Module BIOL3241: HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT (BE)

Department: Biological and Biomedical Sciences

BIOL3241: HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT (BE)

Prerequisites

• Introduction to Whole Organisms and the Environment (BIOL1082).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To promote an appreciation of how the environment impacts on the health of humans and other animals and to promote cross-disciplinary thinking and problem solving.
• To take the Biological Enterprise option where students are introduced to the key processes of business start-up, whether as a new, free-standing business, or as a new venture within an existing organisation.
• To enhance students' enterprising skills and behaviours.

Content

• Course introduction: important infectious diseases, disease ecology.
• Changing disease patterns in time: patterns of health from early hominids to the present day, including a case study of how the risk of malaria in the UK has changed, new and emerging diseases.
• Changing disease patterns in space.
• Environmental change and human health: considering changes due to, climate and weather, water, population changes, plant diseases, pests & famines and transgenic vectors.
• Cases studies in the environmental management of infectious diseases.
• Biological Enterprise -To introduce students to the key processes of business start-up, whether as a new, free-standing business, or as a new venture within an existing organisation.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module each student should be able to: Demonstrate how many environmental, biological and sociological factors affect human health either directly or indirectly through their effects on disease pathogens.
• Appreciate the changing nature of the interaction between the environment and health, both in time and space.
• Understand that these controlling processes operate at different temporal and spatial scales.
• Understand how to plan for the launch of a new business venture and appreciate the challenges encountered

• Acquire, interpret and critically analyse experimental, clinical and field data and present the results effectively.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Taught Component: Teaching and learning in this component is primarily through the means of lectures and seminars.
• Additionally the students will be expected to individually consider in depth a case study.
• Skills will be acquired through the searching, retrieval and presentation of data: Knowledge will be formatively assessed through the use of MCQs and summatively by a written exam.
• Recovery and interpretation of data will be assessed by means of a written report from the case study.
• Understanding will be assessed by means of a written exam.
• Enterprise Elective: Teaching and learning will be through short formal lectures and business workshops and simulations.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

MCQs to assess knowledge.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University