Syllabus

Graduate Programs in Public Health

GPH 722 Introduction to Environmental Health

Credits - 3

Description

The world about us provides for our life, but also can be dangerous to our health. This dichotomy is the essence of the study of environmental health. Students completing this course will be able to apply scientific knowledge to evaluate the risks that exist in the world about them.

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the field of environmental health in an ecosystems context. The course will emphasize the recognition, evaluation, and control of hazards including toxic chemicals, fibers and dust, ionizing radiation, and infectious agents. General principles and global processes will be linked to local issues and the regulatory environment through case studies and interviews with subject matter experts.

Materials

Frumkin H. ed. Environmental Health: From Global to Local, 3rd Edition. San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass; 2016. ISBN: 978-1-118-98476-5

Media: You will need to rent or buy the film “A Civil Action”. Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Civil­Action­John­Travolta/dp/B003SI1TK6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=143413 9514&sr=8­1&keywords=a+civil+action&pebp=1434139524074&perid=5B6372B2B0F0488086D0 

 

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Incorporate ethical standards in professional practice to promote health communities.

 

Identify, measure and assess the environmental hazards to health.

  • Explore how environmental hazards affect individual lives.
  • Investigate how environmental hazards spread across locations and communities.
  • Explore food standards and the effect on health.
  • Examine cause and effect factors when determining how environmental hazards affect the health of the public.

Describe the challenges environmental hazards present for the future of public health.

  • Assess how the environment can sustain and harm living organisms.
  • Evaluate the role and effects of human interaction and the environment across time.
  • Describe how public health is affected by media representation of environmental issues.
  • Examine how climate change affects public health outcomes.

Describe measures that can be used to monitor the success of an environmental intervention.

  • Identify the kinds of studies that measure health effects from environmental exposure.
  • Analyze the effectiveness of environmental interventions in preventing disease.

Promote policies, programs, and services for diverse populations that demonstrate cultural proficiency and community collaboration.

 

Evaluate how socioeconomic status affects the health of communities exposed to environmental hazards.

 

  • Explore how socioeconomic status and availability of resources impact the ability to mitigate environmental hazards.

Apply current environmental health research data to make policy recommendations.

  • Assess state and Federal data on environmental quality.
  • Evaluate policies that have been proposed to improve the environment.
  • Analyze the ways that human actions or lack of action affect environmental outcomes.

Discuss how research on environmental health can be used to create interventions that limit exposures.

  • Match disease incidence data with exposure data.
  • Explore early investigations of disease from environmental exposure.
  • Develop interventions that limit environmental exposures to pollutants.

Utilize effective communication skills to convey public health data and information to professionals and the public.

 

Assess the quality of data presented in media sources on environmental issues.

  • Assess studies to determine what is good data.
  • Evaluate environmental issue fact usage in media reports.

Utilize both written and oral communications to present public health recommendations from different points of view.

  • Use written and oral presentations to support policy recommendations.
  • Present the views of different stakeholders in a policy debate.

Assignments

Discussions (7 discussions at 3 points each)

  • No Discussion in Week 4

*You are required to participate in discussions. Initial posts are due by Sunday, and responses are due by Wednesday, except for Week 8 when the initial post is due by Friday and the response post is due by Sunday. If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week you will be given a zero.

 21

 Written Assignments

  • Week 1: Climate Change (7 points)
  • Week 2: Project Topic (7 points)
  • Week 3: Interview Questions (7 points)
  • Week 4: Sources in Media Reports (7 points)
  • Week 4: Interview (7 points)
  • Week 5: What Disease Outcomes Result from Our Exposure (7 points)
  • Week 6: Impact Statement (15 points)
  • Week 7: Presentation (15 points)
  • Week 8: Clean Air Act (7 points)
 79
Total 100 

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Week 1 Oct 25 – Nov 1
Week 2 Nov 1 – Nov 8
Week 3 Nov 8 – Nov 15
Week 4 Nov 15 – Nov 22
Week 5 Nov 22 – Nov 29
Week 6 Nov 29 – Dec 6
Week 7 Dec 6 – Dec 13
Week 8 Dec 13 – Dec 17 (Sunday)

*See Blackboard for required and suggested weekly readings.

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 1: Defining Environment?

Weekly Outcomes

  • Explore how environmental hazards affect individual lives.
  • Examine how climate change affects public health outcomes.
  • Assess how the environment can sustain and harm living organisms.

Lectures

  • Course Introduction
  • Week 1 Lecture: What Defines the Environment?

Assignments

  • Week 1 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 1 Assignment: Climate Change

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 2: Human and Environment Interaction

Weekly Outcomes

  • Explore how socioeconomic status and availability of resources impact the ability to mitigate environmental hazards.
  • Investigate how environmental hazards spread across locations and communities.
  • Evaluate the role and effects of human interaction and the environment across time.

Lectures

  • Week 2 Lecture: Human and Environment Interaction
  • Week 2 Video: Gil Dichter Interview

Assignments

  • Week 2 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 2 Assignment: Project Topic

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 3: Exposure to Environmental Hazards

Weekly Outcomes

  • Explore food standards and the effect on health.
  • Identify the kinds of studies that measure health effects from environmental exposure.
  • Assess studies to determine what is good data.

Lectures

  • Week 3 Lecture: Measuring Exposure to Environmental Hazards

Assignments

  • Week  3 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 3 Assignment: Interview Questions

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 4: The Role of the Media

Weekly Outcomes

  • Evaluate environmental issue fact usage in media reports.
  • Describe how public health is affected by media representation of environmental issues.

Lectures

  • Week 4 Lecture: The Role of the Media

Assignments

  • Week 4 Assignment: Sources in Media Reports
  • Week 4 Assignment: Interview Summary

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 5: Disease Outcomes Resulting From Exposure

Weekly Outcomes

  • Assess state and Federal data on environmental quality.
  • Match disease incidence data with exposure data.
  • Explore early investigations of disease from environmental exposure.

Lectures

  • Week 5 Lecture: What Disease Outcomes Result from Our Exposure

Assignments

  • Week  5 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 5 Assignment: Exposure and Disease

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 6: Chronic and Acute Exposure and Disease Outcome

Weekly Outcomes

  • Examine cause and effect factors when determining how environmental hazards affect the health of the public.
  • Analyze the ways that human actions or lack of action affect environmental outcomes.

Lectures

  • Week 6 Lecture: Examples of Exposure and Disease Outcome

Assignments

  • Week  6 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 6 Assignment: Impact Statement

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 7: Policy and Law

Weekly Outcomes

  • Evaluate policies that have been proposed to improve the environment.
  • Use written and oral presentations to support policy recommendations.
  • Present the views of different stakeholders in a policy debate.

Lectures

  • Week 7 Lecture: Policy and Law

Assignments

  • Week  7 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 7 Assignment: Presentation

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 8: Interventions

Weekly Outcomes

  • Develop interventions that limit environmental exposures to pollutants.
  • Analyze the effectiveness of environmental interventions in preventing disease.

Lectures

  • Week 8 Lecture: Interventions

Assignments

  • Week 8  Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 

 

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page

UNE Libraries:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

  • ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

AMA Writing Style Statement

The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.

Online resources: AMA Style Guide

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.

Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.

Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.

Attendance Policy

8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.