Ecological Perspectives on Ethics and Health Glocally: Teaching Challenges and Responses

ABSTRACT: We will co-explore with attendees their experiences and share our own experiences in learning and teaching in four areas: 1) ecological perspectives in learning about environments & health (E&H) glocally; 2) theoretical orientations that can help orient our teaching-learning, particularly post-humanism and political ecology; 3) ethical stances in approaching causes and responses to E&H states glocally, particularly global health ethics and environmental justice; and 4) teaching – learning challenges we have encountered in ecological public health, food studies and similar courses. The last set include coming to grips with positionality-privilege, handling complexity, facing ecological grief, and moving beyond immobilization. We will then discuss directions for adult learning developments in teaching ethics and ecological perspectives on health glocally.

BRIEF BIOS:
Donald C. Cole is a professor at the DLSPH with over thirty years of practice, research and policy work in Canada and lower and middle income countries. He has led multi-stakeholder action research processes to address ecological and social determinants to improve physical and mental health. He has worked with public health colleagues from all levels of government in projects on ecoregions, contaminants, and applying precaution.  Supervisor or co-supervisor of numerous mixed methods masters’ and doctoral students, he has co-authored over 230 peer-reviewed publications and over 40 chapters. He co-led the development of the Collaborative PhD Program in Global Health and hybrid courses on Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health and Ecological Public Health at the graduate and undergraduate levels. (See http://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/faculty-profile/cole-donald-c/)

Sarah Elton is a doctoral student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) engaged with post-humanist approaches to the political ecology of urban food production. She is also a bestselling author of four books about food (see https://sarahelton.ca/ ) and food studies scholar and instructor. She was part of the teaching team for the Ecological Public Health cross-listed course through Health Studies, University College, and the DLSPH (see http://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/course/ecological-public-health/ )