Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC3125: Politics of Food and Farming

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Aims

The module aims to provide an understanding of how what we eat is influenced by social, cultural and political drivers. The module makes use of a wide range of published papers and reports and benefits from the module convenor’s direct policy engagement and research commissioned by Government. While the primary focus is on 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 detailed knowledge of key issues in the politics of food, agriculture and the environment 2. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the societal responses to the challenges that arise from these issues
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Locate, use and analyse secondary primary data relevant to the specific issue areas 4. Undertake inter-disciplinary social science analysis
Personal and Key Skills	5. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through readings and class discussions 6. Develop the ability to place issues discussed in a wider context and deploy critical arguments 7. Conduct research on a topic and organize findings in written form in a compelling manner

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
Research Paper Proposal	500 words	1-2	Tutorial

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
70	30	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
Research Paper	70	2,500 words	1-7	Written and tutorial feedback
Exam	30	1 hour	1-2, 6	Written

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
Research Paper	Research paper (2,500 words)	1-7	August/September reassessment period
Exam	Exam (1 hour)	1-2, 6	August/September reassessment period