Course Syllabus

ENVS 321 - Environmental Health

Tuesdays 6:00-8:50pm in T417

Winter 2015

 

Instructor:       Dr. Grace Lasker, CN

Office:              A210H                                                         

Office Hours:  As needed                      

Telephone:    425-739-8163                        

Email:            grace.lasker@lwtech.edu                            

Course Description: This course investigates the role of the environment in personal, community, and global health. This course investigates current environmental public health issues and topics in environmental health sciences as well as global health threats such as climate change, pollution, food supply issues, etc. This course includes laboratory. This course teaches to the Global Outcome of Information Literacy.

Prerequisites: Entrance into the BASPH program or instructor permission.

Student Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

• Analyze the role that environmental policy and regulation has on mitigating health risks.
• Investigate major sources and types of environmental agents and the role they play in health outcomes.
• Identify and define the steps in the risk-assessment and risk-management processes.
• Define toxicology and identify issues surrounding human exposure to chemical toxicants.
• Examine the role of water and air in human health issues and outcomes.
• Identify the role of food safety and food quality on human health outcomes.
• Identify current issues and topics in environmental health.
• Compare peer-reviewed research with popular accounts of environmental health issues and concerns.

Course Website:  https://lwtech.instructure.com  

Course Grades: Course grades are determined by accumulating points earned on quizzes, discussions, and projects. All due dates for coursework are listed in the timeline at the end of the syllabus and on the calendar on the course website.

Discussions: There are 6 online discussions. They are worth 60 points total for both the answer to the discussion prompt (40 points) as well as replies to others (20 points). Discussions must include at least 3 replies to others and at least 3 references for the potential for fullest points. Please refer to the “Discussion Expectations & Grading Rubric” for more information. Initial replies to the discussion prompt must be posted by 11:59PM Tuesday of the second week of the unit. Replies to others must be completed by 11:59PM Sunday night of the second week of the unit. 

Assignments: Midterm and final course assignments are designed to help you assess your mastery of module material while creating material to use for your portfolio for future employment or graduate school. Each assignment is worth 100 points.

Final Grades: Grades in ENVS 321 are determined according the following course point structure:                       

Discussions (6)                                    360 points

Lab Assignments (10)                         200 points

Assignments                                        200 points

Total Points                                         760 points

 

It is your responsibility to earn your letter grade in this course. No quiz grades are dropped, no curves are given. Do not contact your professor with requests for extra credit or opportunities for additional points. 

Labs:There are no make-up labs due to the nature of our labs. It is important that you come to lab prepared, having read the lab beforehand and other supplies as detailed in class. If you miss a lab, it cannot be made up. All points will be missed and alternate assignments will not be available to make up for missed points. YOU MAY NOT MISS MORE THAN THREE (3) LABS FOR THE QUARTER OR YOU WILL RECEIVE A “0.0 GPA” FOR THE CLASS. NO EXCEPTIONS!! 

Labs: There will be 10 labs worth 20 points each for a total of 200 points. A lab assignment may be an in-class assignment that day, a quiz taken at the beginning of lab covering previous lab work, homework due the day of the lab, or a lab report. If you do not turn your lab in on the day it is due, you may turn it in late until the next lab for -5, or late until two weeks after the due date for -10. I will not accept it after that.

 Attendance Policy: 

• Treat this course as if it were a regular classroom course -- "attend" regularly.  This is a 5-credit course, so remember that you would be spending 5 hours per week in the classroom and at least that much outside of the classroom. You will also attend the lab component face to face.
• Check your course daily.  I will be continually posting new information so items like the syllabus, announcements, and email will be very useful to you.
• Visit the discussion group several times during the week.  I will be posting discussion questions each week as scheduled, and you are encouraged to bring in comments and questions from other information you encounter in the course. 

Participating in the Discussion Group:

• I will post discussion topics as per the schedule.  You are required post 1 initial response to the topic by the Thursday of the week assigned (by 11:59 pm) and then reply to your classmate’s responses by that Sunday 11:59pm.Of course you are encouraged to post as much as possible!  Please visit the folder GETTING STARTED for “Discussion Expectations.”
• Participation means posting a meaningful message about the question, or making a thoughtful reply to someone else's comments.  Messages that aren't okay to post (unless you have posted other thoughtful messages) are things like:  "I agree."  "Good comment."  "You're soooo right!"  These kinds of messages are fine, but only if you have added thoughtful substance to other messages.  But if these are the only kinds of messages you ever post, your grade for discussion will be lower than you might like.  
• All messages must be polite.  You can't post anonymously.  You can disagree with a person's opinion or comment, but you must reply appropriately.  If someone has a problem following discussion room etiquette, they can lose privileges. 
• Please NOTE:  Copying directly from the textbook, my readings, or other students (unless it is quoted) will not be tolerated and will result in a grade of zero. Multiple instances of this will not be tolerated and you will be removed from the class.

As always, please contact me ASAP if you need clarification on any of these course items.  The sooner it begins to flow smoothly for you, the better!

The following schedule is tentative and subject to change: 

Unit # and Objectives	Assessments
Unit 1: What is Environmental Health? Define environmental health and recognize the relationship this has with the environment and human health. Investigate the human immune system and the relationship to exposure of environmental agents. Recognize the basic chemistry involved in host response. Identify all sections of a research article. Differentiate between sample size and response rate. Define mean, standard deviation, p-value, and regression. Identify the pros and cons of a pre/post test, survey, experiment, and survey.	Discussion: What Does Environmental Health Mean to You?
Unit 2: Understanding Research, Risk, and Exposure Concepts  Define toxicology, exposure, dose, risk management, and risk assessment. Recognize the difference between causation and correlation in environmental health research. Compare and contrast risk management versus risk assessment. Analyze a popular publication on environmental health for scientific accuracy. Identify risk assessment activities. Recognize the challenges in obtaining dose-response relationships. Compare and contrast the stochastic versus non-stochastic model. Interpret a dose-response curve.	Discussion: What’s in a Study?
Unit 3: Environmental Policy and Regulations: A Local to Global Perspective   Define Internal Contamination, External Contamination, and Radioactive Exposure. Identify potential environmental hazards and how your health may be affected by them locally. Investigate the four principles of policy development. Research 7 major U.S. environmental health laws. Consider regional versus national policy needs. Discuss the role of taxes as a means to control environmental pollution.	Discussion:  Air Pollution Policy
Unit 4: Health Risks: Disease, Chemicals/Toxins, Radiation Examine the role that environmental and food-related diseases, environmental and chemical toxins, and radiation have on health outcomes at the individual and community level. Investigate various environmental hazards, including BPA, mercury, pesticides, infectious diseases, sick building syndrome, worker & workplace injury, and radiation. Define Internal Contamination, External Contamination, and Radioactive Exposure. Identify potential environmental hazards and how your health may be affected by them locally. Examine the potential for workplace injury and investigate OSHA policy related to this environmental health issue.	Discussion: Chemicals, Diseases, and Toxins, oh my!
	Week 8: Midterm Project Due
Unit 5: Water and Air Quality Issues Examine the role of water and air in human health issues and outcomes. Investigate potential hazardous chemicals that may be found in unsafe drinking water. Identify major water-bourne infectious diseases and their impact on human health. Evaluate risk potential from water-bourne infectious disease depending on global location. Evaluate the impact air pollution has on health outcomes, including health disparity issues. Compare and contrast air and water quality based on rural versus urban living. Investigate the role that clean air (in greenspaces and forests, etc) has on healthy living.	Discussion: What’s In the Water?
Unit 6: Food Safety and Quality Identify the role of food safety and food quality on human health outcomes. Research food safety issues, including their origin and ways to decrease the risks associated with these issues. Recognize the hidden chemicals in food. Consider organic versus non-organic and how each production type may increase or decrease risk of exposure. Investigate policy surrounding food safety and the historical and modern impact that has had on the public’s health.	Discussion: What’s In Your Food?

 

Lab Schedule (subject to change):

Week	Lab
2 – Jan 13	Pig Farm Land Use Activity
3 – Jan 20	MoDRN Sunscreen Toxicity Lab Pre-Lab for Turning Genes on and Off
4 – Jan 27	Bioassays, LC50, and Monitoring Environmental Toxins
5 – Feb 3	Inquiries in Science: Investigating Legislation Kit
6 – Feb 10	No lab, advising day
7 – Feb 17	Sunscreen Spectrophotometer Lab
8 – Feb 24	ELISA
9 – Mar 3	Introduction to Water Pollution Lab
10 – Mar 10	Air Quality Survey Kit GMO Investigator Lab Part I
11 – Mar 17	GMO Investigator Lab Part II

Additional Information:

Students are expected to follow the college student conduct code, WAC 495D-120, which prohibits cheating and plagiarism. See the Student Handbook for more details on the code. Cheating, plagiarism, theft, or hurtful behavior toward others shall be grounds for discipline pursuant to college rules.  Plagiarism is defined as not doing your “own work.”  If you turn in assignments that are created by another student, or are plagiarized, you will receive a 0 for that assignment.

If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact the Disability Support Services office. They will coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. All information and documentation is confidential. DSS is located in W207 in person, by phone 425-739-8300, or by email dssinfo@lwtech.edu. For additional information please refer to www.lwtech.edu/dss. Students who requested services through DSS for accommodations in this class should talk with the instructor as soon as possible for authorized services.

Support Services for Learning:  

Lake Washington Institute of Technology offers convenient, on-campus services to address our students' needs and interests. Click HERE to access these.

The Library-Learning Commons, located on the second floor of the Technology Building, is a centralized resource for accessing course reserves, research databases, and knowledgeable library staff. We can help with citing sources, locating print and online books and journals, and identifying credible information. Open hours are Mondays-Thursdays 7:30am-8pm, Fridays 7:30am-5pm, and Saturdays 11am-5pm.

Counselors from Seattle Vet Center are also available on campus 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month to meet with students.  To schedule an appointment with a Seattle Vet Center therapist, please call the Vet Center at 206-553-2706 or stop by the reception desk in W207.

Additional Free Resources:

The Learning Lab is open to ALL LWTech students! The Learning Lab is a dynamic learning environment where students work together with each other, advisors, and tutors to better understand how to learn course concepts, access resources, and apply principles. Located in E214 Open: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm

LWTech Writing Center:  Faculty Tutors and trained Peer Tutors are available Monday through Friday to help you improve your writing skills as you work on whatever writing assignments you have for your course. LWTech Writing Tutoring Center in T-217 of the Academic Skills Center (in the library). Starting Monday, September 30^th, free, drop-in tutoring is available every weekday. Start tutoring early to help improve your writing skills. 

Academic Skills Center: The Academic Skills Center offers group classes and individualized instruction for current and new students. Call (425) 739-8331 for more information. To learn more about the Academic Skills Center, come to the Technology Center, Room T217. Please call (425) 739-8331 to schedule an appointment for ESL placement.

Student IT Helpdesk: Have computer or IT issues? The LWTech helpdesk can help!

LWTech offers short-term personal counseling to currently enrolled students.  The on-site counselor is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and is here to help with any problems that may arise, school-related or personal. To schedule an appointment, please call Student Development and Retention Services at 425-739-8300 or stop by W207 reception desk.

Additional Support for student learning and success can be found HERE.  

Equal Opportunity Information:

Lake Washington Institute of Technology is an equal opportunity college and is committed to principles of diversity.  The college accepts students without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran. Cheating and Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Anyone found guilty of violating these conduct codes will receive a zero grade and may be subject to expulsion. There is no waiver in this policy.

All information in this syllabus is subject to change and modification at my discretion. Students will be notified when such changes need to be made. 

Grading Scale

Percentage		GPA			Percentage		GPA
100			4.0		82			2.7
99			4.0		81			2.6
98			4.0		80			2.5
97			4.0		79			2.4
96			4.0		78			2.3
95			4.0		77			2.2
94			3.9		76			2.1
93			3.8		75			2.0
92			3.7		74			1.9
91			3.6		73			1.8
90			3.5		72			1.7
89			3.4		71			1.6
88			3.3		70			1.5
87			3.2		69			1.4
86			3.1		68			1.3
85			3.0		67			1.2
84			2.9		66			1.1
83			2.8		65			1.0