Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Vicerrectoría Académica y de Investigación

Syllabus of the Course Geopolitics and environmental, Code 151021

1. Course Information

The Course Is Part of the Unit: Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud ECISA

Academic Degree Level: Profesional
Number of Credits: 2
The Course does not have a Re-Take
Exam
Course Updated by: Mariana Triana Ortiz
Date of Design: Wednesday, March 11,
2020
Course Description:
Training Field: Disciplinar
Course Type: Theoretical
Course Designed by: Carolina Jaime
Rodriguez
Date of Update: 6/15/2020

The administration of health is inscribed in the perspective of a practice and a social ethic based
on public health, primary care, social sciences, epistemology and economic issues, which link
it with the subject and the environment, by his progress and individual and collective
realization. The relationships between geography, territory, politics, and development are
increasingly important in today's world. A world of finite resources and a dramatic growth of
population, innovation, and technology.

The geopolitics and environment course is a part of the deepening of primary health care-PHC,
and therefore we must remember that health systems with a PHC focus demand readjustment
of health services towards promotion and prevention, with a development orientation towards
families and communities.

In this framework, geopolitics is a science that allows us to show the relations between States
and the problems of the States that affect the whole world. In this sense, elements such as
wars, terrorism, economic decisions, technological innovation, globalization and the
management of resources and the environment are issues that, on the one hand, generate
problematic situations that affect the whole world and, in some cases, provide solutions that
benefit individuals and groups.

During the development of the course, each student, first individually and then in a
collaborative group, will appropriate the concepts of geopolitics, environmental determinants
of health and sustainable development, and identify a problematic situation derived from these
relationships, identifying their determinants, and formulating a hypothesis for an adequate
solution
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This course seeks to answer the question How to prevent, manages and mitigate the health
impacts produced by the relationships between geopolitics, environmental determinants in
health and sustainable development. The course corresponds to a Problematic nucleus 2:
intersectoral and cross-sectoral actions in health, aims to train in the students the competences
to contribute an alternative solution to the identified problematic situations in the region.

Consequently, the objectives of the disciplinary training focus on:

 Understand the relationship between geopolitics, the environment and sustainable

development and its impacts on human health.
 Analyze the environmental health component of the Colombian ten-year public
health plan and establish its relations with geopolitics and sustainable human
development.
 Evaluate the social determinants in health, emphasizing the geopolitical and
environmental determinants in specific contexts in identified problematic situations.
 Propose alternative solutions to the identified problematic situations, based on the
strategic frameworks of the environmental dimension of the 10-year plan for public
health and sustainable human development.

The task-based learning strategy (ABT) will be used for the management of learning in response
to the course problem nucleus. The ABT involves the students in a process that contributes
significant meaning to the development of the task. In this way, the work is not of memorization
but exploration, organization, and transfer of the best solution to the task will gain. Its
implementation involves the definition of a number of limited, autonomous tasks (micro tasks)
that contribute to the accomplishment of a broader task (macro task) which in turn motivates
development and increases the importance of micro tasks (Guichon, 2006).This course is
developed in two units:

Unit 1: Context of geopolitics, Environment, determinants in health and sustainable

development

Is it possible to speak of the emergence of a new world order based on the challenges posed
by environmental problems? Through the review of the state of the art on the subject, this unit
analyzes the growing importance of the environment, and natural resources, in international
relations and aims to raise awareness among academics and students of international relations
with the potential positive impact of the development of the discipline in the integration with
global studies of environmental change.

Unit 2: Inter-sectoral and Intra-sectoral strategies in health

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Human health and disease are the embodiment of the successes and failures of society, and
the only way to improve health and reduce diseases is by changing society and political action.
In this unit, you study that ethical values cannot be measured as the mortality and morbidity
rate in the world, but there is a relationship between the revelations of vital statistics and
human responsibility in a modern society that you can hardly discuss. So, the student proposes
an intersectoral and intra-sectoral strategies in health.

2. Course Learning Purpose:

The course learning purpose is:

The course in geopolitics and the environment seeks to encourage students to acquire the
necessary skills to acquire the theoretical concepts that allow them to analyze the relationships
between geopolitics, environmental, determinants in health and sustainable development and
their impacts on human health. The context readings to identify the topics related to these
concepts are fundamental in the management and administration of health, because the impacts
on health and the environment of human development that are determined by geopolitical
decisions must be tools and knowledge to propose solutions to problems that affect people and
populations.

3. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course the student will be able to:

Learning Outcome 1: Identify concepts for reading context on health problems arising from the
relationship between geopolitics, environmental, determinants in health and sustainable
development.

Learning Outcome 2: Analyze of the health situation for different contexts in the health
problems that arise from the relationship between geopolitics, environmental, determinants in
health and sustainable development

Learning Outcome 3: Manages intra-sectoral and inter-sectoral solutions for health problems
that arise from the relationship between geopolitics, the environmental health and sustainable
development.

Learning Outcome 4: Leads inter-sectoral processes for the prevention and promotion of health
in problematic environments generated by geopolitical decisions that affect the environment

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 4. Learning Strategy:

The Learning Strategy for the course is: The task-based learning strategy (ABT).

This Learning Strategy is based on: different activities that oriented by a learning goal in which
the students elaborate a real and authentic product, they seek to achieve one or several specific
objectives that must be reached in a certain time. The central focus of the ABT is that activities
have real meaning for students. The activities and tasks can be in two ways, one has to do with
what the student needs to do or get done in his real life; And another that is related to a specific
pedagogical objective of a course.

The teacher becomes a tutor, that is, is not at the center of the learning process but goes next
as an observer and guide to the achievement of the objectives proposed. Similarly, allowing the
student all his protagonist when putting into play His previous and new knowledge, interests,
and tastes, as well as his strategies of interaction with the resources and people that surround
him in the accomplishment of the task. The Learning Strategy is organized as follows:

• Unit 1 - Task 1 – Initial evaluation

• Unit 1 - Task 2 – Problematic
• Unit 2 - Task 3 – Strategies
• Unit 1 and 2 – Final Evaluation

5. Course Contents and Bibliographic References

Unit 1: Context of Geopolitics, environment, determinants in heath and sustainable

development

In this unit, the following contents will be addressed:

• Geopolitics
• Environment
• Determinants in health
• Sustainable Development
• Environmental dimension and the Colombian 10-year public health plan

To address the contents, the following bibliographic references are required:

• Geopolitics: definition

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Bravo, J. (2014). Una nueva perspectiva del estudio del escenario mundial: geopolítica y
relaciones internacionales desde una epistemología de la imaginación. Intersticios sociales, (8),
1-27. Obtained from http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2007-
49642014000200001&lng=es&tlng=es.

Scholvin, S. (2016). Geopolitics. An overview of concepts and empirical examples form

international relations. Hanover: The Finnish institute of international affairs. Obtained from
https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/196701/wp91-Geopolitics.pdf

• Environmental determinants of health

World Health Organization (2020). WHO Global Strategy on Health, Environment and Climate
Change. The transformation needed to improve lives and wellbeing sustainably through
healthy environments. Obtained from
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240000377

Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social & Organización Panamericana de la Salud (2014).

Referentes conceptuales y abordajes sobre determinantes ambientales. Bogotá: MINSALUD &
OPS. Obtained from
https://www.minambiente.gov.co/images/AsuntosambientalesySectorialyUrbana/pdf/salud_a
mbiental/Referentes_Conceptuales_y_Abordajes_sobre_Determinantes_Ambientales.pdf

• Sustainable development

Álvarez, Ana María (2016). Retos de américa latina: agenda para el desarrollo sostenible y
negociaciones del siglo XXI Obtained from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301703616300219

Leff Zimmerman, E. (2016). La geopolítica de la biodiversidad y el desarrollo sustentable.:

Economización del mundo, racionalidad ambiental y reapropiación social de la naturaleza.
Obtained from http://ru.iis.sociales.unam.mx:8080/handle/IIS/4942

Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL). (2018) Segundo informe anual
sobre el progreso y los desafíos regionales de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible en
América Latina y el Caribe (LC/FDS.2/3/Rev.1). Cap I y II. Pp 11-21 y 23-62. Santiago.
Obtained from: https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/43415/S1800380_es.pdf
?sequence=5&isAllowed=y

• Environmental dimension and the Colombian 10-year public health plan

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Ministerio de Salud y Protección social., (2012). Dimensión Salud Ambiental: Plan decenal de
salud pública 2012-2022. Bogotá. Obtained from
https://www.minsalud.gov.co/plandecenal/Documents/dimensiones/dimension
-saludambiental.pdf

OVA- Environmental determinants

The objective of this Virtual Object is to explain the basic conceptions of the environmental
determinants of health.
Triana, M. (2018). Determinants of Health. [Objeto virtual de aprendizaje OVA]. Curso de
Geopolítica y Medio Ambiente. Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud. UNAD. Obtained from:
http://hdl.handle.net/10596/22294

The objective of this virtual object is to describe the environmental dimension and the
structure in the Ten-Year Public Health Plan.
Riaño, J. (2017). Environmental Dimenssion in the Ten-Year Public Health Plan. [ Objeto
virtual de Aprendizaje OVA]. Curso de Geopolítica. Escuela de Ciencias de la
Salud. UNAD. Obtained from: https://repository.unad.edu.co/handle/10596/10988
Unit 2: intersectoral and intrasectoral strategies in health

In this unit, the following contents will be addressed:

• Environmental Health
• Geopolitics and environment
• Sustainable development and health

To address the contents, the following bibliographic references are required:

• Environmental Health

Orobio, A. O. A., Osorio, V. O. V., Rodríguez, N. R. N., Ramírez, N. R. N., León, L. L. L.,
Hernández, N. H. N., ... & Hurtado, L. H. L. (2017). Problemas y desafíos que afronta Colombia
respecto a la salud ambiental, un enfoque basado en el plan decenal de Salud. Biociencias, 1(1).
Recuperado de:
https://hemeroteca.unad.edu.co/index.php/Biociencias/article/view/2220

de la Salud, A. M. (2017). Respuesta mundial para el control de vectores: informe de la

Secretaría (No. A70/26 Rev. 1). Organización Mundial de la Salud.
Recuperado de: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274854/A70_26Rev1-sp.pdf

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Godoy-Casasbuenas, N., Franco, M., Lozano, J. M., Gore-Saravia, N., & de
Integración Intersectorial, G. (2017). Importancia de la intersectorialidad en la investigación
para la salud: conectando comunidades, científicos y tomadores de decisiones. Recuperado de:
http://revistamedicina.net/ojsanm/index.php/Medicina/article/view/117-1

• Geopolitics and environment

Avendaño, William; Aguilar, Daniel. (2014). Geopolítica y medio ambiente: una mirada a la
problemática de los desplazados ambientales. Obtained from
https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=zbh&AN=99288140&lang=es&site=eds-live&scope=site

Rojas, D., (2015) La región andina en la geopolítica de los recursos estratégicos. Análisis político
nº vol, 28 No. 83, Bogotá, enero-abril, 2015. Obtained from
https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct
=true&db=edo&AN=108567965&lang=es&site=eds-live&scope=site

• Sustainable development and health

Agudelo, C; García, J; Robledo, R; García, C; Vaca, M. Multidimensional analysis of

environmental health capabilities in the ministry of environment and sustainable development
in Colombia. (Revista de Salud Pública, November- December 2016) Obtained from
https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=edselc&AN=edselc.2-52.0-85013455925&lang=es&site=eds-live&scope=site

Organización Panamericana de la Salud – OPS- y Organización Mundial de la Salud Oficina

Regional para las Américas –OMS- (2013). Seminario 1, Desafíos para la salud pública y el
desarrollo sostenible. En: Salud, ambiente y desarrollo sostenible: hacia el futuro que
queremos. Washington, 2013., pp., 1-9.
Obtained from
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid
=22830&Itemid=

Organización Panamericana de la Salud – OPS- y Organización Mundial de la Salud Oficina

Regional para las Américas –OMS- (2013). Seminario 3, Cambio climático y salud. En: Salud,
ambiente y desarrollo sostenible: hacia el futuro que queremos. Washington, 2013., pp., 20-
26. Obtained from
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=2283
0&Itemid=

Additional bibliographic references for this course:

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Unit 1:

Cuellar, R., Geopolítica: Origen del concepto y su evolución. Revista de Relaciones

Internacionales de la UNAM, núm. 113, mayo-agosto de 2012, pp. 59-80.
Obtained from http://www.revistas.unam.mx/index.php/rri/article/view/48963/44028

Unit 2:

Torres, Aída. (2015). Geopolítica de los conflictos socio ambientales: resistencia a la expansión
minera. Obtained from
https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct
=true&db=edb&AN=110118574&lang=es&site=eds-live&scope=site

6. Organization of Weekly Academic Activities

Initial Moment:

Unit 1 – Task 1 – Initial Evaluation

To be developed from week 1 to week 2

This responds to Learning Outcome: 1
The activities are: Create a document of maximum 3 (three) pages. According to the 10-year
plan for public health 2012-2021 and sustainable development goals.
Intermediate Moment

Unit 1 – Task 2 – Problematic

To be developed from week 3 to week 7 This responds to Learning Outcome: 2

The activities are: Identify a problematic situation in your city or region associated with air
pollution, water pollution or soil pollution and the effects on human health.

Make a video in Youtube and create a document of maximum 4 (four) pages with an analysis
about problematic situation.

Unit 2 – Task 3 – Strategies

To be developed from week 8 to week 14

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This responds to Learning Outcome: 3
The activities are: Answer 3 questions generated by the tutor in the forum. Establish which
strategies could be useful as an alternative to the problematic situation posed in the first unit
and share it in the forum. As a group define two intra-sector strategy (health sector) and two
inter-sectoral strategy to approach the issues raised by the relationship between geopolitics
and the environment
Final Moment

Unit 1 and 2 – Task 4 – Final Evaluation

To be developed from week 15 to week 16

This responds to Learning Outcome: 4

The activities are creating a document of maximum 6 (six) pages associated to inter- sectoral
and intra-sectoral processes for the prevention and promotion of health in problematic
environments generated by geopolitical decisions that affect the environment

7. Teacher’s Support

To develop the course activities, you will have the support of a teacher or tutor. The options
for this academic support are:

• Virtual Campus E-mail

• Collaborative Forums
• Skype Sessions
• Online Conference Sessions or Web Conferences

8. Course Evaluation Plan

Initial Evaluation Moment:

Task 1 – Initial Evaluation
This responds to Learning Outcome: 1
The evidence of learning is: Written document.
The maximum assessment of this activity is 25 points, equivalent to 5% of the course evaluation

Individual activity:

● Read bibliographic sources of the Syllabus or Knowledge environment and Glossary.

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● Additionally, in a paragraph include the relationships and definitions for the next
terms:

- Geopolitics
- Sustainable development
- Environment
- Determinants in health

According to the 10-year plan for public health 2012-2021, identify the 8 (eight) priority
dimensions and the 2 transversal dimensions. Also, identify sustainable development goals
(UNDP, 2015).

Is an individual activity. You must create a document of maximum 3 (three) pages and upload
in the evaluation environment and forum. The deliverable must include:

- Cover
- Goals of the activity
- To describe 8 (eight) priority dimensions and the 2 transversal dimensions of
10-year plan for public health 2012-2021.
- To describe sustainable development goals (UNDP, 2015).
- A paragraph includes the relationships and definitions for the next terms:
Geopolitics, Sustainable development, Environment, Determinants in health.
- Conclusions
- Bibliographic references according to APA standards.

The Learning evidences are:

Participation in the forum in the first week (minimum 3 contributions). Then in the second week
minimum 2 contributions. Create a document of maximum 3 (three) pages

The highest score for this activity is 25 points, corresponding to 5% of the course evaluation.

Intermediate Evaluation Moment:

Task 2 - Problematic
This responds to Learning Outcome: 2

The evaluation criteria are: Content, form and participation criteria The
evidence of learning is: Written document.

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The maximum assessment of this activity is 175 points, equivalent to 35% of the course
evaluation

Individual activity:

Read bibliographic sources of Unit 1.

Choose a role to develop in the collaborative group and share it on the forum: Director, Co-
Director, Leader of the debate, Rapporteur and Compiler.

Topics: Geopolitics and environment, determinants of health and sustainable

developments.

Review the material of Unit 1, from there select a problematic situation that creates affects the
context where you live and / or work. You must propose a problematic situation in the first
week from the opening of the activity. You must select only One problematic situation.

Identify a problem situation in your city or region associated with air pollution, water pollution
or soil pollution and the effects on human health.

Make a video in You tube. The video must have a maximum duration of 4 (four) minutes. The
video is in Spanish language. In this include:

- Cover page
- Goals of the task
- Problematic Situation: To propose a problematic situation and a human disease
caused by the environmental impact.
- Causes and impacts on the human health: to explain the causes and impacts on
human health of the chosen problem.
- Epidemiological Data: To describe epidemiological data associated with mortality,
morbidity, and severity of the disease.
- Conclusions: To write 2 (two) conclusions.
- Bibliographic references according to APA standards. Minimum 5 (five)
bibliographic references, this include scientific articles and government
pages (Example: OMS, PAHO, PNUD, MinSalud).

Collaborative activity:

Assuming the chosen role, generate a debate as a group about the identified problems and
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select only one for the deliverable. The group must select only one situation problematic.

The title of the situation problematic must include the population and the city or region affected.

Choose a role and responsibility for the deliverable: Compiler, Reviewer, Evaluator, Deliveries,
Alerts.

Analysis: As a group create a document in word format, where the group must include the same
information that constructed in the individual activity for the health problem, characterizes and
sustains it from the concepts learned.

You must create a document of maximum 4 (four) pages and upload the task in the evaluation
environment.

The learning evidences are:

- Presentation in the forum, choose the role and definition of problematic situation in the
first week.
- A proposal of the collaborative work planning in the first or second week.
- Contributions in the first and second week. Minimum Four (4) contributions.
- Upload the video you tube format Maximum in the third week. It is individual.
- Proposal for collaborative work planning.
- Contributions in the forum with bibliographical references APA.
- Performance of the role in the forum and the deliverable

The highest score for this activity is 175 points corresponding to 35% of the course evaluation.

Task 3 - Strategies
This responds to Learning Outcome: 3

The evaluation criteria are: Content, form, and participation criteria

The evidence of learning is: Written document.
The maximum assessment of this activity is 175 points, equivalent to 35% of the course
evaluation

Individual activity:

Read bibliographic sources of Unit 2.

Topics: Environmental dimension and the Colombian 10-year public health plan, Geopolitics,
environment, determinants in health and Sustainable development.
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Answer 3 questions generated by the tutor in the forum:

Question 1. Intersectoral and intrasectoral strategies in health.

Question 2. Environmental and Determinants in Health
Question 3. Sustainable development

Review the documents of the Environmental Dimension of the Ten Year Public Health Plan, the
components and strategies proposed for each component and the seminars 1 and 3 of the
PAHO document "Health, Environment and Sustainable Development: Toward the Future We
Want"

Choose a role to develop in the collaborative group and share it on the forum: Director, Co-
Director, Leader of the debate, Rapporteur and Compiler.

A proposal of the collaborative work planning in the first or second week

Establish which strategies could be useful as an alternative to the problematic situation posed
in the first unit and share it in the forum.

Collaborative activity:

Topics: Geopolitics and environment, determinants of health and sustainable developments.

The group select only one situation problematic (Is the same that the group defined in the Unit
1).

As a group define two intra-sector strategy (health sector) and two inter-sectoral strategy to
approach the issues raised by the relationship between geopolitics and the environment. Make
a comparative table with the central elements of the two strategies.

The central elements are: Objective, goals, and description of resources that you need. Present
a comparative table. characterizes and sustains it from the concepts learned

Choose a role and responsibility for the deliverable: Compiler, Reviewer, Evaluator, Deliveries,
Alerts.

Analysis: As a group write a final document where you develop the two strategies with this
central element. Additionally, you must include a justification, relationship between Geopolitics,
environmental, determinants in health and Sustainable development. Finally, to include 4 (four)
conclusions. Use subtitles for each theme. The group must include (Cover page, comparative

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table, justification, relationship and bibliographic references in APA standards.

You must create a document of maximum 4 (four) pages and upload the task in the evaluation
environment.

The learning evidences are:

- Presentation in the forum and choose the role in the forum and the deliverable.
- Definition of intrasectoral and intersectoral strategies in the first or second week.
- A proposal of the collaborative work planning in the first or second week.
- Proposal for collaborative work planning.
- Contributions in the forum for the deliverable. Minimum Four (4) contributions with
bibliographical references APA.
- Performance of the role in the forum and the deliverable.

The highest score for this activity is 175 points corresponding to 35% of the course evaluation.

The highest score for this evaluation moment is 350 points, corresponding to 70% of the course
evaluation.
Final Evaluation Moment:

Task 4 – Final Evaluation

This responds to Learning Outcome: 4
The evaluation criteria are: Content, form, and participation criteria
The evidence of learning is: Written document.
The maximum assessment of this activity is 125 points, equivalent to 25% of the course
evaluation.

Collaborative activity:

Choose a role to develop in the collaborative group and share it on the forum: Director, Co-
Director, Leader of the debate, Rapporteur and Compiler.

Assuming the chosen role, generate a debate as a group about the final work and the important
aspects.

Choose a role and responsibility for the deliverable: Compiler, Reviewer, Evaluator, Deliveries,
Alerts.

Each student made a proposal of the collaborative work planning in the first week.

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As a group perform a consolidated work, containing:

1. Cover. You must include the adjusted Title.

2. Basic information: A statement of the issues chosen in their context, which includes the
relationships between geopolitics and the environment and the impacts on health and human
development.

Description of the context and issues and impacts on health and human development, in terms
of causes, mortality and morbidity. Use subtitles for each theme.

3. Justification: It supports the reason for which it chose this problematic and not another
one with data of the context of occurrence and bibliographical argumentation.

It is a bibliographic review of background, minimum 2 (two) scientific articles in English

language and 4 (four) scientific articles in Spanish language.

4. Relationships cause - effect of the problematic situation: Make a diagram showing the
causal chain and effects of the problematic situation (problem tree, fishbone or whatever you
choose) from geopolitics to the environment and showing the effects on individual and collective
health and human development. Write a research question.

5. Definition of problem solution alternatives: Propose and describe at least two intra-
sectoral alternatives and two inter- sectoral alternatives to solve the problem in the strategic
framework of the Environmental Dimension of the Ten Year Public Health Plan and/or in the
framework of sustainable human development.

6. Description and development of the intra-sectorial and inter-sectoral alternatives: Make

a diagram or outline for each alternative, with the objectives, goals and resources needed.
Make a description of the diagram by expanding the information and description of the
alternatives presented.

7. Conclusions: Explain 4 (four) conclusions on the relationship between geopolitics and the
environment and their effects on health and human development and a conclusion on the
alternatives to solve this type of problem in the context where you live and/or work.

8. Bibliography: APA standards

You must create a document of maximum 6 (six) pages and upload the task in the evaluation
environment.
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The learning evidences are:

- Presentation in the forum and choose the role in the forum and the deliverable.
- A proposal of the collaborative work planning in the first week.
- Contributions in the forum for the deliverable. Minimum Four (4) contributions with
bibliographical references APA.
- Performance of the role in the forum and the deliverable
The highest score for this activity is 125 points, corresponding to 25% of the course evaluation.

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