Carol Cwiak, J.D.
Western State University, 1995
Research Interests: Preparedness and Mitigation, Business
Continuity, Law and Emergency Management
Gary A. Goreham, Ph.D.
South Dakota State University, 1985
Research Interests:
Rural Sociology, Community Assessment and Development , Research
Methods, Environment/Natural Resources
Daniel J. Klenow, Ph.D.
University of Notre Dame, 1977
Research Interests:
Special Populations,
Research Methods, Sociology of Disaster, Emergency Management
Theory and Methodology
Timothy J. Kloberdanz, Ph.D.
Indiana University, 1986
Research Interests:
Expressive Culture and Folklore, Anthropological Theory, Indians
of the Plains, Peoples of Europe, Ethnicity
Richard W. Rathge, Ph.D.
Michigan State University, 1981
Research Interests:
Demography, Applied Sociology, Rural Sociology, Research
Methods
Joy Sather-Wagstaff, Ph.D. University of
Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, 2007
Research Interests:
Disaster and Culture, Recovery and Commemorative
Dong Keun (D.K.) Yoon, Ph.D.
Cornell
University, 2007
Research Interests:
Planning, Emergency Management, Geographic Information Systems
(GIS)
George A. Youngs, Ph.D.
University of Iowa, 1981
Research Interests:
Social Psychology, Research Methods, Sociology of Disasters,
Emergency Management
The Emergency Management program is multidisciplinary and is geared both to the academic disaster research curricula and the applied aspects of emergency management. The program is built on a core of social science courses to help students approach the study of disasters and emergency management from a social science perspective. Additionally, the program draws from other disciplines that enhance the development of processes and techniques to prevent disasters and to manage emergencies. The master's and doctoral degree programs in emergency management are organized around the three following areas: core courses, disaster phase courses, and disaster area studies. Core courses include methods, statistics, and theory. Disaster phase courses cover preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Disaster area studies include the following subtopics: social and behavioral sciences, disaster types, the emergency manager, and the public and private sector responses to emergencies.
Students can be admitted to our graduate program with either a
baccalaureate degree (for admission to the master's program) or
with an approved master's degree (for admission to the doctoral
program). For admission in full standing to the master's program,
students will be required to have a GPA of 3.2 or higher in their
undergraduate major and take, the GRE . Applicants must submit
their undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts. Students should
have adequate background preparation or demonstrated potential in
the field of emergency management.
For admission to the doctoral program in full standing, students
must satisfy the admission requirements for the master's degree and
have a masters degree in emergency management or a related field.
Students entering the program with a master's degree will be
required to complete a minimum of 60 credits.
Both teaching and research assistantships are available contingent on departmental and faculty research funds. Applicants will be considered based on scholarship and potential to undertake advanced study. Requests for assistantship require a completed Graduate School application, official transcripts, and three letters of reference. The department accepts applications for all semesters, including summer.
Successful completion of a master's degree in emergency
management will involve completion of all of the required course
work plus a research-based master's thesis. The total required
credits is 36.
The requirements for the master's degree in emergency management
are as follows:
All students must
TOTAL = 45 credits
The Ph.D. is awarded in recognition of significant depth of
understanding and scholarly achievement in emergency management.
The recipient must complete all of the required course work (see
Ph.D. requirements below), pass written comprehensive exams,
complete a significant research project for the dissertation, and
successfully defend this research in an oral examination. The
student's progress will be reviewed by a supervisory committee that
is responsible for reviewing the student's plan of study, written
comprehensive examinations, dissertation proposal, and dissertation
defense. The composition of the supervisory committee will meet the
requirements established by The Graduate School. The program will
require a minimum of 90 credits or 60 credits beyond the master's
degree. The master's degree must be completed before pursuing the
doctoral degree.
The structure of the doctoral program follows the same logic as
that used for the master's degree. The courses are organized around
the four disaster stages and the various disaster studies
subfields. As part of disaster area studies, students will be
required to complete two cognates, one in sociology and one in a
second field approved by the student's supervisory committee. These
cognates require a minimum of 12 credits each. The dissertation
will be worth 15 credits.
All students must
TOTAL = 96 credits
Anthropology 658 Indians of the
Plains 3 An ethnographic/ethnohistorical survey of major
Indian tribes in the Great American Plains region from ancient
times to the present.
661 Germans from Russia 3 This course traces the
cultural and historical background of an important ethnic group in
the Great American Plains region: German-speaking immigrants from
Russia.
662 Cultural Ecology Analysis of the systematic
relationship between human populations and their ecological
surroundings. Prereq: Any Anth course.
Business 630 Legal and Social
Environment of Business 3 Study of legal and regulatory
environment in which business firms operate as well as the social
environment. Includes business ethics and social responsibility
issues.
Communication 683 Organizational
Communication I 3 Exploration of the theory of management
communication practices in organizations. Emphasis on the formal
structure and interpersonal aspects of supervisor-subordinate
relations. Cross-listed with Busn.
785 Advanced Crisis Communication 3 Long-term and
short-term issues for managing communication related to
organizational crises are discussed in the states of pre-crisis,
crisis, and post-crisis Prereq: Comm 700.
Emergency Management (EMGT) 611
Community Disaster Preparation 3 Nature and rationale for
public awareness of potential hazards that communities face,
preparedness for these hazards, and potential strategies to
mitigate adverse consequences.
613 Building Disaster Resilient Communities 3 Role of
emergency management programs in community resilience and
sustainability; incorporation of preparedness, mitigation,
response, and recovery in community comprehensive and strategic
planning.
614 Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management (currently going through Academic Affairs)
615 Rural Society and Emergency Management 3
Application of emergency management principles and procedures of
disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery in the
rural context.
631 Disaster Response Operations and
Leadership 3 Principles and procedures related to
emergency operations plans, warning, evacuation, search rescue,
mass casualty care, sheltering, donations management, disaster
declaration, and incident debriefing.
651 Floods, Blizzards, and Tornadoes 3 Role of emergency
management in floods, blizzards, and tornadoes; response of local,
state, and federal governments and agencies to these
conditions.
653 Emergency Management Law and Regulation 3 Legal
principles and ethical issues that impact emergency management
services.
661 Business Continuity and Crisis Management 3
This course provides an overview of planning and management
principles applicable to business or operational resumption
following an emergency. The emphasis will be on minimizing the
impact of a disaster on business operations.
663 Voluntary Agency Disaster Services 3 Examination of
the roles played by local, state, national, and international
voluntary agencies in emergency preparedness, mitigation, response,
and recovery.
664 Disaster and Culture 3 (on March Univ Senate Agenda)
683 Holistic Disaster Recovery 3 Examination
of post-disaster policies and programs that protect the natural
environment, improve disaster resistance, support diverse
populations, improve economic conditions, and preserve community
resources.
712 Hazards Risk Assessment Theory and Practice 3
Examination of natural and human-made disasters from a risk
assessment perspective, and preparedness and control procedures for
each of these types of disaster.
714 Hazardous Materials Regulation 3 Hazardous materials
contingency planning and environmental regulations at the
community, state, and federal levels.
720 Emergency Management Theory 3 (CHANGING DESCRIPTION)
This course will discuss the origin and evolution of emergency
management, the relevance of theory in this applied setting, and
theory in the advancement of knowledge of social disasters and the
emergency management specialization.
721 Hazard Mitigation Theory and Practice 3 Examination of
disaster mitigation theory and the rationale and context of
mitigation procedures, programs, and planning.
730 Advanced Research Methods 3 (CHANGING DESCRIPTION)
This course will instruct students on applications and case studies
of practical aspects of field research building upon traditional
research topics as applied to disaster research. The course will
analyze disaster case studies' research methodologies. Prereq: Soc
700, 701.
732 Disaster Response Theory and Practice 3 Examination of
theory and practice in the relationships between incident command
systems and emergency operating centers.
782 Damage Recovery Theory and Practice 3 Theory,
principles, and procedures used in disaster damage assessment and
in emergency supply and service dissemination.
790 Seminar: Professional Development 1 Seminar examines
current topics in emergency management.
Geography 656 Geographic Information
Systems 3 Introduction to basic concepts of geographic
information systems and their applications to various special
problems. Lectures and laboratories.
Political Science 696 Environmental
Policy and Politics 3
Sociology 605 Community Development
3 Study of communities viewed as social systems. Includes
political, economic, social, and economic factors affecting
community growth and decline. Community development methods are
addressed.
610 Social Inequality 3 Historical and contemporary
theories of stratification, the effects of stratification on social
institutions and individuals.
626 Sociology of Medicine 3
Analysis of the social aspects of illness, the profession of
medicine, organization of medical care, health occupations, and
related issues
639 Social Change 3 An investigation of the nature of
social change and its effects on society.
641 Sociology of Death 3 Examination of research on social
psychological and social organizational dimensions of death and
dying. Additional topics include hospice movement, grief and
bereavement, and communicating death news.
643 International Disasters 3 Impacts of natural and
human-made disasters on industrialized and developing societies,
relief and reconstruction post-disaster programs.
645 Special Populations in Disasters 3 Identification of
special populations and their needs that arise in emergency or
disaster situations both in industrialized and developing
countries.
700 Qualitative Methods 3 Advanced analysis of the methods
used in qualitative research projects, such as intensive
interviewing, focus groups, and participant observation. Prereq:
Soc 301.
701 Quantitative Methods 3 Advanced analysis of the
methods used in quantitative research projects, such as survey
design, experimental design, and evaluation research. Prereq: Stat
330 or 725, Soc 301.
723 Social Theory 3 Examines contemporary social theories
and theory construction. Prereq: Soc 422/622.
The following
variable credit courses are also offered:
790 Graduate Seminar 1-3
793 Individual Study/Tutorial 1-3
795 Field Experience 1-15
696/796 Special Topics 1-5
797 Master's Paper 1-3
798 Master's Thesis 1-15
799 Doctoral Dissertation 1-15