asb MODULE 5

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULE 5 DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION JOURNAL ESSAYS - ARE YOU READY?

FOR MODULE 5 ESSAYS, WRITE ANSWERS TO THE DISCUSSION ESSAY PROMPT BELOW (500 WORDS) AND AN ANSWER TO THE REFLECTION JOURNAL ESSAY PROMPT BELOW (300 WORDS)

1) Propose a culturally and socially appropriate program for diversifying the microbiomes of children who attend pre-schools in Tempe or in a city of your choice (500 words).

2)  WHAT'S INTERESTING in this module?

Materials and Readings

Read the following in preparation for the study questions assignment:

· Learning Objective #1 Reading Assignment (attached)



 Learning Objective #2 & #3 Reading (attached)

Learning Objectives of Module 5

By the end of this module, students will be able to:  

1. Describe Bronfenbrenne's model of nested/networked relationships between ecology, environment and [biological] child development.

2. Describe the human microbiome.

3. Explain why microbiomes are the most important link between ecological, environmental, sociocultural factors and the biology of the self.

Overview

  In this module, we will explore how goods for health become an integral part of the biology of individuals. We will learn about models of levels of interactions between systems that together form the ecology of an individual. Social interactions are the 'interactions' that matter most in humans since from birth to death, everything we do happens in the context of negotiating, reciprocating, giving or receiving goods and services between individuals.'

    In this module we will also learn about that social interactions at all ages are part and parcel of the microbial communities that reside in and on our bodies. We have learned a great deal in recent years about reciprocation between humans and our microbial friends, especially bacteria. In our gut, communities of bacteria supplement or altogether take over all sorts of biological functions that influence our metabolic, endocrinological and immune systems.

    The health of our microbiomes dictates the quality of our lives. When our microbiomes are disrupted by antibiotics, highly processed foods, lack of sleep, drug use, exposure to chemicals and other factors, their ability to perform functions that keep us healthy is compromised.

   It now appears that in developed countries with vast expanses of impervious surfaces, gut microbiomes are far less diverse than is the case in small scale societies that live in natural ecosystems with minimal built environments. These populations don't have epidemics of non-communicable diseases. Over 20 years of fieldwork among remote indigenous peoples of Latin America, I did not see a single case of asthma, allergies, breast cancer, Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, Irritable Bowel Disease, Crohn's Disease or Cardiovascular Disease. Many other anthropologists who work in small scale societies have made similar observations.

    In the learning materials you will watch a presentation by Dr. Robert Knight that summarizes major research findings in recent studies of the microbiome. He suggests that the root cause of the co-occurring epidemics of non-communicable diseases over the past 30 years is a sudden change in gut microbiomes. This is an interesting hypothesis, and one of the most important take aways of this course.