College Catalog
Course Descriptions
Introduction to Emergency Management Operations
BEM101
Introduction to the theories, principles, and organized approaches to emergency management at local, state, and federal levels. Topics include the history of human vulnerability to natural, man-made, and technological hazards; the advent of emergency management professions; and an examination of current emergency response systems. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab)
Technical Elements of Emergency Management
BEM102
Introduction to the role of the technological elements related to effective emergency management. Examination covers a wide variety of current and emerging technologies related to the management of actual and potential incidents. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab) Prerequisite(s): BEM101.
Incident Command System Operations
BEM201
Introduction to the roles, designs, and functions of incident command operations integral to emergency management services at the local, state, and federal levels. Exploration of multi-agency coordination related to various types and severity of disasters/incidents. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab) Prerequisite(s): BEM101 and BEM102.
Emergencies, Disasters, and Catastrophes
BEM202
Overview of emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes from a social, political, historical, policy, environmental, international, and cross-cultural perspective. Focus on the differences in these events in terms of scale and cause as well as the diverse approaches of managing these events. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab)
Disaster Preparation and Planning
BEM210
Comprehensive introduction to the principles, theories, and approaches to emergency response planning at the local, state, and federal levels. Includes analysis of the tasks, roles and responsibilities of designing and implementing emergency response plans in various communities. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab) Prerequisite(s): BEM201.
Disaster and Emergency Management Ethics
BEM215
Basic study of philosophical ethics and its application to disasters and emergency management. The major philosophical approaches to ethics, including relativism, religious ethics, egoism, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics, are applied to theoretical and real-world examples of natural and man-made disasters and their management. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the role of rational argumentation in justifying the actions or expected reactions to emergency management at the local, state, and federal levels. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab)
Disaster Response
BEM220
Analysis of the principles that promote effective disaster response practices in operations and management. Examines the nature of disasters, the context of response operations, and the roles and responsibilities of various individuals and organizations. Reviews the popular myths and realities of human behavior in catastrophic events as well as the divergent approaches to disaster response operations. Effective response criteria for affected populations is discussed, including implementing the emergency operations plan, warning, evacuation, search and rescue, emergency medical care/mass casualties, mass fatalities, sheltering and mass care, donations management, damage assessment, the disaster declaration process, media relations/public information, individual and public assistance, and critical incident stress management. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab)
Disaster Recovery
BEM230
Study of the basic concepts, operational procedures, and authorities involved in recovering from major disasters. Addresses federal, state, and local government roles and responsibilities in major disaster recovery work, with an emphasis on government coordination and the problems frequently arising in recovery operations. An overview of preliminary damage assessment, disaster recovery centers, and special needs of victims and disaster workers is included. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab)
Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management
BEM250
Study of the variety of collection techniques that add value to data contained in a geographic information system. Theory and application include topics in hazard mapping, risk and vulnerability analysis, and evacuation analysis. Course work provides hands-on experience in applying spatial analytical techniques using GIS and spatial analytical software to address some research question. Exploration covers essential methodological and practical issues that are involved in carrying out sophisticated spatial analyses using GIS and other spatial type software to help emergency management agencies make policy decisions. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab) Prerequisite(s): BEM201.
Social/Psychological Foundations of Emergency Management
BEM265
Study of the empirical vs. theoretical approaches to understanding human behavior in disasters. Explores myths and realities about group disaster behavior, community social systems, and disaster response as well as the role of culture and demographics in emergency response. Course work utilizes psychological and sociological approaches to understanding human behavior during disasters and presents competing theories about the psychological and social foundations of emergency management. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab) Prerequisite(s): PSY241.
The History and Evolution of Emergency Management
BEM310
Intensive, original analysis of the history and evolution of emergency management in the United States. Topics trace the changes in approaches to emergency management in order to analyze what motivated changes, like the creation of FEMA. Course work includes writing an article-length paper that analyzes the history of the field. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab) Prerequisite(s): BEM265. (Writing Enriched)
Emergency Management Internship
BEM450
Practical work experience in emergency management/public safety through placement in a governmental agency or program, non-governmental provider, or private sector organization whose mission is emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. Permission of program faculty required. 3 Credits (0 Lecture - 15 Lab) Prerequisite(s): BEM101 and BEM210 and BEM215 and BEM220. Corequisite(s): BEM495.
Emerency Management Capstone
BEM495
Individualized learning experience that consolidates knowledge of public safety and emergency management concepts and best practices, with a focus on analyzing and developing solutions to emergency management issues or problems. Under the guidance of a faculty member, the student will develop a program for implementation in the emergency management field or write a major emergency management research paper involving original data collection. 3 Credits (3 Lecture - 0 Lab) Prerequisite(s): BEM101 and BEM210 and BEM215 and BEM220. Corequisite(s): BEM450.
