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GEG-30049 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 17 March 2026

GEG-30049 - Health in context: well-being, place and inequality
Coordinator: Clare Holdsworth Tel: +44 1782 7 33167
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2026/27

Discover how the places around us shape health and well-being and explore why some communities experience better health than others. In this module, you will investigate the benefits of places for well-being and examine the social and environmental inequalities that influence health outcomes. Through interactive lectures, seminars and workshops you will develop skills in theoretical interpretation, creative reflection and health data analysis. You will engage with real-world places of your choice, combining imaginative, reflective approaches with analytical investigation. Assessments will let you actively explore ideas, linking theory with practice. You will connect geography to real-world issues, helping you build transferable skills valuable for careers in public health, planning, environmental management and beyond. Your learning will enable you to understand how place and context shape health, well-being and inequalities, and communicate these relationships in both creative and academic ways.

Aims
1. Explore the complex relationships between place, health, and well-being, considering how geographical contexts shape individual and collective experiences of health.
2. Critically examine theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding well-being, including objective and subjective dimensions.
3. Provide students with opportunities for creative and reflective engagement with concepts of well-being and place through innovative assessment.
4. Investigate the spatial dimensions of health inequalities, focusing on how social, economic and environmental factors contribute to unequal health outcomes.
5. Develop students’ ability to apply geographical perspectives and methods to contemporary debates around health, well-being and inequality.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Critically explain key concepts of health and well-being, including distinctions between objective and subjective measures, and how these relate to place.: 1,2
Reflect creatively on the relationship between place and personal or collective well-being, demonstrating awareness of emotional, social and cultural dimensions of place attachment.: 1
Analyse the spatial distribution of health inequalities, identifying how social, economic and environmental factors intersect to shape these patterns.: 2
Apply geographical frameworks and evidence to interpret how place-based processes contribute to health outcomes.: 2

Study hours

Interactive lecture: 18
Seminar: 8
Workshop: 4
Structured engagement with online resources: 10
Guided independent study: 40
Preparation for assessments: 70

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Project weighted 50%
Creative and reflective examination of well-being and place
Students will produce a creative and reflective project exploring how a chosen place contributes to individual or collective well-being. The work should demonstrate an understanding of key concepts of well-being and engage creatively with the role of place in shaping these experiences. Students may draw on a range of media (e.g., visual, audio, narrative, photographic or mixed-format) accompanied by a reflective commentary (1500 words)

2: Report weighted 50%
Report on Health Inequalities and Place
Students will prepare a report investigating health inequalities within a specific place of their choice from a selection discussed with the module manager. The report should analyse the contribution of social and spatial determinants to observed disparities in health outcomes, drawing on quantitative and/or qualitative evidence as appropriate. Word count: 2000 words.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 17 March 2026