How do we make health a public priority?  How do we respond to potential hazards? This introductory program considers problems related to public and environmental health in a broader context of the key frameworks of population, consumption and sustainability. We will explore the broad conditions that shape environmental health, both for humans and for ecosystems.  Examining the workings of non-governmental organizations, we will be moving across and between questions of science, public policy (from municipal to international) and social justice.  The program goal is to understand emerging strategies and solutions for ecological sustainability - from regional monitoring to UN negotiations. We will examine models, evidence and debates about the sources, causal connections and impacts of environmental hazards. We will be learning about existing and emergent regulatory science in conjunction with evolving systems of law, and a broad array of community responses.

In the fall, we will dedicate ourselves to bridging scientific, policy and social perspectives by means of lecture, seminar, workshops and field trips. In the winter, students will engage in small group, quarter-long research projects on a topical issue to further investigate the chemical, biologic and physical risks of modern life, with an emphasis on industrial pollutants.     Throughout the program, students will engage in a range of learning approaches, including computer-based collaboration with regional experts, officials and activists.