This course explores disasters and emergency response via a sociological lens and examines the need to systematically understand the social impacts of such tragic events. Participants will learn how to be better prepared to function as an effective member of their community to enhance the chances of improving preparedness, mitigation, and response to possible natural or technological hazards. Furthermore, this course will include discussions of disaster types, individual and collective vulnerabilities of various populations to disasters, disaster-related organization and social policies, issues of disaster preparedness, the media and disaster response, and challenges/opportunities of disaster recovery and prevention.