HLEQ 250 Environmental Health and Policy

This course explores the intrinsic connection that exists between environmental conditions and human health. Moreover, this course will discuss the critical role public policy plays in shaping not only population health outcomes, but the very environmental conditions that inform them. Students will examine how critical environmental issues such as air and water pollution, climate change, toxic exposures, and land use decisions influence health outcomes across communities. The course introduces key environmental laws, regulatory agencies, and public health frameworks that guide efforts to protect population health. Through case studies and applied policy analysis, students will consider how science, governance, and social factors intersect to address environmental health challenges with special attention being given to environmental justice and the unequal distribution of environmental risks and protections.