| The field of Emergency Management is in a period of dramatic knowledge expansion. Practitioners from diverse public and private organizations and all levels of government are enjoying increased visibility and resources in combating a string of media enriched disaster events. A growing number of scholars and practitioners from multiple originating disciplines are bringing together an ever-increasing body of written work to support the recognition of Emergency Management as a profession and as a field for academic inquiry. This development in the United States has been propelled by the expansion of emergency management issues across disciplines, the establishment of a large number of academic programs across the country, and increasing visibility of disaster and its consequences, including the most recent emphasis on terrorism and homeland security.;This study seeks to determine the degree of alignment between the perceptions of academics and practitioners in the field. To that end, this study addresses two research questions: (1) based on existing academic curricula, what are some of the core knowledge components of Emergency Management and what is the relative emphasis placed on each of the identified components; and (2) how and to what extent does the curricula content create intersection between originating disciplines and institutions of emergency management practice, or more plainly stated, between academics and practitioners. |
