Fall 2026 - HSCI 891 G200
Special Topics in Health Sciences (3)
Class Number: 2525
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 9 – Dec 6, 2026: Tue, 8:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
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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:
Plagues, Pollutants, and Poverty explores one of the greatest achievements in human history: why people today live decades longer than they did just a century ago—and why so much disease remains preventable. Beginning with plague, cholera, smallpox, and polio, the course traces the evolution of public health through the sanitary movement, the rise of bacteriology and vaccines, the discovery of nutritional deficiencies, improvements in maternal and child health, and the emergence of environmental and occupational health. It then examines the transition from infectious diseases to chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and lead poisoning, asking why many of today's leading causes of illness are largely the product of the environments we have created. Along the way, students will explore some of public health's most important discoveries, controversies, and ethical failures. We will read landmark studies—including the classic investigations linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer—and examine pivotal events such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. We will explore why poverty, racism, and environmental injustice continue to shape who becomes sick and who lives longest. The course explores foundational concepts in population health, including herd immunity, the prevention paradox, "shifting the curve," the exposome, and population versus high-risk or clinical strategies. Students will critically evaluate why interventions such as clean water, vaccination, safer workplaces, lead removal, and tobacco control have often produced far greater improvements in health than many medical treatments—and why societies so often fail to act on evidence. Through discussions, landmark readings, and book reflections, students will discover not only how public health evolved, but also how it continues to shape the future of medicine, society, and the health of populations around the world.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the discoveries, landmark studies, and influential people who transformed public health, including the development of germ theory, vaccination, epidemiology, occupational health, maternal and child health, and environmental health.
- Trace the major transitions in public health—from infectious diseases to chronic diseases, from treating illness to preventing it, and from individual risk factors to population-based strategies—and explain why these shifts occurred.
- Critically evaluate how science, public policy, economics, and social values have shaped public health, including why some life-saving discoveries were rapidly adopted while others were ignored or resisted.
- Apply historical lessons to contemporary public health challenges, using evidence from the past to better understand current debates over infectious diseases, environmental hazards, chronic disease, and health inequities.
- Conduct historical and scientific research and communicate findings effectively through clear, evidence-based writing and discussion.
Grading
- Final Project 30%
- First Exam 20%
- Book Reflection 20%
- Second Exam 20%
- Attendance and Participation 10%
NOTES:
Class participation and attendance (10%): Students will be evaluated on their willingness to participate in class, as well as the degree to which their participation enhances discussion in the class.
Book reflection (20%): Students will read one popular book 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 their book, focusing especially on how the book changed their view of public health.
Exams (40%): Students will complete two exams consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended questions on the history of public health. Each exam is worth 20% of the final grade, for a combined total of 40%.
Draft Proposal: Prior to the submission of the final written assignment, students will write an 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 (30%):
The final project gives you the opportunity to investigate a public health question that genuinely interests you. Drawing on historical and contemporary evidence, you will write a concise, evidence-based essay that explores one of the following:
- Compare a historical public health problem or solution with a contemporary public health challenge, identifying lessons that remain relevant today.
- Investigate a public health mystery—for example, why a disease emerged, declined, or persisted despite scientific knowledge.
- Examine how an Indigenous practice promoted population health, or how colonialism disrupted traditional ways of living and contributed to disease and health inequities.
The goal is not simply to summarize history, but to use it to better understand today's public health challenges and opportunities.
Essays are limited to three pages (plus references) for undergraduate students and five pages (plus references) for graduate students. The project will be evaluated on the quality of the analysis, use of evidence, originality of thought, clarity of writing, and organization. References are required, and page limits will be strictly enforced. Detailed assignment guidelines and examples will be provided during the course.
REQUIREMENTS:
60 units, including HSCI 230 (or 330) with a minimum grade of C-.
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
REQUIRED TEXT: No textbook is required for this course. Assigned readings will be journal articles and other readings available in the SFU library or provided by the instructor.
REQUIRED READING:
The first assignment for students is to read one popular or historical book about public health. It should NOT be a book you have already read. You can also propose to read a different book on the history of public health, but you will first need approval from the course director if it is not on this list. After reading the book, students will write a one-paragraph description of the book and a one-paragraph reflection or insight(s) you gained from the book. I am especially interested in how the book changed your perception of the role of public health. Each paragraph should be 500-words of single-space text.
1. The Discovery of Insulin - Michael Bliss
2. Silent Spring - Rachel Carson
3. Panum on Measles - Peter Panum
4. The Preventioneers - Barry Davis
5. The Ghost Map - Steven Johnson
6. Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond
7. Betrayal of Public Health - Laurie Garrett
8. Mirage of Health – Rene Dubos
9. Rats, Lice and History – Hans Zinsser
10. Plagues and Peoples – William McNeill
11. The Remedy by Thomas Goetz
12. Ashes to Ashes - Richard Klugman
13. Protecting America’s Health – Philip Hilts
14. The Great Influenza – John M. Barry
15. Doubt is Their Product - David Michaels
16. Deceit and Denial – David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz
17. The Jungle – Upton Sinclair
18. Rose’s Strategy of Prevention – Geoffrey Rose
19. And the Band Played On – Randy Hilts
20. Poison Profits – Philip and Alice Shabecoff
21. Living Downstream – Sandra Steingraber
22. Our Stolen Future – Theo Colborn and others
23. Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky
24. Toms River by Dan Fagin
25. Extra Life by Steven Johnson
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:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
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.