- Due Wednesday by 11:59pm
- Points 20
- Submitting an external tool
- Available until Apr 9 at 11:59pm
As you have learned throughout this unit, our health and physiology are impacted by many environmental factors and our personal decisions — including the food we eat, our personal choices, and our surrounding environment, among other factors. As a reminder, you have explored the following topics in this unit:
- How climate change can affect and disrupt physiological processes.
- How air pollution is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
- How diet affects our microbiome, and subsequently influences physiology.
- How community factors influence health.
- How race is a determinant in maternal and child health.
- How communicable diseases like COVID-19 spread and how vaccines work.
- How different factors affect our stress response.
In this assignment, you will write an essay demonstrating what you have learned over the past several weeks.
Assessment Details
Write a 500-600 word essay according to the prompt below:
Highlight a health risk/condition that is relevant to your family and/or community and how it affects health outcomes. Explain the underlying physiology of the health risk/condition, as it pertains to what you learned in this unit. Then, propose a specific environmental or personal change that can be made to mitigate the risk of this health condition (i.e., these can range from policy decisions at the community level to behavioral changes at the personal level). In your essay, outline how this proposed change directly impacts your physiology.
In your essay, be sure to include some concrete information about the biology that was covered in this unit, citing the specific Lesson or weekly activity, and explaining either how and/or why this information is relevant to you. Make your essay personal! Additionally, you must include at least two reputable sources to support your writing. If you choose to utilize generative AI, be sure to provide an appropriate citationLinks to an external site., and write your essay in your own words. Recall that failure to cite the use of AI and/or presenting AI-generated text as your own work constitutes plagiarism/academic dishonesty.
Note:
- AI does not count towards the minimum reputable sources.
- Choose a different health condition and solution than what you chose for the Community Health Project. Submissions with the same condition/solution may receive reduced credit.
To do well on this assignment, be sure to...
- explain relevant biological processes from the course and how they relate to your stance/argument.
- choose a minimum of two sources and elaborate on why these sources support your stance/argument.
- make a personal connection and explain how this topic is relevant to you, your family, or your community.
- use plain language. Your target audience is your peers — as such, define any terminology outside the scope of this course.
Grading
To see how this assignment will be graded, scroll down to view the grading rubric. If no rubric is visible, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of this page, then click "Show Rubric". If you're reviewing this assignment using the Canvas mobile app, the rubric is included in the Grade tab.
While I am not specifically grading you on your spelling or grammar, scientific communication is an important skill. Please proofread and spellcheck before posting/submitting to ensure that your ideas come across clearly. Up to 10% may be deducted for excessive grammar and spelling errors that affect the readability of your work. Additionally, please ensure you meet the minimum word requirement. There is a 10% deduction for every 50 words short of the minimum word count.
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