Are you interested in understanding how global climate change will alter human society, animal health, and the environment? Are you curious about how these three things are interconnected?
This course focuses on what is happening right now in the Arctic, where climate change is accelerating twice as fast as the rest of the world. Understanding how Arctic ecosystems are adapting and collapsing can give us insight into future changes across the globe. While this course is focused on the Arctic, the principles and concepts in this course can be applied anywhere in the world.
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Are you interested in understanding how global climate change will alter human society, animal health, and the environment? Are you curious about how these three things are interconnected?
This course focuses on what is happening right now in the Arctic, where climate change is accelerating twice as fast as the rest of the world. Understanding how Arctic ecosystems are adapting and collapsing can give us insight into future changes across the globe. While this course is focused on the Arctic, the principles and concepts in this course can be applied anywhere in the world.
Are you interested in understanding how global climate change will alter human society, animal health, and the environment? Are you curious about how these three things are interconnected?
This course focuses on what is happening right now in the Arctic, where climate change is accelerating twice as fast as the rest of the world. Understanding how Arctic ecosystems are adapting and collapsing can give us insight into future changes across the globe. While this course is focused on the Arctic, the principles and concepts in this course can be applied anywhere in the world.
Finding deep solutions to new challenges caused by climate change can’t be accomplished using only traditional fields of science, such as medicine or biology.
Addressing these issues effectively requires a novel approach, one that integrates knowledge across disciplines and cultures and recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health. This concept, always central to the Indigenous worldview, has recently been recognized in Western science as One Health.
One Health was originally developed as a means of understanding how zoonotic diseases, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, arise.
Between 65% and 70% of emerging diseases in humans are of zoonotic origin. The way we impact our environment and how this influences human-animal interactions play a significant role in how these diseases develop and spread.
Health is more than the absence of disease and can be defined as a state of well-being for individuals and their communities. Under this definition, well-being encompasses physical, mental, behavioral, cultural, and spiritual health.
Applying this holistic approach to the One Health paradigm allows us to bring in expertise across natural and social sciences and connect Western science with traditional Indigenous ways of knowing.
Such a broad and deep integration of knowledge and experience provides opportunities for understanding large issues like food safety, security, and sovereignty at their roots, and for engaging stakeholders to build effective solutions.
What's inside
Learning objectives
- Students who complete this course will:
- Have a solid understanding of the one health concept
- Be able to identify how one health can provide a lens through which to view a variety of challenging situations in human, animal, and environmental health
- Explain how the one health approach can lead to sustainable solutions to critical issues facing communities in the circumpolar north and beyond
- Students will also:
- Explain the one health paradigm with a focus on the circumpolar north and global applications
- Describe the ten thousand-year history of one health
- Explore interrelationships between human, animal, and environmental health
- Provide examples of challenges best addressed through the one health paradigm
- Describe how traditional ways of knowing and western science can be used together to understand and manage one health issues
- Students who complete this course will:
- Have a solid understanding of the one health concept
- Be able to identify how one health can provide a lens through which to view a variety of challenging situations in human, animal, and environmental health
- Explain how the one health approach can lead to sustainable solutions to critical issues facing communities in the circumpolar north and beyond
- Students will also:
- Explain the one health paradigm with a focus on the circumpolar north and global applications
- Describe the ten thousand-year history of one health
- Explore interrelationships between human, animal, and environmental health
- Provide examples of challenges best addressed through the one health paradigm
- Describe how traditional ways of knowing and western science can be used together to understand and manage one health issues
Syllabus
Week 2: Human Health and Animal Health
Animal Health Introduction
Why Animal Health Matters
Week 1: One Health Overview
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Syllabus
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Activities
Discuss environmental health
Show steps
Refresh foundational understanding of Environmental Health concepts and vocabulary. This will lay a solid base for the concepts that will be covered in the class.
Browse courses on
Environmental Health
Show steps
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Identify key concepts in Environmental Health
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Research different aspects of Environmental Health
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Summarize your findings
Research Arctic ecosystems
Show steps
Conduct your own research on Arctic ecosystems to gain a deeper understanding of their unique characteristics and challenges.
Show steps
-
Identify reputable resources on Arctic ecosystems.
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Read and synthesize information from various sources.
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Create a presentation or report to summarize your findings.
Practice Understanding the One Health Concept
Show steps
Completing these drills may help to solidify the complexity and history of the One Health Concept.
Browse courses on
One Health
Show steps
-
Read through and complete the practice drills for the One Health Concept
-
Review the One Health Concepts Resources
-
Complete the practice drills on the history of the One Health Concept
Show all three activities
Discuss environmental health
Show steps
Refresh foundational understanding of Environmental Health concepts and vocabulary. This will lay a solid base for the concepts that will be covered in the class.
Browse courses on
Environmental Health
Show steps
- Identify key concepts in Environmental Health
- Research different aspects of Environmental Health
- Summarize your findings
Research Arctic ecosystems
Show steps
Conduct your own research on Arctic ecosystems to gain a deeper understanding of their unique characteristics and challenges.
Show steps
- Identify reputable resources on Arctic ecosystems.
- Read and synthesize information from various sources.
- Create a presentation or report to summarize your findings.
Practice Understanding the One Health Concept
Show steps
Completing these drills may help to solidify the complexity and history of the One Health Concept.
Browse courses on
One Health
Show steps
- Read through and complete the practice drills for the One Health Concept
- Review the One Health Concepts Resources
- Complete the practice drills on the history of the One Health Concept
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