Recently, we have faced many devastating disasters, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, earthquakes, forest fires, floods, both in the country and globally. The aim of this course will be to approach disasters from a sociological perspective, accompanied by conceptual and theoretical discussions. The first of the questions asked by the sociology of disaster is what is the importance of social factors in terms of events defined as natural phenomena? Second, how do social factors shape the origins, course and consequences of natural disasters? In the course, we will examine the causes and consequences of various types of disasters after a broad theoretical analysis based on these questions.

Disasters have been conceived and understood in very different ways in different times and societies. In this context, disaster types, especially historically important disasters, and conceptual and theoretical approaches to disasters will be examined. Again, questions such as how disasters affect the structures, interactions and subjective perceptions among community members will also be searched for answers. Then, what are the factors that influence the cultural representation of disasters? Theoretical theoretical literature in the field of disasters and risk society will be examined. Finally, we will explore the role of urban legends and disaster rumors, particularly earthquake rumors.