College of Health and Human Services School of Health Sciences
TIER III: Chemical Risks and Society Benefits
T373 470 E
Spring
Abbreviated Title: Chemical Risks & Benefits
Prerequisites: Senior rank/class standing
Purpose: To demonstrate and explain catastrophic hazardous materials (HM) problems in terms of societal costs and benefits
Goal: This course will focus on the chemical industry to teach students to conduct functional risk assessment (i.e., critically evaluate the benefits of complex technological materials given sometimes limited information or resources pertaining to the costs of such uses). It will demonstrate the role various constituencies can play in controlling such technologies and the products they produce, and will acknowledge the expenses to society for these controls.
Description: The course will include lectures, videotape recordings, newspaper excerpts, and textbook readings to explore chemical risks and benefits as they relate to individuals, members of society, and the global population.
Required Texts:
Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson. 25th anniversary ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Enemy of the People, by Ibsen. Any edition from any publisher; any translation.
Optional Text (not required reading):
Basic Toxicology, by Frank C. Lu. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis (1996).
This book is on reserve in Alden Library in Athens. Any introductory toxicology texts may be consulted by students desiring a more in-depth treatment of the concepts introduced in this class.
Required Viewing:
A Civil Action
China Syndrome
Attendance: Each student is expected to attend class and will be held responsible for material content as presented in class, including syllabus changes and arrangements made by the instructor in class. Attendance will be recorded. Failure to attend 90% of all class sessions (at least 36 classroom hours) will result in a half letter grade drop regardless of test scores or other evaluation outcomes. Attendance records may be used in certain grading instances to either increase or decrease a student’s earned letter grade when an appropriate grade cannot otherwise be easily determined.
Grading and Testing: Grades will be assigned per catalog (4 point scale). There will be two exams focusing on the content of the class lectures, a requirement to complete a 1,000 word synthesis essay dealing with a topic of importance to the individual student, and a group presentation of a student group-selected synthesis topic. Exams 1 and 2 will be directly relative to the terminology describing the basic science necessary for subsequent parts of the course, and will be applied in nature and presentation. Exam 2 will include several rudimentary synthesis elements in the form of essay questions.
The two exams will be worth 20% and 30% of the course grade, respectively, with the synthesis essay worth 25%. The group project will make up the remaining 25% of the student's course grade, and grades will be assigned according to the instructor's evaluation (50%) and class peer evaluations (50%). A sample exam has been placed on electronic reserve in Alden Library. All students at all campuses with ID and PIN are able to access the exam, and are advised to do so. Refer to the table below for the course grading summary.
|
ITEM |
PERCENT |
COMMENTS |
|
Exam 1 |
20 % |
|
|
Exam 2 |
30 % |
|
|
Synthesis Essay |
25 % |
|
|
Group Project |
25 % |
Prof's eval: 50 % |
|
|
|
Peers' eval: 50 % |
|
Unexcused Absences |
Drop of half letter grade |
see description above |
Academic Conduct: The Ohio University Code of Student Conduct outlined in the Undergraduate Catalogue prohibits any form of academic dishonesty, cheating, or plagiarism. Review this section of the catalogue and be aware that such misconduct can result in a failing grade in the class or even expulsion from the university.
Synthesis Essay Requirement: Essay papers are to examine any topic dealing with a HM in the context of risk-assessment, cost-benefit, risk-benefit, etc. The essay should ultimately reach a recommendation in favor of, or opposing, the HM in question. The student is encouraged to pursue any subject in which he/she has a keen interest, so long as it is germane to the focus of the class. Alternatively, a topic may be chosen from the list below.
· HM after September 11th: Controlling terrorism, allowing safe use
· Air transport HM regulations for biohazards
· Bhopal versus Institute, WV.
· Value Jet
· Gauley Tunnel (Hawk’s Nest) disaster
· Issues in HM shipping by public roads
· RU 486
· Emergency response databases and resources
· Pharmaceutical companies use of contagious diseases to make vaccines (e.g., anthrax)
· Experimental HIV/AIDS drugs
· The space effort, expenditures, and Teflon
· The Hole in the Ozone Layer and CFCs
· Nuclear Energy: Chernobyl and Three Mile Island
· Asbestos and lead-based paints
· The nuclear bomb and the Department of Energy legacy
· Dow Corning and silicon breast implants
Hardcopy (i.e., a physical paper copy) of your synthesis essay is due at the close of the last class meeting. Emailed versions of your essay in any form (attachments, embedded text, etc.), are NOT ACCEPTABLE. Sorry, but I’ve had way too many problems with corrupted files, files that my software can’t read, viruses, delayed receipt of papers from Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc. Also, be advised that the Grover Center computer lab charges you to printout from its computers. A paper that is delivered late will lose a full letter grade of value, and will lose an additional full letter grade value for each succeeding week late. Failure to submit a paper will result in a class grade of "F".
Essays should be grammatically correct in the APA style, well written, focus on synthesis as defined in class, demonstrate synthetic thinking, and not exceed the word limitation for an excellent grade (A). You do not need to provide references for your essay. As stated earlier, essay topics may be selected from the list above, or on a topic you identify. In fact, your essay can be on the same topic as your group project. You are cautioned, however, that if your essay is essentially a distillation of your personal segment of the group project, it is doubtful the essay will hit the mark of demonstrating synthesis.
In addition, two "Synthesis Exercises" will be accomplished in class. These will present hypothetical issues in the context of media aspects of chemical releases, and acceptance of a toxic use industry in the community. Through class discussions of the assigned scenarios, the group will explore all aspects of these issues: true hazard potential, product benefits to society, socio-political ramifications, media coverage/pressure, legal remedies and implications, and risk management. The exercises will highlight the role various constituencies can play in such matters, and will acknowledge the expenses to society for these considerations. Synthesis will come in the form of a deeper understanding of the process of public risk-benefit decision making.
Two full-length movies will be viewed for this class. The first, A Civil Action, will be viewed outside of class to illustrate legal and policy issues related to chemical matters. The second, China Syndrome (to be watched in class) has been assigned to show both the role of the media and the internal cost-benefit decision (criminal, in this case) related to the business control of a particular hazardous material. Discussions of both films will take place in class and will attempt to use movie depictions to model, or at least re-create, the original risks and decisions dealt with in the films. The first video is readily available at most video rental stores, and both are on reserve at Alden Library.
By the end of the course, instructor determined teams will be expected to present a 30-minute risk-benefit assessment on a topic of their choice. Presentations that fall short of the 30 minute minimum, unless okayed by the instructor, will lose points. As with the Bhopal example, members will be expected to dissect the true facts of the selected topic, precisely frame the major and minor issues related to the topic, describe alternative courses of action, and lead a class discussion of viewpoints not included. For these presentations, the instructor, class, and group members will all help determine the success (i.e., grade) of the effort.
3/26 Introduction to Hazardous Materials
Tier III Goals - Synthesis Synthesis Handout
Explanation of Essay Project
Lecture: Historically Significant HM Incidents HM_incidents.doc
Lecture: Hazardous Materials Properties HM_properties.doc
{View/rent outside of class: "A Civil Action", for Carson, pp 1-153
4/16/02 discussion}
4/2 Prequel: Ghosts of the Past
Lecture: Hazardous Materials Toxicology HM_tox.doc
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring [video recording] Carson video *
Synthesis-focused discussion of Video Carson, pp 245-297
Group Assignments & Group Project Selection Project Handout
4/9 The Arcane World of HM
Lecture: Hazardous Materials Toxicology (cont'd)
Bill Moyers: Trade Secrets [video recording] Video
4/16 The Legacy of HM in the 21st Century
Lecture: Toxic Effects on Organ Systems Organ_tox.doc
Discussion of Silent Spring {text}
Synthesis-focused discussion of A Civil Action Civil Action
Synthesis Exercise A: 18 Holes, and whaddya’ get?
4/23 Enter the Professionals
EXAM 1 (1 hour – lectures up to organ toxicology)
Measuring Hazards: Risk Assessment Methods Sandman_notes.doc
Risk = Hazard + Outrage [video recording] Video
* These materials may be helpful with note taking and with some toxicology concepts. Obtain them directly from the lecturer's web site at the links below by typing in the URL exactly as it is shown; note underscores within the filenames! Once accessed you can save, print, or read the files online.
4/30 Enter the Government
Lecture: Governmental Control of HMs Chem_regs.doc
Big Fear/Little Risk [video recording] Video
Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death? [video recording] Video
Synthesis-focused discussion of
the role of regulators
5/7 Enter the Press
Superfund Risk Communication [video recording] EPA tape snippet
"China Syndrome" [video recording] Video
Synthesis-focused discussion of the press
5/14 Enter the People
EXAM 2 (1 hour – all toxicology lectures, all videos,
Carson readings, and Ibsen’s play will be included!)
Play: Enemy of the People Ibsen's play
Synthesis-focused discussion of the role of the people
Synthesis Exercise B: A New Industry In Athens
5/21 Where to From Here? (Your) Society Decides…
Pro's and cons of nuclear energy in the 21st century
Groups 1-5: Presentations and discussions
of Project's Synthesis (second half of session)
5/28 Project Presentations
Groups 6-10: Presentations and discussions
of Project's Synthesis (first half of session)
Groups 11-15: Presentations and Discussions
of Project's Synthesis (second half of session)
Course Evaluation
Essay papers are due this day
Monday is a holiday, so it is suggested that essays be handed in BEFORE this last day of the course).