Space, Place, and Health (PBH 608)
Term: 2025-2026 Academic Year Summer
Description
While related, space and place provide different meanings about and impacts on how we experience and understand health. Per the Oxford Reference, space refers to the "extent of an area, usually expressed in terms of the Earth's surface." The Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseasew Registry (ATSDR), part of the US Centers Disease Control (CDC) notes that "place is a broad and evolving concept, and the places of our lives define, shape, and influence the health determinants we face throughout our lifetimes." This course will explore how to consider space and place both narratively and using mapping technology to assess health. Together we will explore the ways that (perceptions about) spaces and places influence health.