Midterm Essay: At midterm, you will write a 1200 word paper responding to a central

question that asks you to discuss the historical origins of the issue at hand. Your essay

must include a concise answer to the central question, effectively use as evidence and

properly cite assigned course readings by AT LEAST 6 DIFFERENT AUHTORS, and

reflect an understanding of change over time and across space regarding the historical

issue under consideration. You will be asked to consider the implications of the historical

processes in question on myriad and diverse groups of people in order to recognize that

we do not all experience things in similar or equal ways. You will also be graded on the

mechanics of writing-spelling, sentence structure, organization, grammar, etc.-as well

as their appropriate inclusion of citations, with an emphasis on source analysis and

integration. You must not do outside research for these essays as they are designed to

test knowledge of course material. This is NOT a research essay and NO external

materials should be used to defend your argument. ONLY COURSE READINGS.

Choose from the two prompts (write your essay in response to ONLY ONE of the

prompts):

Option 1: Over the last millennium, public health systems and institutions have emerged

to address disease and other health concerns at the 1.) local, 2.) regional, 3.) national, 4.)

imperial, and 5.) global levels. Using historical examples from the last 700 years cited

from course readings, what have been the largest obstacles to the implementation of

public health systems at each of these five levels?

Option 2: Human efforts to control population growth, disease, and pollutants have

altered the natural and societal landscapes in which we live. Using historical examples

cited from course readings, what have been the unintended societal consequences and

environmental impacts caused by public health efforts to 1.) manage population growth,

2.) prevent disease, and 3.) manage pollution in the last 200 years?