Water Justice and Health

Overview

This course provides an in depth understanding of water security, health and justice through the ideas of water pollution, water extraction and water security. It builds on the Water: An Introduction course, expanding on some of the basic concepts and water uses, to include some further exploration of water security. We cover ecological services such as habitat provision, nutrient cycling, climate regulation and biodiversity support. The course surveys major uses: domestic water and sanitation, industrial processes and cooling, agricultural irrigation and livestock, and hydropower. Finally, we address abuses and management challenges, insufficient wastewater treatment, industrial and agricultural pollution, and eutrophication, using case studies, data analysis and policy discussion to build practical governance skills and sustainable resource planning approaches, and will develop skills to contribute to sustainable water management and to design resilient, equitable water solutions.

Programme

Unit 1: A Re-Introduction to Water. Water underpins life and society; this module examines its physical, ecological and socio-economic dimensions.

Unit 2: Water Governance. Water governance shapes how societies define, use and protect freshwater resources. This module examines key definitions, green, blue, grey and black water, and how terminology influences policy.

Unit 3: Water Security & Access Water security underpins human wellbeing, economic stability and ecosystem health. This unit examines water stress, when demand outstrips supply, and how uneven global distribution creates hotspots of scarcity.

Unit 4: Water, Health & Conflict. This unit examines why safe, reliable water supplies take precedence over other development priorities, exploring links between waterborne disease, sanitation, and community resilience.

Unit 5: Water Justice. Water justice examines how power, policy and profit shape who controls, uses and suffers from water. This unit explores abuses by governments, corporations and polluters that prioritise extraction and profit over communities, including over abstraction, privatisation and contamination.

Unit 6: Water Technology. This unit covers technologies such as reverse osmosis, membrane filtration widely used for desalination and purification, including innovations by inventors like Dean Kamen, alongside broader desalination techniques that convert seawater to freshwater.

Unit 7: Case Studies. Producing high-quality case studies is an essential academic skill for analysing and communicating complex issues effectively. This unit explores three case studies focused on water, health, and justice, examining their structure, content, and presentation.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Explain the global hydrological cycle and its role in sustaining ecosystems and human life.
2. Analyse the relationship between water availability, public health, and social equity, and evaluate the impacts of water scarcity and pollution on communities and ecosystems.
3. Critically assess policies and governance frameworks addressing water justice and access.
4. Develop evidence-based arguments on water security and its socio-political implications.
5. Apply research methods to investigate real-world water-related challenges, and interpret and present data on water use, quality, and distribution using appropriate visual tools.
6. Reflect on ethical considerations in water resource management and justice.
7. Produce a structured, well-referenced case study demonstrating critical analysis and communication skills.

 Assessments

1. Water Security Report - 500 words (30%)
2. Written Assignment - 2000 words (70%)

Reading Suggestions

Reading suggestions will be offered throughout the course. 

Entry Requirements

This course is for everyone. No previous experience is needed and there are no formal entry requirements. 

What Do I Need?

As this is an online course, you would need the following:

• Internet access
• Access to a laptop or computer with a web camera and microphone; the use of headphones might also be of benefit
• Use of the Chrome web-browser where possible.