Module SOCM045 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
SOCM045: Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Introduction: Food, Agriculture, Climate, Biodiversity, Nutrition and Health: Threats, Mitigation and Opportunities
Land, Soil and Productivity
Chemical Inputs and Biodiversity
Biotechnology: Promise and Peril
Antibiotics and Anti-Microbial Resistance
Water
The Global Fisheries Crisis
Food Waste
Regenerative Agriculture and Circular Economies
Meat: from Concentrated Feed Lots, to Pasture, to Veganism
Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Food and Farming
Food Livelihoods, Wellbeing and Sustainable Communities
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 278 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 22 | 11 x 2-hour weekly seminar |
| Guided independent study | 50 | 10 x 5-hours weekly reading for seminar preparation |
| Guided independent study | 20 | 10 x 2-hours weekly preparation of reading response papers |
| Guided independent study | 208 | Research and writing of extended essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
The Biggest Little Farm, FarmLore Films
The End of the Line, Dartmouth Films
Kiss the Ground, Big Picture Ranch
Gill (2020) It’s Not the Cow, It’s the How, Ted Talk
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly reading response papers | 2 weekly reading response papers totalling 350 words | 1-6 | Written feedback after week 2 |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio of weekly reading response papers | 33 | Portfolio of 8 weekly reading response papers totalling 1400 words | 1-6 | Mark with written feedback on portfolio |
| Essay | 67 | 5000-word essay on a relevant topic of students choice, approved by convener | 1-6 | Mark with written feedback |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio of weekly reading response papers | Portfolio of weekly reading response papers | 1-6 | August/September |
| Essay | Essay | 1-6 | August/September |
