STS 1128

FWS: Planetary Health: Plagues, Pandemics, Extinctions

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022.

Americans often think of health as physician interactions at a bedside, pills procured at a pharmacy, reps done in the gym, or foods bought in a supermarket. But the COVID-19 pandemic began with a virus initially transmitted from a bat, a pangolin, or some other species. Climate change may increase the frequency of global pandemics. Further, two centuries of industrial production have made life easy for many humans while impoverishing and immiserating many more. Many communities, often communities of color, have suffered disproportionate effects of toxins leached into water supplies and absorbed into crops. The planet is facing mass extinctions caused by human activities. This course examines the meeting of health and environment. It starts with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed the cracks in US society, including the US health system. It also considers contamination of the water in Flint, Michigan, and other examples that reveal the vital linkage between health and environment. 

When Offered Fall.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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