Information
The Frontiers in Spatial Sciences Circle U. lecture series “Natural Hazards, Vulnerability and Disasters: Interdisciplinary Perspectives” will be offered as an official Circle U. online course in the summer semester 2026 and is open to incoming BA and MA students from Circle U. partner universities. The lecture series is hosted by the Department of Geography and Regional Research at the University of Vienna and is also embedded in the University of Vienna’s Extension Curriculum (BA) and the Compulsory Module Geography Pool (MA).
The objective of this lecture series is twofold:
Firstly, to provide in-depth knowledge of various areas of natural hazards, vulnerability and disasters; and secondly, to strengthen an interdisciplinary perspective.
The first session will introduce students to the definitions, terminologies and relevant concepts, thus providing a foundation for the subsequent sessions.
Each subsequent session will consist of lectures of approximately 45-60 minutes in length, delivered by invited experts from a range of different disciplines, such as geography, climate and environmental sciences, social sciences and law.
The experts will present their individual viewpoints and topics on natural hazards, vulnerability and disasters.
Consequently, students will learn about different theoretical and practical approaches, as well as the implications of natural hazards on the environment and society.
In each session, there will also be time to clarify questions and to discuss with the experts for a further approx. 30 minutes. The final session will be used to summarize and reflect on the interdisciplinary perspective, and to draw conclusions.
All sessions will be held in English.
The programme with the speakers and titles of the lectures will be published soon. Please note that the programme presented may be subject to change at short notice.
About
- Circle U. Partner Universities: University of Vienna & UCLouvain
- Course Dates: Wednesdays, 16:45–18:15, from 11 March 2026 to 24 June 2026.
- Level: Bachelor and Master
- Credits: 5 ECTS
- Format: On site for University of Vienna students, online for Circle U. students from other Circle U. universities
- Application Period: Please register via the Registration form by 3 March. We strongly recommend that interested applicants register as early as possible, as places can fill up quickly.
(After application, students must complete their course registration until 5 March in u:find.)
Assessment and permitted materials
The online exam will contain multiple-choice and open questions.
Besides the respective slides of each lecture, in case the lecturer has consented to the upload, additional thematic material will be provided on moodle.
Note that the themes of the lectures as well as the names of the invited speakers will be published in the coming weeks.
Minimum requirements and assessement criteria
The individual point and evaluation key will be provided before the exam.
Examination topics
All questions can be answered based on the slides of the individual lectures.
Reading list
See the literature recommendations on the end of the respective slides of each session.
