of the course grade will depend on the quality and level of the student's writing compared to the percentage of the grade that depends on the course content? Note that this information must also be on the syllabus.

<No text provided>
Question 4 (see CWB Requirement 4):

Indicate which assignment(s) students will be required to revise and resubmit after feedback from the instructor. Indicate who will be providing the feedback. Include an example of the assignment instructions you are likely to use for this assignment or assignments.

<No text provided>
Question 5 (see CWB Requirement 5):

What types of writing instruction will be experienced by students? How much class time will be devoted to explicit writing instruction and at what points in the semester? What types of writing support and resources will be provided to students?

<No text provided>
Question 6 (see CWB Requirement 6):

If teaching assistants will participate in writing assessment and writing instruction, explain how will they be trained (e.g. in how to review, grade and respond to student writing) and how will they be supervised. If the course is taught in multiple sections with multiple faculty (e.g. a capstone directed studies course), explain how every faculty mentor will ensure that their students will receive a writing intensive experience.

<No text provided>
Statement of Certification:
This course is certified for a Theme (blank) as of

Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus:
HISTORY OF (UN)NATURAL DISASTERS HSCI 3246/5246 3 Units University of Minnesota Spring 2018 TTH 11:15-12:30 Ford Hall 110 Instructor: Robert Gardner Office: Shepherd Labs 131 Phone: 612-626-7581 Email: gardnerr@umn.edu Teaching Assistant: Samuel Froiland Office: Shepherd Labs 152 Email: froil017@umn.edu Office Hours: TTH 4:00 to 5:00 and by appointment. I am usually in my office throughout the day and you are welcome to stop in and see me anytime I am there. Course Description Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, wildfires, epidemic disease, and technological failures—This course will examine large scale natural events in American and world history, the social, technological, and environmental conditions that underlie them, and their historical consequences. Human societies have long been embedded in physical landscapes where they are subject to specific environmental conditions and physical risks: eight thousand-year-old wall paintings in Turkey depict the eruption of Hasan Dag volcano over the city of Catal Huyuk, for example. But then and now, it takes a certain combination of social conditions and environmental events to create a natural disaster. In this course, we will use historical natural disasters to explore the interconnections between the structures and ideas of human society and environmental forces. Humans have not been simply the random victims of natural disasters; where and how they chose to live influenced the impact of any disastrous event. Examining these events in a historical context will help us see the social, technological, scientific, and environmental systems that have been constantly interacting, but which are normally taken for granted until they break down. Course Goals • To develop critical thinking skills, particularly by trying to untangle the combinations of social and environmental forces and the interconnecting systems that have historically made up a natural disaster. • To explore how natural disasters have shaped the history of human societies. • To study how people have understood and explained past natural disasters. • To develop good writing and speaking skills by analyzing the above issues and presenting our conclusions in formal essays and classroom discussions. • To use historical knowledge and methods to better understand current issues. Liberal Education Requirements This course fulfills the Historical Perspectives Core by: • Studying the historical relationships between human settlements and societies and their surrounding environments, particularly paying attention to how perceptions of that relationship contribute to and are subsequently shaped by natural disasters • Examining the human past in regard to historical changes in physical structures and social institutions, especially as they intersect with and are influenced by natural disasters during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries • Having students use historical methods and critical thinking to examine historical events and analyze scholarly arguments. These skills will be assessed through graded reaction papers and History Labs. • Having students work with historical primary sources, particularly in interpreting historical documents as part of discussion assignments and History Labs. • Having students evaluate the uses and limitations of primary sources through class discussions and individual work in reaction papers and discussion assignments. • Considering how historical questions and sources inform our understanding of the past and its significance in creating the present, particularly through writing reading reaction papers and essay exam questions which require students to make connections between historical events and contemporary conditions. This course fulfills the Environment Theme by: • Examining major environmental issues such as urbanization, pollution, climate change, environmental justice and the influence of technologies and social structures (like colonialism and markets) on the environment • Uncovering the interrelationships between the natural environment and human society by specifically looking at instances where those relationships break down through historical combinations of natural events, technological failures, and social policies • Becoming familiar with the underlying scientific principles involved in the natural mechanisms of disasters (such as plate tectonics, hydrological cycle, and El Niño), particularly through learning the history of science and the influence of disasters in shaping environmental knowledge • Exploring the limitations of technological fixes and social or institutional programs in regard to preventing natural disasters, while recognizing that these technologies and programs continue to change in response to historical disasters • Learning how to recognize and utilize reliable sources of information about the environment and historical events through discussion assignments and reaction papers and by comparing historically changing explanations of environmental processes over the course of the semester • By understanding that solutions to environmental problems are inextricably bound up with the ethics and values of a society through recognizing that environmental issues and social justice issues are regularly joined together in the circumstances of natural disasters Student Learning Outcomes This course fulfills the “can locate and critically evaluate information” Student Learning Outcome. This skill is developed and assessed through individual discussion assignments and History Labs that require research and analysis of a specific topic and through reaction papers that require critical analysis of a scholarly argument. This course also fulfills the “can communicate effectively” Student Learning Outcome through written work in essay exams and reaction papers and verbal communication in class discussions and History Lab presentations. Course Requirements 1. Exams—There will be one midterm exam worth 100 points and a final exam worth 200 points. These will consist of identification terms and an essay question. A study guide will be handed out before each exam. 2. Papers—You will write three 4-5 page papers worth 100 points each. These are reaction papers based on particular readings. The papers are due on the day we discuss the reading. All papers must be typed, double spaced, and in 12 point font. There will be five paper opportunities from which you will choose three to write (everyone will write the first one). More detailed instructions and a specific prompt will be given for each paper. 3. Discussion Assignments¬—There will be periodic scheduled and unscheduled assignments such as reading outlines, internet research, reflection papers, film review, disasters in the news, etc. These are intended to facilitate your engagement with course materials and ideas. They will also initiate many of the class discussions. Each one will be graded out of 20 points and the top 10 will be kept for a maximum of 200 points. 4. History Labs—These are small group practical research, analysis, and presentation exercises worth 50 points each. You will be given a topic and a set of research questions for each one. Each person will collect some research notes before class; the groups will work on compiling, constructing an interpretation, and presenting an argument during the class; then the group will submit a written product for posting on the Moodle page. Readings • Donald R. Prothero, Catastrophes: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes and other Earth Shattering Disasters • Martin Redfern, The Earth: A Very Short Introduction • Charles Perrow, Normal Accidents: Living with High Risk Technologies • There will also be a few articles or book chapters posted on Moodle Policies • Academic Freedom and Responsibility: Academic freedom is a cornerstone of the University. Within the scope and content of the course as defined by the instructor, it includes the freedom to discuss relevant matters in the classroom. Along with this freedom comes responsibility. Students are encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgment and to engage in a sustained and independent search for truth. Students are free to take reasoned exception to the views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the content of any course of study for which they are enrolled. Reports of concerns about academic freedom are taken seriously, and there are individuals and offices available for help. Contact the instructor, the Department Chair, your adviser, the associate dean of the college, or the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the Office of the Provost. (Language adapted from the American Association of University Professors "Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students".) • Assignments: Assignments must be turned in during class on the due date. Late assignments will not be accepted except by special arrangement with me—you must have a serious and compelling reason and late assignments may still be subject to a penalty of one grade level per day. There will be no make-ups for exams missed in an unexcused absence. If you will have an excused absence on an exam day or paper due date you must notify me and if possible make arrangements ahead of time. • Attendance: Attending every class is required, except for those days on which you have a serious medical or other legitimate emergency, an absence that is excused under the University’s religious and cultural policy, or a pre-scheduled University event (athletic event, performance, etc.). Notify me of these absences as soon as you are able in order to have them excused and arrange for make up work. Attendance will be tracked with a daily sign in sheet. o Students who maintain perfect attendance will gain 5 extra points. Students who miss only 2 classes will gain 2 points. Students who have more than five unexcused absences will lose 5 points from their Discussion Grade. • Disability Accommodations: The University of Minnesota is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. The Disability Resource Center is the campus office that collaborates with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations. If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical), please contact Disability Resource Center at 612-626-1333 to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations. If you are registered with Disability Resource Center and have a current letter requesting reasonable accommodations, please contact your instructor as early in the semester as possible to discuss how the accommodations will be applied in the course. For more information, please see the Disability Resource Center website, https://diversity.umn.edu/disability/. • Equal Opportunity: The University provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs and facilities, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. For more information, please consult Board of Regents Policy: http://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Equity_Diversity_EO_AA.pdf. • Grading: Engagement with the course material, the professor, and your fellow students is valued more highly in this course than the simple memorization and regurgitation of facts, names, and dates. Although, you will need to use historical details effectively as evidence and examples for your own interpretations and explanations. In this course we are searching for the meanings, causes, and consequences of past events. The “who, what, when, and where” are only important (and useful) in so far as they guide us to the “why and the so what.” Grading will take into account your effort to engage with the material and these concepts. Assignment values Exams 30% Reaction papers 30% Discussion assignments 20% History Labs 20% Grade Ranges A+ 98-100% A 93-97% A- 90-92% B+ 88-89% B 83-87% B- 80-82% C+ 78-79% C 73-77% C- 70-72% D+ 68-69% D 63-67% D- 60-62% F <60% SCHEDULE **Indicates scheduled discussion assignments** Week One Tuesday Introductions Thursday Personal Disasters and the Johnstown flood Reading—Steinberg, “What is a Natural Disaster?” (Moodle) **Bring a personal disaster story** ___________________________________________________________ Week Two Tuesday What is a Natural Disaster? Reading—Prothero chp 5 and 12 Thursday Disasters in Mythology Reading—DeVilliers Chp 1 “Doomsday as a State of Mind” and 2 “Catastrophe in Human Life” (Moodle) **Bring an example of disaster story in mythology** __________________________________________________________ Week Three Tuesday History of Science and Earth Systems Reading—Perrow, “Introduction;” Prothero “Prologue” Thursday History of Science and Earth Systems Reading—Redfern chp 1, 5, and 7 **Earth System diagram (group project)** ___________________________________________________________ Week Four Tuesday Volcanoes through History Reading—Prothero chp 3; Redfern chp 6 Thursday Normal Accidents Reading—Perrow chp 1 and 2 Reaction Paper due ____________________________________________________________ Week Five Tuesday Historical Earthquakes Reading—Prothero chp 1 Thursday Historical Earthquakes **Primary source Earthquake Narrative** _________________________________________________________ Week Six Tuesday Social Environment Reading—Ramroth chp 1 “It takes a Disaster” and 4 “Overcrowding” (Moodle) **Jacob Riis analysis** Thursday Social Environment Reading—Callenbach, “Urban Ecology;” Tarr, “Urban Environmental History” (Moodle) History Lab 1—City Systems Instructions: How does a city work? Each group will gather information, organize it, and think about the meaning, connections, and significance for a particular example of a city system in Minneapolis, MN. You will present your information and ideas to everyone else during the class discussion portion of the History Lab. Assignment: Each person will prepare some research notes and each group will turn in a single outline and interpretive explanation combining everyone’s research. These will be posted on Moodle. 1. What are the different components of your system how do they function and interact and how did they develop over time? (environmental, technological, and social components) 2. What are the vulnerabilities of this system to failure and disaster? 3. What role does this system play during a disaster? Is there any related disaster planning in place? Has this system been impacted by disaster in the past? ___________________________________________________________ Week Seven Tuesday Wind and Water in History Reading—Prothero, chp 6; Redfern, chp 4 Thursday Wind and Water in History Reading—Film “Storm that Drowned a City” (Moodle) **Hurricane comparison** __________________________________________________________ Week Eight Tuesday Historical City Fires Reading—Ramroth chp 2 “Fire” and 3 “Codes” (Moodle) Thursday Historical Wild Fires Reading—Mike Davis, “The Case for Letting Malibu Burn” (Moodle) Reaction Paper due ___________________________________________________________ Week Nine Tuesday Spring Break Thursday Spring Break ___________________________________________________________ Week Ten Tuesday Review Thursday Exam (Bring Bluebook) ____________________________________________________________ Week Eleven Tuesday Disease and Pandemics through History Reading—McNeil, “Yellow Jack and Geopolitics” (Moodle) Thursday Disease and Pandemic through History History Lab 2 Disease Instructions: Choose a disease from the list. Each group will gather information, organize it, and think about the meaning, connections, and significance for a specific historical disease event. You will present your information and ideas to everyone else during the class discussion portion of the History Lab. Assignment: Each person will prepare some research notes (including some first person accounts/primary source material) and each group will turn in a single outline and interpretive explanation combining everyone’s research. These will be posted on Moodle. 1. Describe the history of this disease event: including, origin and transmission; treatment and prevention efforts; and interconnections with environmental, technological, and social systems. 2. What were the individual and collective consequences? __________________________________________________________ Week Twelve Tuesday Drought and Famine through History Reading—Arnold, “Hunger in the Garden of Plenty” (Moodle) Reaction Paper due Thursday Drought and Famine through History Reading—Cunfer, “Scaling the Dust Bowl”; Film—The Plow that Broke the Plains (Moodle) Reaction Paper due ___________________________________________________________ Week Thirteen Tuesday Engineering Disasters through History Reading—Petroski, “To Engineer is Human,” chp 1 and 2 (Moodle) Thursday Engineering Disasters through History History Lab 3—Engineering Disaster Instructions: Analyze the 2007 I-35W Bridge Collapse. Each group will gather information, organize it, and think about the meaning, connections, and significance of this event. You will present your information and ideas to everyone else during the class discussion portion of the History Lab. Assignment: Each person will prepare some research notes and each group will turn in a single outline and interpretive explanation combining everyone’s research. These will be posted on Moodle. 1. What were the different components of this engineering failure? How did they interact to create the event? 2. Analyze this event in relation to Perrow’s discussion “Normal Accidents” and in comparison with other disasters we have studied in this course. _______________________________________________________ Week Fourteen Tuesday Tsunamis in History Reading—Prothero chp 2 **Fukushima Daiichi** Thursday Enviro-technological Disasters Reading—Pritchard, “An Envirotechnical Disaster” (Moodle) Reaction Paper due _________________________________________________________ Week Fifteen Tuesday Pollution and Chemicals: Historical Environmental Impact Reading—Perrow chp 4 **Discussion Assignment due** Thursday Climate Change: a slow-motion disaster with a long history Reading—Prothero chp 10; Film—An Inconvenient Truth **Film Review** ________________________________________________________ Week Sixteen Climate Change Tuesday History Lab 4 Environment and Social Conflict in Climate Change Instructions: Examine the interconnections of earth systems, technology, and social systems in the history of climate change. Each group will gather information, organize it, and think about the meaning, connections, and significance of this event. You will present your information and ideas to everyone else during the class discussion portion of the History Lab. Assignment: Each person will prepare some research notes and each group will turn in a single outline and interpretive explanation combining everyone’s research. These will be posted on Moodle. More detailed instructions and sources will be provided 1. What are the specific points of interaction between human society and the environment within this event? 2. How have people perceived and reacted to climate change? Why is it such a contentious issue? 3. How does climate change compare with the other disasters we have studied in this course? Thursday History Lab 4 continued _________________________________________________________ FINAL EXAM TBA This schedule is tentative and may be adjusted as we work through the semester.

Strategic Objectives & Consultation

Name of Department Chair Approver:
Mark Borrello
Strategic Objectives - Curricular Objectives:

How does adding this course improve the overall curricular objectives of the unit?

History of Science and Technology has seen a steady increase in students interested in the history of biological studies, particularly in the history of environmental studies. This course offers undergraduate students an opportunity to explore the history of environmental studies through the specific lens of natural and unnatural disasters, and how humans have impacted these phenomena.
Strategic Objectives - Core Curriculum:

Does the unit consider this course to be part of its core curriculum?

No
Strategic Objectives - Consultation with Other Units:

Before submitting a new course proposal in ECAS, circulate the proposed syllabus to department chairs in relevant units and copy affiliated associate dean(s). Consultation prevents course overlap and informs other departments of new course offerings. If you determine that consultation with units in external college(s) is unnecessary, include a description of the steps taken to reach that conclusion (e.g., catalog key word search, conversation with collegiate curriculum committee, knowledge of current curriculum in related units, etc.). Include documentation of all consultation here, to be referenced during CCC review. If email correspondence is too long to fit in the space provided, paraphrase it here and send the full transcript to the CCC staff person. Please also send a Word or PDF version of the proposed syllabus to the CCC staff person.

HST Director, Susan Jones, was in contact with Earth Sciences regarding their course, ESCI 1012 "Natural Hazards and Disasters". It was determined that, although there is overlap in content, the focus of our course will be primarily historical whereas ESCI's course is primarily about the physics and mechanics of natural disasters. Additionally, ESCI's course is a 1xxx level and ours is a 3xxx/5xxx course. Finally, we are offering the HSCI course for different liberal education credits, so we do not think these courses will be in competition.