HE/GE/ES 320 - Environment, Health & Development

This course will provide students with the opportunity to develop a geographical perspective on environment, health, and development. Through this approach, students will better understand the complex relationships among these three concepts across space, in different places, and at multiple scales. Using a series of case studies that highlight African or South African issues around the environment, health and/or development (drawn from different contexts around the world) according to themes (e.g., housing, water, transportation) and, in particular, provide a basis for exploring the relationship among these concepts, this course will encourage students to consider the following questions: Is there a link between the health of the environment and the health of the people in it? Does a healthier environment generally mean healthier people? Is there a link between development and human health? Does “more developed” generally mean a greater number of healthy people? How does human health (if at all) contribute to sustainable development?