Hurricane Katrina (Case Study)
Write 20 pages double spaced exclusive of title and reference pages (Case Study) on the topic: Hurricane Katrina using the attached template.
Abstract
[Write this last. In this section, give a maximum 250-word overview of the entire research project. Be sure to include brief descriptions of the problem, methodology,
analysis, conclusions, and recommendations. Do not include any cited material or citations in the abstract.]
Problem Statement
[Explain your project in detail. What happened? Why is the study of it important to the field of emergency management? What do you expect to be the value of
studying your event? This section should probably be about two pages long.]
The Event
[Tell the story of your disaster in detail. Tell it in chronological order. Make it a compelling narrative. This is where the reader’s attention is captivated,
and in doing so, the credibility and importance of the work you’re about to accomplish is established. This section should probably be seven – ten pages in length in
order to do the complexity of your event justice.]
Methodology
Methodology
[This is where you establish the academic validity of your work. Cite and quote heavily from Yin in this section. Talk about what you learned from the weekly
assignments—design criteria, boundaries, single case design, design validity, evidence collection, evidence analysis, etc. This section should be no less than two
pages and may require five or so.]
Data Collection and Analysis
[This is where you will explain what data you will collect, where you will get it, and how you will analyze it. This section should probably run two pages or
so.]
Research Questions and Hypotheses
[Qualitative research typically answers research questions, whereas quantitative research seeks to prove or disprove hypotheses. If you do not require a
hypothesis for your project, that’s fine. Write out three or four research questions—no more–that your analysis will answer.]
Research Questions.
Hypotheses.
Literature Review
[In week four, you will begin developing an annotated bibliography on your topic, which you will provide in Appendix A. You will gather as many sources as you
feel will provide a solid data set with which to analyze your event. You’ll discuss the bibliography in the forums, and your classmates may offer suggestions for
additional resources. Once you feel you have a complete picture of your event, write a summary literature review for this section. Hit the highlights of what you
learned from the various sources. Identify shortfalls in the knowledge that your project may help fill in. This section should probably run about two pages.]
Discussion/Analysis
[This is where you apply the methodology to the evidence. Was the disaster inevitable? Was it ironic that the event happened at all? Were there warnings? How
was the preparation for the potential disaster handled? Did mitigation occur? When the disaster struck, what was the quality of the response? Was there a chain of
authority? How well did the disaster response structure, if any, function? Did recovery and restoration occur at an adequate level? Were any lessons learned? How did
the theory of how disasters happen apply to this event? These are examples of the types of questions you will seek to answer in your analysis. This section should
probably run five – ten pages in order to be thorough.]
Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusions
[In the final analysis, what do you conclude? Did things go as well as they could have? Why or why not? Be sure to readdress your research questions in this
section and provide the answers that were developed by doing the research. Do not cite or quote in this section—all words should be your words. This section should
probably be one or two pages in length to make sure everything was captured.]
Recommendations
[In many ways, this is the most important section of the paper. What are we to learn—and what are we to do—with respect to what you studied that will improve
emergency management theory and operations? Be specific and direct. Again, do not cite or quote in this section. These are your recommendations.]
References
[Include a reference entry for all material used to develop the project in this section. Use proper APA formatting. Present the reference entries in
alphabetical order by author’s last name.]
Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography
[You will work on the bibliography once your project is selected and approved, beginning approximately in week four. This is where you will provide a somewhat
detailed description of the resources you found to use as data and evidence for your project. Begin by introducing the piece of literature by author, date and title.
Give a brief synopsis of the article. Evaluate the author’s work and say what value the work will likely be to your research. Then move on to the next piece of
literature. You must have no less than eight resources for your project, at least half of which must be scholarly work, government reports, or other official
documents. More is better—you’re working to become an expert on your topic.]
Appendix B: Charts, graphs, figures, etc.
[Final note: Proofread your paper. There should be no red or green underlines outside of the reference section. There should be no blue text. The centered
headings should be 14-pitch, and all other headings and text should be 12-pitch. Times New Roman should be the only font. The title should not be ‘Title’. The running
heads should not say ‘RUNNING HEAD’. The final product should be a first-rate presentation that you’re very proud of.]
