Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM153: Knowledge Exchange in Agriculture, Food and Development

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

To provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively communicate biological and social research about food security to wider audiences, as well as to work in partnership with people across multiple fields of expertise to support the sustainable supply of food across the global economy.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of processes for communicating scientific knowledge effectively, so that it is understandable and useful to stakeholders in the agricultural and food supply sectors (e.g. policy makers and farmers); alongside processes for developing new knowledge in partnership with stakeholders.
2. Demonstrate a detailed understanding of core capabilities in knowledge exchange, including: public communications, facilitation, policy development, private enterprise and intellectual property.
3. Critically evaluate agricultural extension activities as the critical interface between researchers and user communities.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of science and extension policy relevant to the agricultural and food sectors.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the social context of knowledge transfer across the agricultural and food sectors.
Discipline-Specific Skills6. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of multiple modes of knowledge production, and a critical awareness of current debates around communication and knowledge exchange for the development of sustainable agriculture and food systems.
7. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of practical techniques for research & knowledge exchange in contexts of sustainable agriculture and food systems.
8. Demonstrate a conceptual understanding that enables you to evaluate critically the potential value of your research to stakeholders and translate this understanding into practices that facilitate knowledge exchange.
Personal and Key Skills9. Make sense of and make decisions about complex issues both systematically and creatively. communicate your research conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
10. Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level
11. Demonstrate self-direction in advancing your knowledge and understanding and in developing new skills to a high level.

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

 

Core texts (all available in the University library)

 

Chilvers, J. and Kearnes, M. Remaking participation: science, environment and emergent publics. London: Routledge

Leach, M., Scoones, I. and Wynne, B (eds) (2005) Science and citizens: globalization and the challenge of engagement. London: Zed Books

Leeuwis, C. (2013). Communication for rural innovation: rethinking agricultural extension. John Wiley & Sons

Wilkinson, C. and Weitkamp, E (2016) Creative Research Communication: theory and practice.  Manchester University Press.

 

Introductory reading:

 

Fisher, R., 2013. “A gentleman’s handshake’: The role of social capital and trust in transforming information into usable knowledge. Journal of Rural Studies, 31, pp.13–22.

Harcup, T., & O'Neill, D. (2016). What is news? News values revisited (again). Journalism Studies, 1-19.

Irwin, A., 2014. From deficit to democracy (re-visited). Public Understanding of Science, 23(1), pp.71–6.

Lang, T., & Barling, D. (2012). Food security and food sustainability: reformulating the debate. The Geographical Journal, 178(4), 313–326.

Roling N.G. and Wagemakers M.A.E. (2006). Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture: Participatory Learning And Adaptive Management In Times Of Environmental Uncertainty. Cambridge University Press.

Thompson, J. and Millstone, E. (2011) Pathways to sustainable food futures in a dynamic world: http://steps-centre.org/publication/pathways-to-sustainable-food-futures-in-a-dynamic-world-2/

Zhang, W., Cao, G., Li, X., et.al. (2016). Closing yield gaps in China by empowering smallholder farmers. Nature, 537(7622), 671-674