Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ANT2042: Gardening, Wellbeing and Community

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

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 themes with scope for individual students to focus on elements of their choice:

  • How to record information than could affect growing food successfully, such as soil testing and using exiting vegetation as a proxy for the land’s status
  • How to design a food production area
  • How to build up organic matter in soil, including traditional composting, no-dig, and permaculture methods
  • How to grow food using various methods, from raised beds to forest gardens
  • How to obtain food, from foraging, perennial and annual food resources, to typical garden flowers
  • How to plant particular crops, from annuals to perennials (including trees)
  • How to care for particular crops and prune perennials (particularly trees)
  • How to manage a productive area
  • How to develop a harvest plan
  • How to manage bee hives

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
75750

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities6030 x 2-hour sessions of supervised practical work in the garden
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities15Fieldtrips
Guided independent study30Reading
Guided independent study45Preparation of gardening journal and project presentation

Online Resources

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

Other Learning Resources

Incredible Edible Movement  http://incredibleediblenetwork.org.uk/

Grow it Yourself  https://giy.ie/

The Orchard Project:  www.theorchardproject.org.uk

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Weekly gardening journal250 words1-6Written

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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Gardening journal702,500 words1-6Written
Presentation3010 minutes1-6Written
0
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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Gardening journalGardening journal (2,500 words)1-6August/September reassessment period
Presentation1,000 word write up of presentation submitted to convenor1-6August/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.

Atieri, Miguel (2017) Agroecology in Action website which is a very useful resource including links section (accessed 14.06.2017). Also includes a link to pdf by the Scientific Society of Agroecology Agroecology: Key concepts, Principles and Practices (accessed 14.06.2017).

Crawford, M. (2010) Creating a forest garden: working with nature to grow edible crops. Green Books, Dartington.

Diacono, M. (2015) The new kitchen garden: how to grow some of what you eat no matter where you live.

Fukuoka, M. (1992) One straw revolution, 14th edn. Other India Press, India.

Hart, R. (1993) The forest garden, 3rd edn. The Institute of Social Innovations, London.

Hart, R.A.d.J. (2001) Forest gardening: Rediscovering nature and community in a post-industrial age, 3rd edn. Green Earth Books, Dartington.

Hathaway, M. (2015) Agroecology and permaculture: addressing key ecological problems by rethinking and redesigning agricultural systems. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 6, 239-250.

Kloppenburg, J. R. (2005).  First the seed: The political economy of plant biotechnology. University of Wisconsin Press.

Mollison, B. & Holmgren, D. (1978) Permaculture one: a perennial agriculture for human settlements. Trasworld Publishers.

Russell Smith, J. (1929) Tree Crops A Permanent Agriculture. Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York.

Wong, J. (2012) James Wong's homegrown revolution: grow your own amazing edibles from saffron to sweet potatoes in any back garden. Weidenfield and Nicolson.