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SX3505: WORLDS OF FOOD: BIOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, CULTURAL (2021-2022)

Last modified: 31 May 2022 13:05


Course Overview

Food sustains us, but contributes to climate change. There’s enough for everyone, yet many go hungry. It’s a vital cultural signifier, but its connections get overlooked. This course provides a multi-disciplinary exploration of food through regular small-group tutorials, self-directed learning, and lectures by staff from across the University. Topics covered vary according to staff availability, but typically include: the political economy of the food system; agriculture and climate change; food (in)security; food and the body; the right to food; the social construction of food choice; food and sustainability. Anyone studying at programme levels 3-5 is welcome on this course.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Term Second Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Sylvia Helga Vetter

Qualification Prerequisites

  • One of Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Worlds of Food provides a multi-disciplinary exploration of food through regular small-group tutorials, self-directed learning, and lectures by staff from across the University. No prior knowledge is assumed. The course draws on research in social science, biological science, philosophy, economics, history and nutritional science. It is structured broadly around the concept of food security (comprising production, availability and access), one of the key policy and resource issues facing the world.
The topics covered vary according to staff availability, but typically include:
- Food production, the environment and climate change
- Food and globalization in historical perspective
- Food governance and economics
- Food rights and ethics
- Food consumption and human health
- Influences on food choice
- Towards sustainable food futures
Worlds of Food has three intended learning outcomes, which are linked to tasks that count towards your overall grade for the course. Those three summatively assessed tasks are: an essay on a topic of your choice (subject to approval), worth 60% of your overall course grade; an analytical report based on the modelling of greenhouse gas emissions from farming, worth 20% of your overall course grade; and your contributions across the tutorial classes, worth 20% of your overall course grade.
The intended learning outcomes and assessments are set out in more detail below. By passing this course you will have demonstrated the ability to:
1. Write an academic essay that develops a topic of your devising which is relevant to the course and based primarily on peer-reviewed literature. Your choice of topic and literature will be guided by your tutor. You will demonstrate critical ability by evaluating and contrasting evidence and debates in the peer-reviewed literature with a view to constructing a persuasive and potentially original discussion.
2. Understand greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and some of the trade-offs involved when seeking to reduce them. You will gain supervised and independent experience of using environmental modelling software designed for use by non-specialists, and work through an exercise based on staff research interests. You will be encouraged to place the outputs you get from the environmental modelling software into their wider scientific and social contexts using the peer-reviewed literature; a starter list of references will be provided.
3. Participate actively and creatively in small-group discussions of topics relevant to the course, such as: food security; food trade; the right to food; and food choice. You will be encouraged to: listen actively to others; work in small teams to produce and present verbal summaries of materials specified by your tutor; and ‘think on your feet’ in asking relevant and penetrating questions and presenting cogent and persuasive defences of your own interpretations.

Taking Worlds of Food will help you to develop your graduate attributes. It targets, in particular:
• Breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills beyond your chosen discipline(s)
(Academic Excellence domain);
• Capacity for problem identification, the collection of evidence, synthesis and dispassionate analysis
(Critical Thinking & Effective Communication domain);
• Capacity for attentive exchange, informed argument and reasoning
(Critical Thinking & Effective Communication domain);
• Awareness of your personal strengths and weaknesses
(Learning & Personal Development domain);
• Awareness and appreciation of ethical and moral issues
(Active Citizenship domain).


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 60
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Students will received helpful feedback on assignments, with written comments on standardised feedback sheets. Verbal feedback will be provided as appropriate on students' performance in tutorial discussions and their presentation.

Word Count 3000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Tutorial/Seminar Participation

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 20
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Verbal formative feedback will be provided where requested during the course.

Written summative feedback will be provided after the end of the course.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 20
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Verbal formative feedback will be provided where requested during the tutorials that precede the submission of the assignment.

Written summative feedback will be provided for the submitted assignment.

Word Count 1000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Resubmission of failed elements

Assessment Type Summative Weighting
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
FactualRememberILO’s for this course are available in the course guide.

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