This course examines the environmental impact on community health and safety as well as assesses the influence of biological information on public health laws, policies, and regulations. Focus is placed on determining relationships between chemical, biological, and physical factors and environmental threats that produce negative health outcomes. Topics covered in this course include historical and current approaches for assessing, preventing, and controlling environmental hazards, waste management, air and water quality, occupational health and safety, vector borne diseases and control, food safety and regulation; environmental justice; and other relevant global environmental health concerns.
In today's society health professionals operate at the boundary between science and policy especially as it relates to environmental health. In the Beginning, the Bible demonstrated that humans were given dominion and rule over the earth and have a responsibility to be good stewards of what God has provided for us to dwell. However, the human health risks posed by environmental exposures are complex, poorly understood, and continually debated. Students seeking to be global health leaders must understand the relationship between environmental health sciences and policy development.
Knowledge of environmental health and policy at the local, national, and global levels is imperative to understand why the maintenance of environmental health quality is important for human health.
This course will provide a Biblical understanding of environmental stewardship.
The course will evaluate the effectiveness of environmental stewardship of current day and compare it to the Biblical understanding of the Christian dominion and rule given in the Beginning.
This course will contextualize Biblical and ethical foundations essential to sound environmental stewardship.
Students from any culture will be analyzing the efforts of environmental protection laws and their own cultural level of environmental awareness.
Students will understand the relationship between environment and health and as well as the key environmental health regulatory agencies at the international, national, state, and local levels.
This course will increase each student's awareness of the importance of environmental stewardship and its impact on human health.
