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Contours and Canyons of Health: Learning Health Equity through Body Mapping

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Title: Contours and Canyons of Health: Learning Health Equity through Body Mapping
Language: English
Authors: Yukari Seko (ORCID 0000-0003-3380-5190), Iva Pivalica
Source: Communication Teacher. 2025 39(3):237-247.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Health, Communication Skills, Human Body, Critical Thinking, Story Telling, Health Conditions, Power Structure, Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Student Projects, Mass Media, Ideology
DOI: 10.1080/17404622.2024.2427126
ISSN: 1740-4622
1740-4630
Abstract: Critical health communication (CHC) explores how meanings and enactments of health are linked to power dynamics and systemic inequalities by centering the body in research and practice. When teaching CHC in a postsecondary classroom, it is imperative to provide students with an opportunity to engage in embodied learning to think critically about the taken-for-granted assumptions about health, illness, and disabilities. This semester-long assignment employs body mapping, an arts-informed method of embodied storytelling to help students engage in intimate and affective learning of a health condition of their choice. Students conduct in-depth research about the condition, create a fictional character who lives with the condition, and produce life-size maps of the character using their own body contours. Critical health communication (CHC) explores how meanings and enactments of health are linked to power dynamics and systemic inequalities by centering the body in research and practice. When teaching CHC in a postsecondary classroom, it is imperative to provide students with an opportunity to engage in embodied learning to think critically about the taken-for-granted assumptions about health, illness, and disabilities. This semester-long assignment employs body mapping, an arts-informed method of embodied storytelling to help students engage in intimate and affective learning of a health condition of their choice. Students conduct in-depth research about the condition, create a fictional character who lives with the condition, and produce life-size maps of the character using their own body contours. Courses: This assignment is suitable for upper undergraduate or master's level communication studies courses featuring CHC, health humanities, social determinants of health, and social justice. This assignment is suitable for upper undergraduate or master's level communication studies courses featuring CHC, health humanities, social determinants of health, and social justice. Objectives: Upon successful completion of this semester-long project, students will be able to: demonstrate a clear understanding of how a health condition of their interest is represented, marketed, and promoted through the media; describe sociocultural, ideological, and structural forces that shape media representations of the health condition; ethically and compassionately represent the health condition as a holistic experience through a fictional character they develop; create a life-size body map of the fictional character that embodies the health condition; and critically reflect on their semester-long learning and articulate strategies for improvement. Upon successful completion of this semester-long project, students will be able to: demonstrate a clear understanding of how a health condition of their interest is represented, marketed, and promoted through the media; describe sociocultural, ideological, and structural forces that shape media representations of the health condition; ethically and compassionately represent the health condition as a holistic experience through a fictional character they develop; create a life-size body map of the fictional character that embodies the health condition; and critically reflect on their semester-long learning and articulate strategies for improvement.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1476047
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Contours and Canyons of Health: Learning Health Equity through Body Mapping
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yukari+Seko%22">Yukari Seko</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3380-5190">0000-0003-3380-5190</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Iva+Pivalica%22">Iva Pivalica</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Communication+Teacher%22"><i>Communication Teacher</i></searchLink>. 2025 39(3):237-247.
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Descriptive
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1080/17404622.2024.2427126
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  Data: 1740-4622<br />1740-4630
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  Data: Critical health communication (CHC) explores how meanings and enactments of health are linked to power dynamics and systemic inequalities by centering the body in research and practice. When teaching CHC in a postsecondary classroom, it is imperative to provide students with an opportunity to engage in embodied learning to think critically about the taken-for-granted assumptions about health, illness, and disabilities. This semester-long assignment employs body mapping, an arts-informed method of embodied storytelling to help students engage in intimate and affective learning of a health condition of their choice. Students conduct in-depth research about the condition, create a fictional character who lives with the condition, and produce life-size maps of the character using their own body contours. Critical health communication (CHC) explores how meanings and enactments of health are linked to power dynamics and systemic inequalities by centering the body in research and practice. When teaching CHC in a postsecondary classroom, it is imperative to provide students with an opportunity to engage in embodied learning to think critically about the taken-for-granted assumptions about health, illness, and disabilities. This semester-long assignment employs body mapping, an arts-informed method of embodied storytelling to help students engage in intimate and affective learning of a health condition of their choice. Students conduct in-depth research about the condition, create a fictional character who lives with the condition, and produce life-size maps of the character using their own body contours. Courses: This assignment is suitable for upper undergraduate or master's level communication studies courses featuring CHC, health humanities, social determinants of health, and social justice. This assignment is suitable for upper undergraduate or master's level communication studies courses featuring CHC, health humanities, social determinants of health, and social justice. Objectives: Upon successful completion of this semester-long project, students will be able to: demonstrate a clear understanding of how a health condition of their interest is represented, marketed, and promoted through the media; describe sociocultural, ideological, and structural forces that shape media representations of the health condition; ethically and compassionately represent the health condition as a holistic experience through a fictional character they develop; create a life-size body map of the fictional character that embodies the health condition; and critically reflect on their semester-long learning and articulate strategies for improvement. Upon successful completion of this semester-long project, students will be able to: demonstrate a clear understanding of how a health condition of their interest is represented, marketed, and promoted through the media; describe sociocultural, ideological, and structural forces that shape media representations of the health condition; ethically and compassionately represent the health condition as a holistic experience through a fictional character they develop; create a life-size body map of the fictional character that embodies the health condition; and critically reflect on their semester-long learning and articulate strategies for improvement.
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/17404622.2024.2427126
    Languages:
      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 11
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      – TitleFull: Contours and Canyons of Health: Learning Health Equity through Body Mapping
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