MEDSCI 101G : Environmental Threats to Human Health
Medical and Health Sciences
2021 Semester Two (1215) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Course Contacts
Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles (s.wiles@auckland.ac.nz), course director, and Dr Ho Joon Lee (hj.lee@auckland.ac.nz), course coordinator. All enquiries about assignments should be directed to Dr Lee.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
Learning Outcomes
- Understand how our well-being is dependent on goods and services provided by our environment, how pollutants and pathogenic microbes can make us sick, and how many changes that technological progress has introduced have unforeseen risks (processed foods, additives, decreased physical activity), how some important cancers arise from environmental influences. (Capability 1)
- Evaluate the health effects of components in our environment, some of which are uncertain or controversial - including pollutants that act like hormones, altered exposure to microbes, the use of antibiotics and tanning clinics. (Capability 2)
- Develop a mindset that fosters health: valuing our environment even when we can't place a fiscal value on it; coping with high temperatures (a challenge especially in cities), maintaining a good diet and good microbes in our bodies; minimising risk of certain infections and cancers. (Capability 3)
- Explain the basis of certain diseases and how to deal with uncertainty: how smoke causes heart disease; how alcohol damages the liver; how modern lifestyle favours obesity. (Capability 4)
- Apply your knowledge to the understanding of health issues: this course is designed for non-biologists but will introduce terms and concepts that will enable you to engage with the media in the years ahead: ecosystem services, cytokines, inflammation and the meaning of 'CRP' in a blood test, choosing a healthy diet. (Capability 5)
Assessments
Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
---|---|---|
Assignments | 30% | Individual Coursework |
Test | 20% | Individual Test |
Final Exam | 50% | Individual Examination |
3 types | 100% |
Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
Assignments | ||||||||||
Test | ||||||||||
Final Exam |
This course includes three written assignments, each worth 10%. Each is based on 1-2 general news articles that reflect current, major concerns. You will be posed various questions to answer based on your reading of the articles.
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect approximately 35 hours of lectures, approximately 70 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and approximately 45 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
The mid-semester test is held during lecture time.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is expected at scheduled activities to complete/receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings, but attendance is encouraged.
The course will not include live online events.
Attendance on campus is required for the test/exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course notes are provided for each lecture in electronic form on Canvas). There is no textbook, as individual lectures reect interests of lecturers. However, for extra information students are encouraged to access the e-library system of e-journals and search engines (PubMed) that provide unlimited information on matters pertaining to health. Readings required for assignments change each year, come from leading journals, but will be understandable for non-biologists and readily accessible online.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.