Description: Poor water quality, insufficient quantity and inadequate access to water are among the most serious threats to human health worldwide. This course analyzes the historical and contemporary roles that water plays on global health. Key drivers that affect water quality and quantity (with linkages to human health impacts) are investigated, including agriculture, climate change, population growth and urbanization, natural resources, international trade, and regional conflicts. Both theoretical and practical methods are used to examine real world cases. A systems framework is used to develop sustainable and appropriate solutions that consider individual, social, technological, and institutional factors.
Learning Objectives: L1 - the historical role of water in shaping the growth and development of humans and societies
L2 - similarities and differences of human health and disease issues across the world (e.g., developed versus developing nations, region X versus region Y) that are water-related
L3 - how key drivers (e.g., population growth, agriculture, international trade, biodiversity, resource exploitation) exacerbate water supply, security, sanitation and waste
L4 - the key biological, chemical, and physical stressors in water systems around the world
L5 - systems approaches and how these may be used to tackle complex environmental health issues
L6 -the roles of individuals, scientists, organizations (non-governmental, governmental), and nations in the management and sustainability of water resources
L7 - sustainable solutions and evaluative schemes/metrics to 'water and global health' at the individual-, technological-, and institutional-levels
