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Program Requirements

There is increasing consensus around the idea that health is not just an expression of individual characteristics but an interaction between the characteristics of the individual and the environments, both physical and social, to which one is exposed over a lifetime of daily living and working. Health outcomes vary dramatically by physical and social characteristics of places both within and between countries and these provide a wedge for our understanding of the factors that might be modified to improve the health of large groups of people. The B.A.; Minor Concentration in Health Geography introduces students to both local and global health issues and provides a skill set in spatial and statistical analyses of diverse health outcomes in populations.

Required Courses (12 credits)

• GEOG 201 Introductory Geo-Information Science (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : An introduction to Geographic Information Systems. The systematic management of spatial data. The use and construction of maps. The use of microcomputers and software for mapping and statistical work. Air photo and topographic map analyses.

  Terms: Fall 2023

  Instructors: Elrick, Tim (Fall)

  • Fall

  • 3 hours and lab

• GEOG 221 Environment and Health (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : This course introduced physical and social environments as factors in human health, with emphasis on the physical properties of the atmospheric environment as they interact with diverse human populations in urban settings.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • 3 hours

  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking NRSC 221.

  • In Fall 2019, GEOG 221 will be taught at Macdonald campus. This course is also offered as NRSC 221. Students enrolled in downtown campus programs register in GEOG 221; students enrolled in Macdonald campus programs register in NRSC 221.

• GEOG 303 Health Geography (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : Discussion of the research questions and methods of health geography. Particular emphasis on health inequalities at multiple geographic scales and the theoretical links between characteristics of places and the health of people.

  Terms: Winter 2024

  Instructors: Riva, Mylene (Winter)

  • Winter

  • Prerequisite: One of the following: ENVR 201; GEOG 201, GEOG 203, GEOG 210, GEOG 216, GEOG 217; or permission of the instructor.

• GEOG 403 Global Health and Environmental Change (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : Major themes and contemporary case studies in global health and environmental change. Focus on understanding global trends in emerging infectious disease from social, biophysical, and geographical perspectives, and critically assessing the health implications of environmental change in different international contexts.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • Fall

  • Prerequisite: GEOG 205 or GEOG 221 or GEOG 321 or GEOG 303 or permission from the instructor

  • Restriction: Course not open to students who were registered for GEOG 303 in Winter 2008.

Complementary Courses (6 credits)

3 credits from:

• ENVR 200 The Global Environment (3 credits)

  Offered by: Bieler School of Environment (School of Environment)

  Administered by: Faculty of Science

  Overview

  Environment : A systems approach to study the different components of the environment involved in global climate change: the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The interactions among these components. Their role in global climate change. The human dimension to global change.

  Terms: Fall 2023, Winter 2024

  Instructors: Ricciardi, Anthony; Fabry, Frédéric (Fall) Lovat, Christie; Bennett, Elena (Winter)

  • Fall

  • Section 001: Downtown Campus

  • Section 051: Macdonald Campus

• ENVR 201 Society, Environment and Sustainability (3 credits)

  Offered by: Bieler School of Environment (School of Environment)

  Administered by: Faculty of Science

  Overview

  Environment : This course deals with how scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional and behavioural factors mediate society-environment interactions. Issues discussed include population and resources; consumption, impacts and institutions; integrating environmental values in societal decision-making; and the challenges associated with, and strategies for, promoting sustainability. Case studies in various sectors and contexts are used.

  Terms: Fall 2023

  Instructors: Manaugh, Kevin; Barrington-Leigh, Chris (Fall)

  • Fall

  • Section 001: Downtown Campus

  • Section 051: Macdonald Campus

• GEOG 203 Environmental Systems (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : An introduction to system-level interactions among climate, hydrology, soils and vegetation at the scale of drainage basins, including the study of the global geographical variability in these land-surface systems. The knowledge acquired is used to study the impact on the environment of various human activities such as deforestation and urbanisation.

  Terms: Fall 2023

  Instructors: Chmura, Gail L; Roulet, Nigel Thomas; von Sperber, Christian (Fall)

  • Fall

  • 3 hours

  • Restriction: Because of quantitative science content of course, not recommended for B.A. and B.Ed. students in their U0 year.

• GEOG 210 Global Places and Peoples (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : Introduction to key themes in human geography. Maps and the making, interpretation and contestation of landscapes, 'place', and territory. Investigation of globalization and the spatial organization of human geo-politics, and urban and rural environments.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • Winter

  • 3 hours

• GEOG 217 Cities in the Modern World (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : An introduction to urban geography. Uses a spatial/geographic perspective to understand cities and their social and cultural processes. Addresses two major areas. The development and social dynamics in North American and European cities. The urban transformations in Asian, African, and Latin American societies that were recently predominantly rural and agrarian.

  Terms: Winter 2024

  Instructors: Forest, Benjamin; Moser, Sarah (Winter)

  • Note: Winter

  • Note: 3 hours

3 credits from:

• GEOG 503 Advanced Topics in Health Geography (3 credits)

  Offered by: Geography (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Geography : A critical review of current themes and trends in health geography, with emphasis on geographical perspectives in public health research. Topics include the social and environmental determinants of chronic and infectious disease, health and health-related behaviours. Seminars focus on critical appraisal of conceptual and methodological approaches in health geography research.

  Terms: Fall 2023

  Instructors: Riva, Mylene (Fall)

  • Fall

  • 3 hours

  • Prerequisite: GEOG 303 or GEOG 403 or permission of instructor

  • Restrictions: Course open to U3 undergraduate students and graduate students in the Department of Geography OR others with permission of instructor. Not open to students who took GEOG 503 in Winter 2009.

• PPHS 501 Population Health and Epidemiology (3 credits) *

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Overview

  PPHS : This course presents concepts and methods of epidemiology at the introductory level. The use of epidemiologic methods for population and public health research and practice will be illustrated. A review of selected population health questions such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the cardiovascular disease epidemic, cigarette smoking, or screening for disease will be presented.

  Terms: Fall 2023

  Instructors: Banerjee, Ananya (Fall)

  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 501.

  • Course not open to students enrolled in Epidemiology or Public Health programs.

• PPHS 511 Fundamentals of Global Health (3 credits) *

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Overview

  PPHS : This exciting and interactive course aims to give students the opportunity to broaden their understanding and knowledge of global health issues, including global burden of diseases, determinants of health, transition in health and drivers of such transition, challenges in healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings, and the variety of agencies and actors engaged in addressing global health challenges. The course consists of lectures, case studies, debates, discussions and small group work.

  Terms: Fall 2023

  Instructors: Pai, Madhukar (Fall)

• PPHS 525 Health Care Systems in Comparative Perspective (3 credits) *+

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Overview

  PPHS : Comparative perspective to illustrate processes involved in the development and evolution of health care systems around the world. Countries examined will represent different welfare state regimes, health care system typologies, levels of development and wealth.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 525. Not open to students who are taking or have taken SOCI 525.

  • Note: This course is cross-listed in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and in Sociology

• PPHS 529 Global Environmental Health and Burden of Disease (3 credits) *

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Overview

  PPHS : This course presents the grand challenges in global health from environmental and occupational risks along with the multi-disciplinary methods used to identify, control, and prevent them. It will introduce students to knowledge and skills in core disciplines of environmental health and approaches to environmental risk recognition, control and prevention in a global context.

  Terms: Fall 2023

  Instructors: Weichenthal, Scott Andrew (Fall)

  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 529.

  • 1. Permission of instructor required for undergraduate students.

  • 2.This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates from all departments.

  • 3. Previous coursework in statistics and environmental science is useful, though not required.

• SOCI 309 Health and Illness (3 credits)

  Offered by: Sociology (Faculty of Arts)

  Overview

  Sociology (Arts) : Health and illness as social rather than purely bio-medical phenomena. Topics include: studies of ill persons, health care occupations and organizations; poverty and health; inequalities in access to and use of health services; recent policies, ideologies, and problems in reform of health services organization.

  Terms: Winter 2024

  Instructors: Quesnel Vallée, Amélie (Winter)

• SOCI 365 Health and Development (3 credits) *

  Offered by: Sociology (Faculty of Arts)

  Overview

  Sociology (Arts) : Main concepts and controversies linking health to broader social and economic conditions in low income countries. Topics include the demographic and epidemiological transitions, the health and wealth conundrum, the social determinants of health, health as an economic development strategy, and the impact of the AIDS pandemic.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • Prerequisite: SOCI 234 or SOCI 254

• SOCI 525 Health Care Systems in Comparative Perspective (3 credits) *+

  Offered by: Sociology (Faculty of Arts)

  Overview

  Sociology (Arts) : Comparative perspective to illustrate processes involved in the development and evolution of health care systems around the world. Countries examined will represent different welfare state regimes, health care system typologies, levels of development and wealth.

  Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

  • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken EPIB 525. Not open to students who are taking or have taken PPHS 525.

  • Note: This course is cross-listed in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and in Sociology.

+ Students can take PPHS 525 OR SOCI 525
* These courses may have additional prerequisites or restrictions.