Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3221: The Politics of Food, Farming and Nature

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

The module aims to provide you with an understanding of how what we eat is both influenced by policy and politics and in turn influences a wider politics of the environment. The module makes use of a wide range of published papers and reports and benefits from the course leader’s direct policy engagement and research commissioned by Government. While the focus is on the policy and politics of the United Kingdom, many of the issues relate to global trends and pressures.

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 Skills	1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of key issues in the politics of food, agriculture and the environment. 2. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the policy responses to the challenges that arise from these issues.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Locate, use and analyze secondary primary data relevant to the specific issue areas. 4. Place issues discussed in a wider context and deploy critical arguments.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through readings, class discussions and presentations. 6. Enhance your capacity to undertake inter-disciplinary and political analysis.

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
Essay plan	Max. of 500 words	1-4	Either oral or in writing

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
Essay 1	40	3000 words	1-3	Written
Essay 2	40	3000 words	1-6	Written
Review Article	20	1500 words	4-6	Written
	0
	0
	0

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
Essay 1	Essay 1 (3000 words)	1-3	August/September reassessment period
Essay 2	Essay 2 (3000 words)	1-6	August/September reassessment period
Review Article	Review article (1500 words)	4-6	August/September reassessment period

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.

Indicative Reading:

Carolan, M (2012) The Sociology of Food and Agriculture, London: Routledge.

Clapp, J. (2011) Food, Polity Press.

McKeon, N. (2015) Food Security Governance, Routledge.

Nestle, M. (2013) Food Politics, University of California Press.

Rayner, G. and Lang, T. (2012) Ecological Public Health: Reshaping the conditions for good health, London: Earthscan.