Draft Syllabus, BISC 6bj
Fall 2015
Overview
This course is specially designed to integrate with AMST102aj, Environment, Social Justice & Empowerment, and will emphasize basic environmental health science combined with actual hands-on learning both in a classroom setting followed by real-world experiences. For all course materials including readings, assignments and other items see main syllabus for this program for AMST102aj Environment, Social Justice & Empowerment. For daily activities and schedule see our ECO-Justice 2015 Google calendar.
This course will introduce students to the science and tools of environmental health, and through fieldwork,study exposure issues experienced by local, primarily low-income communities. Students will be introduced to the sciences of toxicology, epidemiology, and risk assessment as applied to specific environmental issues such as air and water quality and chemical contamination. They will also examine the impact on human health of environmental contamination with toxic, carcinogenic, or pathogenic agents and develop an understanding of the genesis of environmental health as a science and as a societal concern. The students will develop an appreciation and understanding of the sentinel events in environmental health that changed both laws and policies around the world.
The field study portion of the course will build upon the fundamentals of environmental health covered in the classroom and will focus on field research methods, data analysis, and risk communication. The heart of the course will be a full semester research project closely directed by the faculty. It will include training on the proper use of environmental health field equipment (e.g., equipment used to analyze airborne, waterborne, and soil borne contaminants), statistical analysis of environmental measurements, and communication of those results to both involved community groups and the scientific community through preparation of presentation materials for a scientific conference.
Learning Objectives
-Understand the basic concepts and principles of environmental health and occupational health, including: air and water pollution, epidemiology, toxicology, exposure and risk assessment, indoor environmental quality and biological hazards
-Develop an understanding of the history of and sentinel events in environmental health, e.g., Bhopal and Chernobyl disasters
-Develop a fundamental understanding of the available environmental sampling equipment used in environmental exposure assessments
-Utilize specific sampling equipment in a field environmental exposure assessment, e.g., XRF for measuring lead in soil
-Understand, develop and implement an effective sampling strategy for a specific environmental pollutant
-Learn and apply fundamental data analysis techniques to environmental sampling data
-Conduct research translation through written materials and oral presentations aimed at key stakeholders, including the public, scientists, non-profit organizations and regulatory agencies
-Understand the legal framework that governs environmental health
-Understand the genesis of environmental justice issues
-Develop a fundamental understanding the health impacts of environmental pollution in communities