- An undergraduate course
in
Science.
Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis
- On this page
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | S186 |
| Credits | 10 |
| OU Level | 1 |
| SCQF level | 7 |
| FHEQ level | 4 |
| Course work includes: | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis is one of a series of short, five month 10-credit courses introducing fascinating topics in science. If you’ve ever been intrigued or affected by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or tsunamis and want to find out more about why they happen and what they do, then this is the course for you. With a choice of start dates it enables you to try out an area of study before you commit yourself to a longer course, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer courses.
Register for the course
What you will study
The course covers:
- the basic plate tectonic structure of the Earth and its relationship to the global distribution and types of earthquakes and volcanoes
- the factors contributing to the origin and styles of eruption of magma from volcanoes
- the hazards posed to humans and the environment as a whole by volcanic eruptions, and the extent to which risk can realistically be mitigated
- the nature of ground motion during earthquakes, the hazards posed thereby, and ways to reduce vulnerability to earthquake damage
- the nature of tsunamis and the volcanic, seismic and other events that can trigger them
- the nature and outcome of some notable historic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, and methods to predict and monitor these phenomena.
The course is based around two books – a specially written OU study book and Teach Yourself Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis. There is also a website that includes online activities which use video sequences and external volcanic, seismic and tsunami websites. The external websites are used both to show you reports and descriptions of recent and current events, and to give you confidence in navigating a website and finding relevant information.
Entry
This course is for people who are new to the subject areas, and although a little knowledge of general science would be useful, you’ll need little more than an interest in volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and the motivation to discover more about them.
You should be able to read and understand written English of a style and complexity characteristic of a professional magazine or quality newspaper, and you should be able to communicate your thoughts clearly and comprehensibly in a written format. Mathematically you need only to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide simple numbers.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability
A proportion of the course is delivered online via the website, so you will have to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet, including visiting external websites. No written textual descriptions are available for images within the study materials but written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material.
If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in operating a computer or the internet and have any concerns about accessing the types of study materials outlined you are advised to talk to our Student Registration & Enquiry Service about support which can be given to meet your needs.
Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Visit our Services for disabled students website for more information, including:
- help to determine your study requirements and how to request the support that you need
- Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
- using a computer for OU study
- equipment and other support services that we offer
- examination arrangements
- how to contact us for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
OU study book, Teach Yourself Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis, study guide, website with online video activities, maths skills ebook.
You will need
A basic scientific calculator.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Teaching and assessment
Study support
You can contact a team of expert science study advisers through an online discussion forum, and they will be able to help you with academic questions to do with the course and the assessment. There will also be an online discussion forum that you can use to get in touch with other students.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online system to submit your end-of-module assessment (EMA).
You have to submit a single piece of written work for assessment after 21 weeks. There will be no other opportunity to complete the course.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts October 2013 and April 2014. We expect it to be available for the last time in October 2014.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.
Student Reviews
“I really enjoyed this course, it is very much direct to the point and I feel I learnt a lot ...”
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“Really enjoyable course. I can't understand some of the negative comments posted, yes the module goes in depth, and yes ...”
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Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information read Distance learning explained.
Undergraduate
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | S186 |
| Credits | 10 |
| OU Level | 1 |
| SCQF level | 7 |
| FHEQ level | 4 |
| Course work includes: | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
Course satisfaction survey
See the satisfaction survey results for this course.
Your questions
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