Course Title: Understanding Our Changing World: Health, Environment, and the Pandemic
Instructor: Mariagiovanna Pais
Location: Online
Course Overview:
This course is for anyone interested in learning how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our health, the environment, and society. We will explore the basics of how the virus works, what we’ve learned about keeping people and the planet healthy, and what we can do to build a better future.
Key Topics:
- COVID-19: What We Know Now
- Understanding the virus: how it spreads and changes
- How vaccines help protect us
- Long-term effects of the pandemic on health and daily life
- The Environment During the Pandemic
- How the pandemic affected wildlife and pollution levels
- Positive and negative changes in nature over the past few years
- What we can do to help protect the environment going forward
- Health and the Environment: How They’re Connected
- How our health depends on a healthy planet
- The links between environmental issues and diseases like COVID-19
- Steps we can take to improve both human health and the environment
- Looking to the Future
- What new ideas and research are helping us recover from the pandemic
- How science and communities are working together to prevent future health crises
- How we can all contribute to building a healthier, more sustainable world
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, you will:
- Understand the basic science behind COVID-19 and how it affects our health.
- Learn about the ways the environment has changed during the pandemic.
- Recognize the important connections between human health and the environment.
- Discover practical steps that you can take to support health and sustainability in your community.
Assessments:
- Personal Reflection: Write a short reflection on how the pandemic has changed your understanding of health and the environment.
- Group Discussions: Join in discussions about what we can do to improve health and the environment in our own lives.
- Simple Project: Create a plan or idea to help improve health or environmental conditions in your local community.
Who Should Take This Course:
This course is for anyone who wants to better understand the effects of the pandemic and how health and the environment are connected. You don’t need any special background—just a curiosity about the world and a desire to learn!