RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT

ENV 411

Spring 2002

Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 to 11:15

Room: WHT 006

Professor David M. Hassenzahl, PhD

Office: MPE 125

Phone 895-4457

Email: david.hassenzahl@ccmail.nevada.edu

http://www.unlv.edu/faculty/dmh/

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:15 to 3:15

Friday 9:30 to 10:30

Or by appointment

Purpose

            This course is intended to teach a variety of methods for managing environmental risk problems.  Students will develop a “toolbox” of basic risk analysis and management methods, as well as the appropriate role of these methods in effective public and private decision making. To this end, the course is divided into a section on risk analysis methods, and followed by exploration of the societal implications of those methods.

Goals

            By the end of this course, students should understand the role of risk analysis as an approach to addressing complex environmental problems, and be able to manipulate models used for environmental regulations and decisions.  Students will understand how information from risk assessments are interpreted by individuals interested in involved in all aspects of risk decision making. Students will learn to use models and other decision support methods to analyze environmental issues and contribute to management decisions. They will also learn how to identify technical and socioeconomic tradeoffs associated with diverse approaches to environmental management.

Prerequisites

            ENV 260 or basic statistics or consent of the instructor.

411 Schedule and calendar. Note: you should always do readings BEFORE class.

Ä Readings found at course web page

Required texts

Kammen and Hassenzahl (2001), Should We Risk It? Paperback Edition (Hardback OK), Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. (Called SWRI in schedule)

Additional readings as assigned

Recommended texts

Haimes, Yacov (1999), Risk Modeling, Assessment and Management.  John Wiley and Sons, NY NY.

Morgan and Henrion (1990), Uncertainty. Cambridge University Press, NY NY.

Krimsky and Golding (1992), Social Theories of Risk.  Praeger Press, Boston MA.

Andrews (forthcoming), Humble Analysis (prepublication copy)

Grading:  Your final grade will be calculated in the following manner:

• Problem Sets: 45%. 15 % for each, lowest score will be dropped. Students are welcome to work in groups, but each should submit a solution set. Note, however, that all of the problem sets are fair game on the final, so you can’t afford to slack or let others do the work! Problem sets that are late (without prior approval) will have 25% per week deducted from their original value each week (i.e. after four weeks, don’t bother).
• Original problems: 20 %. These should be based on credible data, and should follow the SWRI format (i.e. problem statement, necessary data, solution). These should be turned in electronically. Each student must turn in an original problem and solution. The best sources of possible problems are journals such as Risk Analysis and Risk: Health, Safety and Environment. You are strongly encouraged, however, to ask each other to review and evaluate (and check math) along the way! You should begin looking for potential problems early in the semester.  Note on the syllabus that you should submit four potential problems by the end of spring break, and then plan to discuss which of these problems you will take on during the week following spring break.
• Original problem presentations: 5%. Each student will give a brief presentation of his or her problem set during one of the final 2 sessions.
• Participation: 10%. Class discussions are an essential part of this course. As such, all students are expected to have read all relevant materials before class and be prepared to provide useful input and ask useful questions.
• Final examination 20%. About half of the exam will be essay questions from the final four weeks of class, and half will be “quick and dirty” questions similar to the 4 problem sets. Students who have done well on the problem sets (through their own efforts) should have no problem with this section. While it will be open book and open note, students who need to refer often to their books are unlikely to complete the problems.
• Attendance. While you will not be specifically graded on attendance, you will drop a +/- for each absence beyond 2. That is, if you earned 93% but had 5 absences, you will receive a B; an 89 with 4 absences is a B-. Exceptions will be made for extreme cases.

A = 100 - 92%, A- = 91 - 90%, B+ = 88 - 89%, B = 87 - 82%, B- = 81 - 80%, C+ = 78 - 79%, C = 77 - 70%, C- = 69%, D+ = 68%, D = 67 - 60%, F = less than 60%

Disabilities: If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you will need to go to the Disability Resource Center (DRC) for coordination of academic accommodations.  The Disability Resource Center is located in the Reynolds Student Services Building room 137.  The DRC phone number is 895-0866 (TDD-895-0652) or drcssc@ccmail.nevada.edu.

Attendance and Courtesy: Private student conversations during lecture disturb nearby students and undermine full class participation.  I encourage you to participate in classroom activities by directing your comments and questions to your instructors.  Students who insist on private conversations will be asked to leave.  Similarly, students leaving during class time disrupt other students. 

Withdrawals: Withdrawals from the course are possible through the date specified in the catalog.  Until then you may drop with no questions asked.  After that date, withdrawals are not permitted for any reason.

Incompletes: I will give an incomplete in the course if, for some reason beyond your control (hospitalization, death in the family) you cannot complete the course.  Under no circumstances will you be given an incomplete because you are failing.

Web resources

WebCT is the main web resource for this class, although I will provide material at a separate web site as well. The WebCT site contains links to supplemental readings, assignments, and other relevant information.  This service is meant to allow you access to information that you might have missed during the lecture, or to compare our notes with the notes you took during class.  Please check the web site regularly for information and news. Note that I do not guarantee that everything covered in class will be posted on the website.

How can I do well in this course ?

Success in college, as in much of life, requires that you plan ahead.  In college, planning requires that you are aware of your class schedules, and that your studying always prepares you for exams and assignments.  I recommend that you pursue the following activities to be an active participant in your learning and to facilitate successful completion of your courses.

1) Obtain and fill out a calendar now.  Assemble the schedule (syllabus) from each of your classes and enter important dates from each on the same calendar.  Include the exam dates.  This lets you know when to emphasize which class, day by day, week by week.

2) Read the assigned material before coming to class.  Textbooks and readers should not be read like novels.  When reading textbooks, emphasize the chapter outlines, headings and subheadings, material that is highlighted or enumerated, and figures.  Read the summary, review questions, and key terms at the end of the chapter first.  Next, skim through the chapter, reading only section headings and emphasized words. Then read lists, tables, and figures.  Finally, read the chapter from start to finish.  This reading method will take a few more minutes, but your comprehension and retention will be much better than with a straight read-through.

3) Attend every class meeting. This cannot be overemphasized. Take copious notes.   Some students respond to the lack of roll call in college with sporadic attendance. Such action is academically suicidal.  There is too much material in the textbook for everything to be on an exam; therefore, you must learn what the instructor=s emphasis is.  You can only ascertain this by attending every lecture and taking down as much of the information presented in the lecture as possible.

4) Recopy your notes.  If your note-taking is anything like mine, your notes will likely be a little disorganized, sloppy and incomplete.  It is very important that, as soon as possible, you sit down and recopy the in-class notes into a neater, more comprehensible format for later study.  Use the text and notes on the internet as a reference to aid in rewriting lecture notes after class.  Save your original notes for reference or emergencies, but study from your neat notes.  Reorganization of notes is greatly facilitated by a computer, but rewriting by hand is also effective.  Both sets should be stored safely in a binder or on a disc.

Copyright and fair use requirements

The university requires all members of the University Community to familiarize themselves and to follow copyright and fair use requirements.  You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws.  The University will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student violations of copyright or fair use laws.  Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal liabilities as well as disciplinary action under University policies.  To help familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright web page at:

http://www.unlv.edu/committees/copyright