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.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

History of Food Supply and its role in the Formation of Politics

Food and the State: Twentieth century perspectives

Contemporary Political Economy of Global Food

Food and Agriculture: Supply Systems, Pressure Groups and Government

Food and the Politics of Trade and Aid

Food and the Politics of Identity

Contested Food: The Politics of Diet and Nutrition

Contested Food: The Politics of Farming and the Environment

Contested Food: The Politics of Waste

The Future for Food: New Policies and new approaches to Food, Farming and Nature

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
44	256	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	44	22 x 2 hour seminars
Guided Independent Study	132	Reading: 6 hours/week
Guided Independent Study	44	Following the media: 2 hours/week
Guided independent study	80	Coursework preparation and completion

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

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.