Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - HSCI 845 G100

Environmental and Occupational Health (3)

Class Number: 2517

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 7, 2026: Thu, 2:30–5:20 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 field of EOH, and introduce a broad spectrum of contemporary environmental and work hazards and implications for human health. The class will include a specific focus on policies, programs and plans that can mitigate environmental and occupational health risks, in the pursuit of 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. Students will also be encouraged, through assignments, to reflect on the development and/or cultivation of core competencies in public health as this relates to environmental and occupational issues. 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 20%
  • Facilitated Learning Activity (small group) 20%
  • Intervention Design Challenge - Briefing Note (small group) 20%
  • Intervention Design Challenge - Presentation (small group) 20%
  • Critical Reflections on Core PH Competency Development 20%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Weekly readings will be distributed via Canvas

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term 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.