Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Spring Semester 2026
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
HUMA 139 001 (CRN: 25644)
WHAT IS A "NATURAL" DISASTER?
Long Title: WHAT IS A "NATURAL" DISASTER? A BIG QUESTIONS COURSE
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Instructor: Duno-Gottberg, Luis
Meeting: 4:00PM - 5:15PM TR (12-JAN-2026 - 24-APR-2026)
Part of Term: Full Term
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 3
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Section Max Enrollment: 100
Section Enrolled: 18
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 25-NOV-2025 4:24AM
Final Exam: No Final Exam
Description: What is a Natural Disaster? invites students to question the very idea of “natural” catastrophe, exploring how earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and pandemics are experienced, narrated, and remembered across cultures. Far from being purely natural events, disasters are deeply shaped by human decisions about environment, infrastructure, inequality, and politics. This interdisciplinary humanities course draws on literature, history, anthropology, philosophy, and visual culture to examine how societies define, narrate, and respond to catastrophe, and how cultural frameworks influence vulnerability, resilience, and recovery.