1. Formatting Requirements: You must use the APA reference format

2. Grammar Requirements: The submission must be well-written and contain proper grammar/syntax and semantics.

3. Content Requirements. The submission must include

a. an argument/thesis (also known as a main claim).

b. an introduction section

c. facts, evidence reasoning to justify your argument.

d. a conclusion section. The paper must have at least a one paragraph conclusion that summarizes the key lessons learned

e. a reference section. You must use at least 5 academic references in total to support your work. These can include course readings as well as any other relatd academic journal papers, books, academic websites, etc

f. in-text citations (that refer to your references)

4. Length requirement: The paper must be at least 2,000 words of text (not including the reference section)

Question 1. Is the US Resilient or Brittle to Disasters?

Stephen Flynn (see Edge of Disaster in Module 5) and Amanda Ripley (see Unthinkable in Module 4) emphasize that critical infrastructure vulnerability and disaster resilience is imperative for a healthy society. Tell us whether you feel the United States is a vulnerable nation to disaster risk --- or whether you feel that the nation is robust and resilient in the face of disaster. BE SURE TO JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWER

Be sure to read the above Critical Thinking paper requirements (that apply to whichever of the three questions you select). Hence for question 1 you should consider the following:

1. Put forth your own coherent argument/thesis statement: do you feel the US is disaster resilient? Or do you feel that the US is excessively vulnerable to disasters. You should be explicit when you make your argument (for example the US is vulnerable to some hazards but resilient to others)

2. Be sure to justify your argument with facts and evidence.

3. Confirm that your answer addresses what specifically YOU recommend should be done to reduce disaster risk: If you were a government policy maker, what specifically would you do to reduce critical infrastructure vulnerabilities? (you may wish to discuss ideas to improve disaster resilience, promote sustainability and encourage comprehensive community-based emergency management)

While the submission should be written in essay format, you may wish to consider and include the following questions to aid your work:

• You may wish to consider the current state of critical infrastructure resilience in the United States?

• You may wish to provide examples of critical infrastructure, facilities and/or systems that you feel are at risk in the United States. You may also wish to provide examples of infrastructure, facilities and systems that you feel are resilient to disaster.

• You may wish to consider the current state of disaster preparedness in the United States?

• You may wish to consider specific, health-related, human-induced or weather-related threats that are making the US increasingly vulnerable?

Question 2. Is Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approach or "traditional emergency response and recovery" the best approach to reduce the risk of natural hazards?

The document Living with Risk, which is part of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (United Nations' ISDR, Module 3) compares:

DRR (disaster risk reduction) which focuses on proactive actions to build sustainable communities and
Traditional emergency response and recovery.

Be sure to read the above Critical Thinking paper requirements (that apply to whichever of the three questions you select). Hence for question 2 you should consider the following:

1. Put forth your own coherent argument to answer the following question: Do you feel the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) paradigm is an ideal approach to reduce the risk of natural hazards? Or is the traditional "emergency response and recovery" paradigm better? BE SURE TO JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWER. You should be explicit when you make your argument (for example perhaps some countries do better with the DRR approach while "traditional emergency management" is better for others)

2. Be sure your answer addresses what specifically YOU recommend should be done to reduce disaster risk. For example, what specific disaster risk reduction policies would you recommend to ensure optimal disaster management and reduce disaster risk? --- and why! (you may wish to discuss ideas to improve disaster resilience, promote sustainability and encourage comprehensive community-based emergency management).

While the submission should be written in essay format, you may wish to consider and include the following questions to aid your work:

• What do we mean by the DRR (disaster risk reduction) approach? What do we mean by traditional emergency response and recovery?

• How has DRR (disaster risk reduction) been applied around the world? While you may only consider one or two countries, the Living with Risk document mentions hundreds of DRR initiatives

• What are various world disaster reduction campaigns and strategies for reducing disaster risk? These campaigns and strategies are often referred to as International Strategies for Disaster Risk (ISDR). Module 3 in the course discusses these in detail: Making Hospitals Safe; Making Schools Safe, Making Urban Areas Safe, etc

• Be sure to provide specific details about the approach you are selecting. I also suggest that you provide specific examples of how your approach can reduce the risk of disasters. You may wish to examine the policies adopted by various countries or the various World Disaster Reduction campaigns

Question #3: Is mass panic the norm in disasters?

Amanda Ripley (Module 4), an award-winning writer on homeland security for Time, offers a compelling look at risk and disaster response in The Unthinkable as she explores the psychology of fear and how it can save or destroy us.

Answer the following question: Is mass panic the norm for the public in disasters? (Or is it a rare phenonema?).

Be sure to read the above Critical Thinking paper requirements (that apply to whichever of the three questions you select). Hence you should consider the following:

1. Be sure to put forth your own coherent argument: do you feel mass panic and irrational behavior is the norm in disasters? Or do you feel that an orderly response and rational behavior is the norm? You should be explicit when you make your argument (for example mass panic is occurs in some specific disasters but not in others). BE SURE TO JUSTIFY YOUR ARGUMENT.

2. Please try to put forward your own recommendations: what do you think should be done to improve odds that disaster victims will survive in the event of a crisis --- you may wish to consider exercises, trainings, education or any other approaches (be sure to provide specific details about the approach you are selecting. There are significant details about each approach provided in the Amanda Ripley readings).