Module Directory

The module will explore the impact of climate change on human security, but specifically looking at its impact on disease and disaster, and how these challenges are interrelated.  As climate change is an ever-present, all-encompassing challenge, and constitutes the biggest existential threat to humanity, the module looks at how it effects citizens, using the human security framework.  In other words, it examines how climate change affects well-being, poverty, inequality, nutrition, health and development.  Students will understand the human security approach and how take stock of environmental challenges.

The aims of this module are:

• To develop students’ in-depth knowledge and understanding of the conceptual and methodological issues associated with the study of disease and disaster and climate change


• To provide the opportunity for students to gain a comprehensive understanding of existing research on climate change, disease and disaster.


• To provide students with an in-depth understanding of the human security approach, and how it is used in addressing developmental and security issues, and how concepts are interrelated.


• To enable students to understand the intersection of the environment, globalization and disease and disaster


• To develop and promote students’ advanced analytical skills and capacities to undertake subsequent academic study and for employment, personal development and participation.


• To maintain an intellectual environment that is exciting and challenging, fostering students' capacities for study and dialogue and maintaining high standards of teaching and learning.

To enhance students’ skills in policy writing for complex environmental issues

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demonstrate enhanced skills in research techniques, writing and critical thinking.


2. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of how climate change affects disease and disaster


3. Demonstrate an understanding of the main findings of climate change and disaster and disease research


4. Demonstrate greater knowledge of sources of information for studying climate change, human security, disease and disaster from an inter-disciplinary perspective


5. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the main theoretical and empirical concepts in human security, climate change, disease, disaster, economic development, political stability, state and societal capacity and state and societal trust


6. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of developments, issues and debates in climate change, human security, disease and disaster and state capacity

Disease, Disaster and Resilience

Key Challenges

Human Security

What do we mean by human security?  This week the seminar will explore the changing conceptions of security and what role climate change, disease and disaster play in security frameworks.  We explain in great detail the human security approach, contrasting it with traditional international security approaches and explaining the various interrelated conceptions of security that are affected by climate change, and the evolving importance of disease and disaster.

Infectious diseases

What are the big diseases that threaten humanity?  What are the ways in infectious diseases stretch the state?  This week provides a summary of the various human diseases that undermine development in countries, with particular focus on AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, known as the big three.  Neglected tropical diseases will also be explored as will water washed, water borne and water based diseases.  This week investigates the effects of epidemic health crises on development and the state.  Other viral infectious diseases such as COVID-19, SARS and Ebola also introduced.

Natural disasters and adverse environments

The seminar explains the major environmental issues that states face, such as extreme weather patterns, poor soil quality, unpredictable rainfall, adverse terrain, natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons, and fires) and resource abundance or scarcity.  This week explores the effects of these environmental challenges on development and the state. 

Global contributors to disease and disaster

This week examines the global contributors to disease and disaster such as climate change and looks more specifically at the challenges posed by increased movement of people.  Overall this week provides an overview of the exigencies brought about by globalization to open markets, goods and services, leaving countries more vulnerable to disease and disaster.

Climate change, disasters and poverty

This week looks at how climate change impacts poverty, specifically focusing on how climate driven disaster affect the most vulnerable groups.  As climate change disproportionately affects the most vulnerable societies the most, how are rural livelihoods destroyed by climate change?  How are urban slums worsened by climate change as well?  What are the drivers of eco-migration?  Why will there be so many eco-refugees, and which countries are generating the highest levels of eco-migration?

Resilience to disease and disaster

This week will provide an overview of what role the state plays in providing: public health care system, environmental management, engineering, urban planning, education, nutrition, agriculture, sanitation.  The seminar then explores how states can build capacity (such as effective institutions for public health and water management) to handle these challenges posed by diseases.  The key success stories are highlighted to illustrate what states can do to reduce the prevalence and alleviate the adverse effects of disease.

International Cooperation and Climate Change and Disaster Mitigation

This week looks at the role of states in cooperating to respond to a crisis.  In many cases diseases, and even some natural disasters know no borders, requiring cooperation at a global scale to help other countries deal effectively with a crisis.  This week looks at successful cases of international cooperation and also at the challenges of cooperating when it comes to fighting climate change.

World Health Organization and International Response

This week looks at the role of international institutions in managing a response to a crisis and some of their limitations in containment, mitigation and coordination. This week also looks at the role of vaccines, medication and how international organizations and NGOs can deliver services that are vital to ensuring public health.

Students will be asked to read the readings beforehand, so that they are prepared to discuss the concepts and themes in a seminar.  The seminars will be a hybrid of a seminar and lecture, and it will be expected that students are regularly contributing to the discussion.  The teaching is designed to help students gain breadth and an in depth understanding of the intersection of disease, disaster, and climate change.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour seminar per week