of Department Global and Community Health George Mason University Environmental Health GCH 560-002 Instructor: Mary Greene, Ph.D. Office: B420, Robinson Hall, 6:00-7:00 Thursdays or by appointment Phone: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Class Time: 7:20-10:00 PM, Monday Location: Science and Technology Building, Rm. 224 Credits: 3 hours Required: Our Global Environment: A Health Perspective (6th Edition) by Anne Nadakavukaren (Waverland Press). Articles/case studies as assigned. Recommended Reading: Essentials of Environmental Health, Robert H. Friis, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2007. Environmental Health Science: Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Chemical and Physical Health Hazards, Lippman, Chen, and Schlesinger, Oxford University Press, 2003. Environmental Health Policy, David Ball, Open University Press, 2006. Basic Environmental Health, Yassi et al., Oxford University Press, 2001. Environmental Health: From Global to Local, Howard Frumkin, Jossey-Bass, 2005. Course Description: Examines principles and methods, risk factors, prevention and control, and policies related to the aspects of human health determined by biological, physical, and chemical factors in the environment at the local, regional, and global levels. Objectives: Explain the principles of environmental health related to key discipline in the field, including water quality, air quality, solid waste management, hazardous waste management, vector control, and food protection. Explain how human health is dependent upon environmental health. Identify specific environmental hazards that are risks to human health. Apply epidemiological methods to the assessment of environmental and occupational exposures. Explain environmental approaches to disease prevention and control. Examine local, regional, and global environmental health laws, policies, and regulations. Identify the human health effects of local and global environmental change. Explain how the health of the environment is impacted by human actions. Identify steps that can be taken to create and sustain an environment that promotes human health.
Communicate environmental health problems and possible solutions based on scientific evidence. Critically review published literature in the field of environmental health.
Evaluation Method: Component Class Participation and Quizzes Article Review 1 Article Review 2 Exam Response to Case Study 1 Response to Case Study 2
% of Final Grade 10% 15% 15% 20% 20% 20%
Due Date Continuous Week 4 Week 7 Week 9 Week 11 Week 15
Assignments: Readings: Students are expected to keep up with the assigned readings. The chapters required each for lecture are listed in the class schedule. References for articles to be discussed during class will be provided in advance of the class. Pop Quizzes: Up to three multiple choice quizzes will be given during the course. No makeup quizzes will be offered. These quizzes are intended to prepare students for upcoming exams and determine reading comprehension. Article Reviews: Students will select from a variety of articles from current literature and prepare a written review of the article. Detailed instructions will be provided prior to the due date. Response to Case Study: Students may select from a list of case studies or suggest a case study topic for approval. Detailed instructions will be provided prior to the due date. Students will also make brief presentations (no more than 15 minutes) of their case study responses. Exam: The exam will be a take home exam and will include all topics covered prior to the exam. Since the exam will be take home, make-up exams will only be considered for a valid, written reason. The format of any make-up exam will be at the discretion of the instructor. Quizzes and exams will be returned to me after the student has a chance to review their grade. If the quiz/exam is not returned, the score will be recorded as a "zero". Academic Honesty: George Mason University operates under an honor system, which is published in the University Catalog and deals specifically with cheating, attempted cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing. Please familiarize yourself with the honor code, especially the statement on plagiarism (http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/handbook/aD.html). If you have questions about when the contribution of others to your work must be acknowledged and appropriate ways to cite those contributions, please talk with me. Attendance: Attendance (including lateness) will be taken into account in evaluating class participation and to assist students that may have difficulty with content areas they may have missed. Attendance
does factor into your overall grade and can raise the score of those students that may be borderline. Cell Phones, Pagers, Blackberries: Electronic communication devices MUST be turned off during lecture. Late Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted, however, the student will be docked for 5% for each day that the assignment is late. No assignments will be accepted that are over a week late. Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) on 703-993-2427. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the DRC.