Course Outlines are now available from Curriculum Catalogue
POPLHLTH 211 : Introduction to Environmental Health
Medical and Health Sciences
2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
This course will give you an overview of some of the keys aspects of environmental health - in Aotearoa New Zealand, the wider Pacific, and on the global level.
You will also learn skills to help influence environmental health.
In this course we define 'environmental health' as the study of external causes of disease and injury (rather than causes that are found within the body), with an emphasis on the physical environment (rather than social or cultural environments), and in particular, those causes/risk factors that can be modified.
The course content is organised into 3 Themes:
- How the environment impacts our health (risk factors in the environment)
- Different ways of viewing how the environment impacts our health (with an emphasis on Mātauranga Māori and Pasifika perspectives)
- Influencing and improving environmental health
To improve human health, we must first consider the risk factors that people are exposed to in their homes and communities, as well as on a regional, national and global scale. These risk factors include: air pollution, inadequate water/sanitation, chemicals and biological agents, radiation, community noise, occupational risks, agricultural practices, built environments (including housing and roads), and climate change.
Theme 2: Different ways of viewing how the environment impacts our health
To help address environmental health issues, it is important to view different people's views and perspectives on how these issues can be solved. We live in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the South Pacific, and hence have the opportunity to draw on both Mātauranga Māori and Pasifika perspectives to help keep our region safe from environmental harm. We will also explore the lessons we can learn from some Asian cities that have embraced sustainability.
Inequities, like in many areas of health, are also common in environmental health, and understanding them will help us learn to reduce them.
Theme 3: Influencing and improving environmental health
We will learn about success stories in environmental health. There are significant achievements, hard fought at the time, but now taken for granted, that we can learn from. You will also hear from various guest lecturers whose research and advocacy are helping to improve environmental health.
We will also learn about how we can influence policy which impacts environmental health. In particular, we will learn about how to make submissions to relevant bodies, such as Parliament, setting out our views on proposed policies, strategies and bills (draft laws) - this is an important skill for us to have as public health professionals.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of how the environment affects health. (Capability 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1 and 4.2)
- Demonstrate an understanding of how human activities impact on the environment and health. (Capability 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1 and 4.2)
- Understand and use some examples of key local, regional and global environmental health issues. (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 4.1)
- Demonstrate an understanding of of Maori and Pacific perspectives on the environment, health and wellbeing. (Capability 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1 and 4.1)
- Develop an understanding of how some environmental health risks are managed in Aotearoa New Zealand (Capability 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1 and 4.2)
- Demonstrate an understanding of inequities in environmental health. (Capability 1.3, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1 and 4.2)
- Develop skills in writing submissions - an important skill for health professionals and citizens. Understand the importance of public voice, advocacy and participation of communities in environmental health decision-making. (Capability 1.3, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1 and 6.2)
- Develop an awareness of the concept of sustainability in the context of environmental health (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 4.1 and 4.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Tutorials | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Assignments | 30% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 50% | Individual Examination |
| 4 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||
| Quizzes | ||||||||||
| Tutorials | ||||||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
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:
- 2 hour lecture, weekly
- 2 hour tutorial, fortnightly
- 7 hours of preparing for lectures and tutorials (including lecture and tutorial quizzes), working on assignments and/or exam preparation, weekly
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
This course requires attendance on Campus as follows:
- Lectures (Quizzes will be held in lectures - you will need to attend 10 out of 12 lectures to qualify for the full 10% of marks (your mark will be taken from your best 10 Quizzes); each Quiz is worth 1%)
- Tutorials (Assessments will be held in tutorials - you will need to attend 5 out of 6 tutorials to qualify for the full 10% of marks (your mark will be taken from your best 5 Assessments; each Assessment is worth 2%)
- Exam (Exam mode D - in-person invigilated exam on a computer through Inspera Integrity Browser (IIB))
- Lectures will be available as recordings (for revision purposes only).
- Tutorials will not be recorded.
- Lectures and tutorials will include class activities (where you can choose to work quietly by yourselves or work in small groups).
If you are physically unable to attend Campus due to impairments, both visible and invisible, please contact the Course Director (Angela), Academic Director or your relevant Student Support Advisor.
Learning 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.
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.
- Tutorials will continue to be updated to better reinforce the material taught in lectures; tutorial assessment will now be undertaken in the tutorial instead of as a 'take-home' worksheet.
- Lectures are now one, 2 hour lecture per week (as opposed to two, 1 hour lectures per week) to minimise the travel time needed to attend lectures.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations 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. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
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
There will be an Off-Campus cohort for those students who are physically unable to attend Campus due to impairments, both visible and invisible. If you need to join this cohort please contact the Course Director (Angela Beros), Academic Director, or your Student Support Advisor.
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.