Coping With Disasters

With communication systems that help to create awareness of "global village" events, we cannot help being aware of disasters of natural or humanly-constructed origin. This general education course will examine the public's attitudes, perceptions and emotional states following a disaster. The impact of lost lives upon the public morale, the unforgiving attitudes of the public towards human errors in methods or procedures that may have contributed to disasters, and longer term benefits which may flow from learning related to tragic events will be discussed., The ethical responsibility of the community and particular groups within the community (civic, private, etc.) For prevention of disaster or follow-up activity (emotional care, rebuilding, etc.) following disasters, will be explored. International responsibilities for prevention of the loss of human life and response to disasters will be related to questions of human communities' overall responsibilities.