Spring Quarter 2006
Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course explores the relationship of people to their environment -- how it affects their physical well-being, and what they can do to protect and enhance their health, and to influence the quality of the environment. 

This course is a survey course intended to give students a basic understanding of how environmental factors impact the health of people and the community, and of the efforts made to prevent or minimize the effects of negative impacts. The course is designed to acquaint the student with the scientific and technical foundations of the field, and examines both the practice of environmental health and the problems which are addressed by the practitioners in this career discipline.  Emphasis is on providing a general understanding of how environmental factors are involved in the transmission of communicable diseases and on some of the health hazards resulting from exposure to chemical and physical materials in our environment.

This past year we have had a graphic, and tragic, illustration of the connections between environmental forces and and human health and well being in the twin blows of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  We will devote the course projects to exploring some of these connections.

Learning Objectives

It is intended that at the completion of this course, each student should be able to:

1. Describe, and document by case example, ways in which environmental factors in community, occupational and residential settings impact health;
2. Explain the pertinent scientific principles associated with the major environmental health program areas;
3. Explain, and be able to illustrate with examples, how factors, such as community perceptions, public health law, traditions, socioeconomic conditions, politics and interpersonal communications, may influence the practice of environmental health;
4. Describe the benefits and limitations of the various methodologies (such as regulation, education, impact statements and public funding) through which society attempts to minimize negative environmental health impacts;
5. Explain the theoretical framework which guides environmental health practitioners and differentiates them from other environmental and health professionals;
6. List the major agencies and organizations involved in environmental health protection and explain their basic responsibilities, programs and problems; and,
7. Analyze environmental health problems by identifying the issue; explaining the interaction of the cuasative factors with, and impact on, the community; determining the theoretical and legal base for a response; describing the organization and management of the response, and the agencies involved.

Course Requirements

1. Examinations: There will be a mid-term and a final examination. The tests will be cumulative only in the sense that the basic principles and concepts learned in the early portions of the course are applicable to the problems examined in the later portions.
   • Mid-Term Exam: 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 am, Tuesday, May 9, 2006
   • Final Exam: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Thursday, June 15, 2006
     
     
2. Course Project: During the third week of the course, the class will be divided into groups which will analyze an environmental health issue or problem, assigned by the instructors, that is currently controversial. The members of each group will be responsible for preparing a class presentation in which they will:

1. present a description of the problem -- its size, scope and affected population(s); stressing the available information or data that best supports the group's position with regard to the public health significance of the problem or issue and its relationship to, or impact on, members of the community;
2. discuss the etiology or causative factors involved with this particular problem, including the agent(s), mechanism(s) of injury or health impact, and the transmission pathway(s);
3. discuss the prevention or control strategies and programs -- including the statutory basis for government regulation or intervention in this area and the major agency or agencies (if any) responsible for dealing with the problem and describe the activities, procedures, etc. employed or under discussion by the agencies; and,
4. present the group's conclusions and recommendations including an assessment of how well the agency is (or agencies are) dealing with the problem and your reactions/observations concerning the relevancy of the agency program/activities to community needs.
   

The project is to be based on information gathered by the group from the periodic literature and popular press.   Each group should meet with one of the instructors at least once to discuss their topic and to insure that each of the members of the group have sufficient background information with regard to the topic to be able to make the necessary observations and ask intelligent questions the class presentation.

The final report will consist of an oral presentationto the class and an accompanying written report. The class presentation will be presented on Tuesday, June 13, 2006. The written report is due Thursday, June 8.  The report should include:

• the project title;
• the names of each of the group members;
• the date;
• a statement of the problem or issue being investigated;
• a discussion of the legal, political and social issues affecting the problem;
• identification of the major government agencies, private sector and non-governmental organizations or citizens groups involved; and,
• the results found and conclusions drawn by the group.
  

In addition, the written report should include information on the field visits, any desired additional information or discussion, and a bibliography of the literature cited. (A word of caution with regard to the bibilography. While the internet is a tremendous resource for obtaining information, it is neither comprehensive nor necessarily authoritative. There is a lot of misinformation on the net -- be sure to use only credible sites and even then read the material critically. And remember, the library is not obsolete! Not all the journals you may need are available online [or free] and there may be important background materials and insights in books.)

A single grade will be assigned to each group. However, the grade for each member of the group will be adjusted based on a peer evaluation performed by each member of the group. It is critically important that everyone complete the peer evaluation form -- failure to do so could negatively affect your grade in the course as your final grade for the project will be adjusted according to the grades submitted by your peers. A major purpose of the group project is for each member of the class to gain experience working together as a group to solve a current issue or problem. This is a skill which has become increasingly important in both private and public agencies and organizations.

Course Materials

1. Textbook: Nadakavukaren, Anne, Our Global Environment: A Health Perspective, 6th Ed., Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, Illinois, 2006.  (The texbook is available at the NSCC Bookstore as well as the South Campus Center branch of the University Bookstore [UW].)
   
2. Supplementary Readings: The materials in the above textbook will be supplemented by a series of readings.Most of these will be available on-line -- either as alink to the material or as a downloadable PDF document.
   
3. Suggested Readings: Your syllabus lists a number of journal articles, reports and other materials that expand upon or illuminate specific aspects of the topics covered in this course. Some of these are available on-line while others are available for reading in E-179B. Also there are a number of journals related to environmental health currently available. People wishing to stay abreast of this fast changing field should at least scan the journals most related to their interests every month. Some of the best of them (or at least the ones most directly related to this course) are in the Department of Environmental Health Library (F-459) and include:
   • Journal of Environmental Health
   • American Journal of Public Health
   • Environment
   • EPA Journal

   In addition there are a number of general textbooks in ecology, environmental engineering and environmental health which are recommended for students desiring to obtain greater technical information in the practice of environmental health.

   1. Anderson SH, Beiswenger RE, Purdom PW. Environmental Science [3d Ed.], Merrill Publishing Co., Columbus, 1987. [A good general text in environmental science, although seriously dated.]
   2. Bernarde, Melvin, Our Precarious Habitat: Fifteen Years Later, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1989. {Another dated but still interesting textbook, written from a different perspective than Nadakavukaren's book.]
   3. Blumenthal DS [Ed.] Introduction to Environmental Health, Springer Publishing Co., New York, 1985. [This book gives good coverage of certain problems like toxic substances and occupational hazards but is very sketchy on the traditional areas like food and water.]
   4. Moeller DW. Environmental Health, Revised Edition, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1997.
   5. Moore GS. Living with the Earth: Concepts in Environmental Health Science, Lewis Publishers, New York, 1999.
   6. Salvato JA. Environmental Engineering and Sanitation [4th Ed.], John Wiley & Sons. 1992. [This is the best, up-to-date, comprehensive environmental health textbook available, however, it is expensive, technical and somewhat tedious to read.]
   7. Sadler, AE (Ed.) The Environment: Opposing Viewpoints, Greenhaven Press, San Diego, 1996.
   8. Wekesser C. (Ed.) Water: Opposing Viewpoints, Greenhaven Press, San Diego, 1994.

Course Policies

1. The group paper must be typewritten. Your report will be graded on the substance of your report and on the effectiveness of its organization and presentation. Groups should see one of us if they need help with making graphics or PowerPoint slides for their presentation.
   
2. There will be no make-up examinations unless approved by one of the instructors in advance. If a test is missed because of an unexcused absence, it will not be rescheduled.
   
3. Your final grade will be the average of the two course exams and your course project.
   • 100 points - Midterm examination
   • 100 points - Project paper
   •  50 points - Project presentation
   • 100 points - Final examination
     
4. If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability Services, Room CC2445B, College Center Building, 2nd Floor (Phone. 206-527-3697 / TTY 206-526-0079 / Email. ds@sccd.ctc.edu - Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm) . If you have a letter from Disability Services indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to us so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for class.