575.751.81 - Environmental Justice, Climate, and Health Equity

Course Structure

The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Modules on the course menu. A module will have several sections including the overview, content, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Modules run for a period of seven (7) days. You should regularly check the Course Outline, Calendar and Announcements for assignment due dates.

Course Topics

• Introduction to environment and human health
• Advancing public health through environmental planning 
• Climate change and public health 
• Children and environmental health 
• Emerging environmental justice movements in the United States 
• Environmental justice movements in the Global South 
• Indigenous movements and environmental justice
• Equity, justice, and ethical frameworks in environmental and public health planning 
• Participatory action research and community design 
• Air pollution, urban health, and approaches to environmental justice 
• Rethinking agriculture, food, and environmental justice 
• Applying findings and evidence-based approaches to empower stakeholders 
• Sustainability and resilience in environmental health planning 
  

Course Goals

To apply evidence-based practices to address emerging environmental and public health challenges in collaboration with community stakeholders.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Examine the cumulative impact of inequitable environmental planning on public health
• Develop a working knowledge on how race, class, and gender influence environmental planning and the unequal distribution of climate and environmental health threats
• Explore the origins and recent formations of environmental justice movements emerging in response to climate and environmental health threats
• Develop solution-driven environmental and health justice frameworks emerging from case studies of present-day social movements addressing health inequity in urban and rural settings
• Apply public health findings and evidence-based approaches to equitable environmental design to inform and empower policymakers, health professionals, community stakeholders, and social movements

Textbooks

This course does not use a primary textbook. Each module includes a series of articles and websites that are required reading. All articles are linked through eReserves on the course menu.

Required Software

No special software is required for this course. You will need to be able to access the Internet and have video conferencing capabilities. You should also have access to Word and PowerPoint and be able to convert files to PDF format.

Student Coursework Requirements

• Individual assignment (5%) – A brief 1-2 page human health risk assessment outline will be started in module 1 and completed at the end of Module 2
• Student-led discussions (15%) – Each week, starting in module 2, students will post artifacts (articles, videos, podcasts) on a rotating basis relevant to the course materials. Posting students will start the conversation by explaining the relevancy of the artifact and expressing some opinions or analysis. Other students will respond with their ideas and reflections about the artifact.
• Self-Check Quizzes (10%) – Brief, weekly, quizzes. Quizzes are timed for 30 minutes, with 3 attempts, highest score saved. 
• Group Project (70% / 35% for each part) -  Each deliverable in both parts 1 and 2 is assigned points for a distribution of the total grade. Details for the project are posted in module 1.
  • Group Project–Part 1 (Modules 2-8) – Environmental Design Proposal for an Assigned Community Stakeholder 
    • Incorporating key topics and methodologies presented in the course relating to the stakeholder’s environmental health challenge.
    • Interim weighted deliverables/assignments provided in modules 2-6. Feedback provided and students have the opportunity to improve the products before they are incorporated into the final deliverable in module 8.
    • Student teams will offer brief 10-minute presentations highlighting their proposal aims and methods to the class for feedback during module 8.
  • Group Project–Part 2 (Modules 9-14) – Analysis of an Environmental Justice Initiative
    • Elements of final report 
      
      • Background
      • Aims
      • Approach
      • Findings
      • Conclusions & recommendations
    • Each team will submit an abstract and written report. Students are encouraged to submit abstracts and reports to academic conferences and peer-reviewed journals for potential publication.
    • Student teams will provide 15-minute presentations highlighting their final report provided to their assigned community stakeholder.
    • Interim weighted deliverables/assignments provided in modules 8-13. Feedback provided and students have the opportunity to improve the products before they are incorporated into the final deliverables in module 14.

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.