Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2023 - HSCI 845 G100

Environmental and Occupational Health (3)

Class Number: 4950

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 6 – Oct 6, 2023: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

    Oct 11 – Dec 5, 2023: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Globalization and industrialization impacts on the health of the environment, populations, and workers. Environmental hazards in consumables (food, air, and water) and waste (liquid, solid, and gaseous) with special reference to hazardous waste. Risk assessment in community, workplace, and residential settings. A case studies approach.

COURSE DETAILS:

This is an interactive graduate-level overview of the multidisciplinary field of environmental and occupational health (EOH), that relies primarily on small group assignments and in-class engagement through the use of case studies and applied learning activities. The course will provide a history of EOH, introduce a variety of tools and approaches widely utilized in the EOH field, and introduce a broad spectrum of contemporary environmental and work hazards, their interactions with human health and physiological susceptibility, and their relevance to the effective maintenance and promotion of environmental public health and environmental health equity. 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Students will gain general familiarity with fundamental principles and general areas of knowledge that are important to the broad field of EOH, including the approaches used to anticipate, recognize, assess, and prevent or manage environmental health hazards and their associated health risks. This course aims to expose students to numerous EOH issues and to encourage critical thinking and reflection on these issues. Upon completing the course, students will be able to describe a diverse area of environmental health hazards, and  articulate how differential exposure pathways, physiological susceptibility, and adaptive capacity to those hazards moderates individual and population health status. Finally, this course aims to inspire interest in the role of the environment in promoting and maintaining the health of populations across the world by taking a "solutions-oriented" approach to supporting innovative public health programs and policies that can promote environmental health equity. 

Grading

  • Participation 10%
  • Critical Evidence Synthesis (individual) 20%
  • Facilitated Learning Activity (small group) 15%
  • Intervention Design Challenge - Briefing Note (small group) 25%
  • Intervention Design Challenge - Presentation (small group) 20%
  • Critical Reflection on Core PH Competency Development 10%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Frumkin H. Environmental Health: From Global to Local. 3rd Ed. John Wiley & Sons. 2016.

Note this text is available for free online access through the SFU Library.

Additional readings will supplement the course text and be uploaded to canvas. 

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the semester are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.