My primary goal as an educator is to train students to ask why human communities are organized the way that they are. If humans make their worlds, this means we also have the power to change them—but in order to do so we must first understand what constitutes the world we currently inhabit and why it is the way it is. I guide students to learn about changing worlds (both like and unlike their own) by nurturing and reflecting critically on their own connections to communities inside and outside the classroom.
Healthy Bodies and the City
This class centers concepts of health and the body to examine the relationship between urban planning and inclusion. It is organized around a paradox: how is it possible for cities to simultaneously be a root cause of ill health for marginalized communities and a source of inspiration and aspiration for design solutions to health problems?
UC San Diego, Spring 2021 (remote)
To request a copy of the syllabus, email me:
mgruszko AT ucsd DOT edu
Dr. Mariel Gruszko 