Geographies of Health and Disability module (GE31013)

Issues of health and disability feature prominently in the media, policy debates, and our everyday lives.

Geography also takes a keen interest in health and disability. It focuses on themes such as:

• inequalities in health
• relationships between environments and places and health
• access, exclusion and inclusion
• healthcare and support
• public health
• mental health and wellbeing

In this module you will explore and critique the main theoretical and methodological approaches to studying the geographies of health and disability. You will learn to illustrate these debates with examples.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• develop an understanding of the relationship between health and disability, and space and place
• engage with key theoretical debates on geographical approaches to health and disability
• develop an understanding of the nature, patterning, and experiences of health, illness, and disability
• examine the forms of care and support for addressing health, illness, and disability
• develop reflective learning on health and disability

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

• understand the relationship between health and disability, and space and place
• demonstrate knowledge of different approaches to studying geographies of health and disability
• understand the nature, patterning, and experience of health, illness, and disability
• understand different forms of care and support
• read and interpret academic articles on debates on geographies of health and disability
• interpret quantitative and qualitative data from a range of sources on health and disability
• use independent study skills. This includes academic and policy literature searching and communication, to prepare for assessments
• identify, analyse, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from different sources
• engage with non-academic organisations to learn about policy and practice

Assignments / assessment

• portfolio (40%)
  • based on four short assignments across the semester
• essay (30%)
• exam (30%)

Teaching methods / timetable

• one-hour lectures
  • in-person with interactive elements
• in-person workshops
  • involves discussion/analysis of data, a video, questions, readings etc. 
• in-person seminars
  • involves discussion of pre-identified readings
• talks by guest speakers
  • guest speakers will be experts from health and disability organisations and/or academics
• online activities
  • related to the lectures
  • to be done in your own time
• field exercise
  • a half-day field visit in Dundee