When disasters occur, news headlines, dramatic photographs, and video tell us about lives lost, destruction, and hardship; but they tell us too little about how we prepare for, respond to, and recover from these events. This course deals with the challenges leaders and society as a whole face in preparing for major crises and responding and providing relief for survivors. Through conceptual frameworks and examples from Chinese, US, and other international emergencies, the course views these issues from the perspectives of emergency responders, humanitarian organizations, and government leaders. Getting truly ready for emergencies is extremely difficult because responders must function in two modes – preparing both for what we will term “routine emergencies” and for the rarer but more difficult true “crises.” In a crisis, taking action is urgent, but the tactics and methods that work in confronting everyday emergencies may be inadequate – or even counterproductive. Response leaders confronting crises, especially large-scale disasters, therefore, must operate in a different mode than that appropriate for routine emergencies. They must make decisions with the participation of a wider range of stakeholders, collaborating with many other organizations, and developing new solutions.