Linking Biology and Social Issues

How The Power of Water Links Biology and Social Issues

Water is the essential medium that supports and connects all life. This universal solvent dissolves disciplinary boundaries, allowing students to explore concepts in nearly any branch of science as well as difficult questions of social responsibility, social justice, and civic life. The Power of Water (POW) is an integrated science course in our liberal education program that supports our campus mission of citizen leadership and seeks to improve science literacy among our non-science majors by challenging students to think as scientists and to evaluate, as engaged citizens, the role of science in today's world.

Why water?

Each semester, the POW course begins with a deceptively simple question: why water? Why have we developed this integrated science course for non-majors around this single molecule? We do not need to look far for justification.

"If the solution for AIDS would be to bring a glass of clean drinking water to everybody in the world, we would not be able to bring that. We have not been able to stop children from dying from simple diarrhea by providing clean drinking water." (J. Decosas, Regional AIDS Program for West and Central Africa, at the 1996 International AIDS Conference)

"Water and sanitation is one of the primary drivers of public health. ...once we can secure access to clean water and to adequate sanitation facilities for all people, irrespective of the difference in their living conditions, a huge battle against all kinds of diseases will be won." (Dr. L. Jong-wook, former Director-General, World Health Organization)

"As you add them up, the many scenes begin to tell a single story. They tell us that a change is coming-a fundamental change in the way we use, see, and think about water." (National Geographic, author unknown)

One need not venture deeply into the water context to appreciate water's relevance to questions of social responsibility, social justice, and civic life. Each year 1.8 million people die from diarrheal diseases, and most of the lost are children under the age of 5.

Each semester, three of the following four units are part of the POW course.

Basic science concepts addressed	Related civic/social issues
Matrix of Life Unit
Elements, atoms, molecules, compounds Electronegativity Polarity Unique properties of water Types of macromolecules Types of pollutants	Pollutants in the environment Poisoning of the arctic Global circulation of pollutants
Global Water Paradox Unit
Hydrologic cycle Water's anomalous behavior Patterns of climatic variation Biomes Atmospheric circulation Hurricanes	Carbon emissions Global climate change Accessibility of water resources
Water for Life Unit
Domains of life Types of microorganisms Other types of infectious agents Disease biology Human immune response	Global disease challenges Emerging diseases
Future of the Oceans Unit
Habitats, populations, communities,ecosystems Types of population growth Density-dependent and density-independent factors Life-history strategies Conservation biology	Declines in global fish stocks Impacts of human consumption on natural system