HSC 415 - Introduction to Environmental Risk Assessment

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-D
Introduction to environmental risk assessment in the context of evaluating human health. Discuss social, economic, and political factors that affect decision-making. Topics include risk assessment framework, evaluating chemicals risks, managing and controlling risk, and policy tools to aid decision-making.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Area D1-3 requirements.
Prerequisites: HSC 300 and completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 with C- (CR) or better.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground, or Entirely Online, or Hybrid.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-D - Upper Division Social Sciences
Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Achieve a general understanding of the concept of environmental risk assessment and its application to public health problems;
Identify the elements of environmental risk assessment, utilizing the general framework developed by the National Research Council;
Evaluate a report of an environmental risk assessment and interpret the policy relevance of the findings;
Describe current uses of environmental risk assessment in policy- and decision-making.

UD-D. Upper-division Social Sciences Learning Outcomes

analyze how power and social identity affect social outcomes for different cultural and economic groups using methods of social science inquiry and vocabulary appropriate to those methods;
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply accurately disciplinary concepts of the social or behavioral sciences; and
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to effectively plan or conduct research using an appropriate method of the social or behavioral sciences.