SGLK26001U Disaster Recovery Practice and Development

Volume 2026/2027
Education

MSc Global Health - elective course in Disaster Risk Management track 

There are a limited number of slots – ten in all – available in this study track, and on the courses for this study track. If there are more than ten students who wish to take the study track in Disaster Risk Management, a Study Plan Committee appointed by the study board considers the students' study plan applications and allocates the available slots. The criterias for allocation are listed in the curriculum.

See course dates on MDMa website:  https://www.mdma.ku.dk/courses-and-dates/

 

Content

Recovery refers to the actions taken in the aftermath of a disaster to ideally reduce future risk and bring back life to normal in all aspects of health, livelihoods, housing and overall wellbeing. It focuses on enabling the affected populations to resume life with the added dimension of reducing risks and vulnerabilities that led to the disaster in the first place and avoid creating new ones. It provides opportunity to link to the more major, long-term development and climate change adaptation goals in the regions affected.

Ideally, development policy and practice should include disaster risk reduction measures. However in reality, such recalibration unfortunately occurs in the aftermath of a disaster and in the designing of recovery programs. Decisions and practices concerning recovery become an important pathway for long-term development.

The course is designed to help students understand the linkages between how vulnerability impacts people’s life and its relation to disasters, disaster recovery and long-term development. The main content areas of the course include:

  • Introduction to recovery practices, their possibilities, politics and limitations.
  • Pre-disaster recovery planning and post disaster recovery needs assessment.
  • Early recovery as an important linking stage between recovery and development.
  • Housing reconstruction: challenges and opportunities  
  • Psycho-social and mental health interventions
  • Livelihood recovery
  • Exit and hand over strategies in recovery planning
  • Linkages to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation
Learning Outcome

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

Knowledge

  • Place recovery practices within the wider development and climate change adaptation processes.
  • Understand how disaster recovery is shaped by local and global politics/political environments
  • Understand definitions and terms related to recovery practices
  • Understand linkages between development, recovery, climate change adaptation and risk reduction processes
  •  Identify strategies, activities and challenges of integrating disaster risk reduction in recovery.

 

Skills:

  • Research into the issues of disaster recovery 
  • Critically apply concepts, standards, principles, and methods of recovery planning and operations to case studies.
  • Acquire the conceptual basis to appreciate the complexity and politics of recovery environments.
  • Develop a better ability to collaboratively engage with and relate to disaster professionals – across sectors and disciplines and work in different recovery environments
  • Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of the existing recovery programs globally

 

Competencies:

  • Apply tools used for teambuilding and demonstrate knowledge about intercultural and interdisciplinary communication.
  • Read and critique literature and work independently in self-directed study of disaster recovery.
  • Work in a group, build skills for teamwork and presentations.
  • Engage in dialogue and discussions, and argue a case.
  • Negotiation, including compromise, argument and trade offs in development and humanitarian practice.

 

Literature list is available in Absalon.

See admission/course registration requirements at www.mdma.ku.dk/​?admission-and-application/​?
There will be a variety of teaching/learning methods on the module ranging from lectures, to video screening followed by open discussions and to student led presentations. The teaching/learning methods could be listed as follows:
• Lectures - Imparting knowledge, concepts, theories and models
• Exercises – Inquiry or skills based with emphasis on analytical skills and problem solving
• Case Study Analysis – Review of previous practice and guided analysis of specific aspects of a case
• Videos – Guided with a set of questions or an exercise that follows
• Seminars – Self-directed by students and guided and mentored by tutors
• Presentations – of group assignments and feedback by a panel of tutors
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 36
  • Preparation
  • 116
  • Exam Preparation
  • 40
  • Exam
  • 16
  • Total
  • 208
Written
Collective

Examiners provide a brief an overall joint written feedback to the class via Digital Exam

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment, Throughout the course
Type of assessment details
An individual paper in the form of a journal article, no more than 5 pages organised and structured around a certain topic or question and relevant to disaster recovery planning and development. The topic can be closely related to the case assignment students are working on or any other relevant topic on disaster recovery planning and development. The paper topic or question needs to be checked and validated by the course leader/academic adviser.
Aid
All aids allowed

Remember to fill out an AI-declaration when you hand in your assignment. More information can be found on KUnet here.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Exam period

See the   MDMa Exam Schedule  

Re-exam

See the   MDMa Exam Schedule  

Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student shall be able to:

Knowledge

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the linkages between disaster recovery and long-term development
  • Outline key strategies, activities and challenges of integrating disaster risk reduction in recovery.


Skills:

  • Apply concepts, standards, principles, and methods of recovery planning and operations to case studies. 
  • Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of the existing recovery programs globally


Competences:

  • Apply tools used for teambuilding and demonstrate knowledge about intercultural and interdisciplinary communication.
  • Read and critique literature and work independently in self-directed study of disaster recovery.