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Humanitarian Action, Response and Relief

Understand both the principles and practicalities of humanitarian response and learn about disaster management.

3,854 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
This course is part of the program Humanitarian Principles, Preparedness and Response, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MSc Disaster Management and Resilience. Find out more.

Explore the fundamentals of humanitarian action

A timely and efficient humanitarian response can save lives during emergencies and disasters. A good knowledge of emergency preparedness and disaster management is vital, not only for saving lives but for building a career in the humanitarian sector.

On this course, you will explore theoretical and practical perspectives of humanitarian response. Examining the wider humanitarian context and the disaster management cycle, you will develop the knowledge and specialist skills required for working in humanitarian crises.

What topics will you cover?

  • The humanitarian origin in the Red Cross movement
  • The Geneva Convention, Hague Conventions and the UDHR
  • Ethics of humanitarian work
  • Key concepts/terminology for humanitarian operations – NGOs, agencies
  • Humanitarian space
  • Protection
  • The landscape of the main actors in humanitarian response
  • Anticipation and disaster assessments: types of assessments, the purpose of assessments and assessing capacities, rapid assessments and considerations
  • Cluster systems

When would you like to start?

  • Date to be announced

Add to Wishlist to be emailed when new dates are announced

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify the historical background and contextual issues that inform humanitarian approaches
  • Explore the theoretical underpinning that shapes many humanitarian relief operations
  • Explore the key principles and values that underpin responses to emergencies and humanitarian action
  • Evaluate the impact of a range of humanitarian relief responses on the experiences of disaster-affected populations

Who is the course for?

This course is for individuals working in the humanitarian sector who need to refresh their knowledge and individuals looking to work in the humanitarian sector. It will also be useful for those who manage and evaluate services within the humanitarian sector.

Please note that the individuals detailed in the ‘Who will you learn with?’ section below, are current staff members and may be subject to change.

Who will you learn with?

Lecturer in International Disaster Relief and Community Reconstruction

Who developed the course?

Coventry University

Coventry secured 5 QS Stars for Teaching and Online Learning in the QS World University Ranking 2020 and has received No. 1 in the world for Massive Open Online Courses in MoocLab’s World University Ranking 2021.

  • Established

    1992
  • Location

    Coventry

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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Advance your career with a degree

Since 2017 you have been able to take a degree on FutureLearn. This free course is a bit like a starter course for a degree — it should give you a flavour of the degree subject but can also be your first step towards a degree qualification.

If you enjoy this course you can apply to join the program it’s part of to start working towards a degree on FutureLearn.

Don’t worry, you can still take the course without doing a full degree!

Do the free course
Join and complete the program
Get academic credit for an online degree from Coventry University
This course is part of the program Humanitarian Principles, Preparedness and Response, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MSc Disaster Management and Resilience.

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