MASTER OF ARTS RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (MDM)
| Module Code | Module Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MDM 501 | Research Methods for Disaster Risk Management | Conducting research in disaster situations is one of the most difficult activities in human endeavor. This module is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to conduct research about risks, impact and outcomes associated with various disasters. By the end of the module, students should be able to carry out research towards the production of disaster preparedness, mitigation, prevention, rehabilitation and recovery reports, the development of national disaster response policies, publications on disaster related issues and solutions to challenges experienced at community, national, regional and international levels due to disasters. |
| MDM 502 | Theory and Practice of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management | For the most part, theory and practice cannot be separated. This module is designed to equip students with knowledge about the current multi-disciplinary theory concerning disaster risk management for both natural and man-made disasters. By the end of the module, students should be able to apply various theories to understand disaster phenomena, design community-based models to assess disaster risks, plan and prepare for disasters. |
| MDM 503 | Disasters and Governance | Accountability and transparency are crucial in disasters. This module is designed to address the increasing need to critically understand the crisis of governance during disasters. By the end of the module, students should be able to identify governance challenges in disasters and develop policy frameworks for enhancing accountability, transparency and curbing corruption. |
| MDM 504 | Global Crisis, Conflict and Disaster Management | Global crises and conflicts negatively affect disaster management efforts. This module is designed to equip students with the knowledge about the role of global policy and practice across the spectrum of crises and conflicts. By the end of the module, students should be able to identify the ways in which global crises and conflicts affect disaster management and design context-specific disaster interventions and long term projects for the international community, humanitarian organisations, national governments and communities to effectively intervene in disasters even in the midst of global crises and conflicts. |
| MDM 505 | Resilience and Adaptation in Disasters | Resilience and adaption play important roles in disaster risk reduction. This module is designed to equip students with a high-level of conceptual understanding of resilience and its link to preparedness and recovery activities done by and on behalf of communities. By the end of this module, students should be able to lobby organisations, mainstream historical coping mechanisms and design context-specific resiliency and adaptation strategies for communities. |
| MDM 506 |
Water, Security and the Environment |
Water and the environment present both challenges and opportunities for security. This module seeks to equip students with knowledge about the importance of water on the sustainability of the environment, the human security components of water security and environmental security, global water crisis, the vulnerability of water scarcity and the impact of water and/or lack thereof on the environment and security. By the end of the module, students should be able to identify the security implications of water and environmental insecurity, design models for the sustainable exploitation of water resources and the environment, and advise stakeholders on water policy that saves the environment from depletion. |
| MDM 507 | Monitoring and Evaluation in Disasters | Monitoring and evaluation provides a consistent approach that can be taken in the evaluation of disaster programmes in disaster situations. This module is designed to empower students with knowledge of the framework for designing monitoring and evaluation systems and for students to be able to apply evaluations on disaster management programmes. At the end of the module, students should be able to design programme monitoring and evaluation to feed into the evidence base that will improve subsequent disaster recovery programmes. |
| MDM 508 | Public Health in Disasters | Public health is important in disaster preparedness and response. This module explores the role and capability of public health and health care systems in disasters and emergencies. By the end of the module, students should be able to design context-specific interventions that address the growing threat and potential public health consequences of disasters. |
| MDM 509 | Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe, like many developing countries, lack tools, expertise and instruments to mitigate and reduce the impact of disasters in their settings. This module is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to formulate the policies and interventions for disaster reduction and management in Zimbabwe. At the end of the module, students should be able to empower stakeholders with the knowledge of disaster risk reduction and management and design context-specific and environmentally friendly approaches to reduce the impact of disasters in Zimbabwe. |
| MDM 510 | Humanitarian Aid and Disasters | Humanitarian aid is essential in disasters and emergencies. This module is designed to equip students with knowledge about the phenomenon of humanitarian aid in emergencies and disasters. By the end of the module, students should be able to identify the political, cultural, economic, social and ethical challenges encountered in providing humanitarian aid in disaster situations, design models or approaches to ensure effective delivery of humanitarian aid and advising practitioners on ways to improve the provision of humanitarian aid. |
| MDM 511 | Disasters and Development in the Third World | Disasters and development are related given that disasters can both destroy development enterprises and generate development opportunities, and that development schemes can both increase and decrease vulnerability. This module equips students with knowledge about the interface between disasters and development with special reference to the Third World. By the end of the module, students should be able to identify the various ways in which disasters affect development in Third World countries and design interventions to identify and exploit development opportunities in disaster affected environments. |
| MDM 570 | Dissertation | All students shall write a dissertation on an approved topic which must be between 15 000 and 30 000 words long. Students will be required to choose a researchable topic in the fields of risk reduction, disaster management, peacebuilding, conflict and security and design a proposal. The proposal shall be presented before the Departmental Board which shall evaluate which shall evaluate its contribution to positive transformation of life. The proposal shall be awarded a minimum of 1 credit and a maximum of 10 credits. A complete write-up of the dissertation shall be orally presented with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 30 credits. The final dissertation shall have a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 50 credits. A minimum of 1 and a maximum of 10 credits shall be awarded upon the incorporation of comments suggested by reviewers. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor to oversee the research process until the dissertation is submitted. |
