Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2021 - HSCI 891 G100

Special Topics in Health Sciences (3)

Plagues, Pollutants & Poverty: Public Health

Class Number: 5309

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Tue, 8:30–11:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Bruce Lanphear
    bpl3@sfu.ca
    1 360 684 2110

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Special topics in areas not currently covered within the graduate program offerings.

COURSE DETAILS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students will become familiar with the origins and evolution of public health in the course, Plagues, Pollutants and Poverty. We will explore topics through a combination of lectures, videos, readings and interpretation of the peer-reviewed literature, class activities and two books that students will select from a list of classic or popular public health books, such as Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" and John Updike's "The Jungle". Students will also complete written assignments and participate in zoom discussions. We will critically examine and discuss various transitions in public health, focusing on landmark studies and key insights that led to changing concepts and interventions in public health, such as the sanitarian movement, the rise of bacteriology and vaccines, nutritional deficiencies, the rise in chronic diseases, occupational health and unions, maternal and child health, and environmental health. We will also explore the impact of plagues on human populations, including the COVID pandemic. Finally, we will explore mysteries in public health, including why we live longer and the mysterious decline in coronary heart disease.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
1. Identify landmark studies and key figures in public health
2. Appreciate how population strategies, more than medical care or medical science, led to greatest reduction in disease and increase in life expectancy
3. Describe and compare a contemporary public health problem with an historical problem to gain insight into the evolution and obstacles of translating knowledge into policy.  

EXPECTED OUTCOMES: Students will be able to describe: key figures and events in the sanitarian and public health movements; be familiar with landmark studies in the development of bacteriology, virology, vaccines, epidemiology, occupational health, maternal & child health, and environmental health. Students will also be able to describe major transitions in public health.

Grading

  • Mid=term exam 20%
  • Final exam 25%
  • Group presentations 20%
  • Term paper 25%
  • Participation 10%

NOTES:

Class participation and attendance (5%): Students will be evaluated on their willingness to participate in class and on zoom discussions, as well as the degree to which their participation enhances discussion in the class.

Book reflections (25%): Students will read two books that they select from a list of classic or popular public health books, such as Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" and John Updike's "The Jungle". They will write a one-page reflection of each their readings, focusing especially on how the book changed their view of public health.

Presentation (20%): Students will be required to deliver and record an oral presentation of their class project that compares a historical public health problem or solution with a contemporary public health issue, or explores a public health mystery. The presentation will be 10 minutes or less in duration. Students will recieve feedback to help them refine their final written project.

Draft Proposal: Prior to the submission of the final written assignment, students will write a draft, one-page project description that will be reviewed and critiqued by the course director to help them refine their final class project. The draft proposal will not be graded.

Final Class Project (25%): Students will be required to write a final paper that compares a historical public health problem or solution with a contemporary public health issue or explores a public health mystery. Essays are to be a maximum of five pages and will be assessed in terms of both content (75% of the mark) and style (e.g., grammar, flow, ease of reading = 25% of the mark). References are expected and the word limit must be strictly adhered to. Full details of assignments will be given during class.

This seminar is a 'slash' course that will include 4th year health science students. Graduate students will have to meet a higher standard of performance in the class and this will be reflected in their assignments throughout the term.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

There is no required textbook for this course. Assigned readings will be from journal articles and other readings provided by the instructor. Students will also select two books to read from a list of classic or popular public health books that should be readily available at SFU library, a local library or a bookstore.

REQUIRED READING:

There is no assigned text. The weekly readings will be from journal articles available from the electronic journal system of SFU's Library.

Supplemental readings will be posted on Canvas

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 web site 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

TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021

Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).