Public Health 490W - Water, Culture & Public Health

Fall
2017
01
3.00
Timothy Ford
TU TH 10:00AM 11:15AM
UMass Amherst
42610
Population centers have evolved around water sources to ensure provision of drinking water, hygiene and sanitation, water for agriculture and for animal husbandry. Water is a requirement for life, and when water supplies are threatened, communities will do whatever they can to protect their limited resources ? even to declaration of war with neighboring regions. Water ways and coastlines are also critical for commerce, fisheries and tourism and can be equally zealously protected. This course will begin with the hydrologic cycle and its critical role in providing a stable environment for human development (including climate), followed by an in depth discussion of the ways in which this cycle is currently under threat, and the implications for human health. Public health outcomes are not only driven by access to clean water for basic human needs, but also by cultural practices that place communities and populations at risk. Students will be encouraged to explore the cultural dimension of water and public health, and identify questions of social justice in relation to both quality and quantity of water.
PUBHLTH 203, BIO 151, CHEM 111
Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.