MODULE TITLE
MODULE CODE
CREDIT VALUE 15
Dan Bebber (Biosciences)
Henry Buller (Geography)
Martin Jones (SHS)
Natalia Lawrence (Psychology)
Number Students
Taking Module
70
(anticipated)
Grand Challenges: Food for Thought
MODULE CONVENER
GRC1104 / GRC2104
TERM
1
2
3
DURATION
WEEKS
Yr 1, 2 weeks
Yr 2, 11 weeks
DESCRIPTION – summary of the module content
Grand Challenges modules provide you with an opportunity to tackle some of the world's greatest contemporary
issues in a week of interdisciplinary research in the Summer Term of your first year, culminating in a showcase of
your ideas. You will have the chance not only to work with industry heavyweights and local businesses as well as
some of our top academics and external specialists, but also with other students from across the University. The
module will help provide you with both practical and academic skills to take forward into your degree and future
career.
Food is so many things. It is a biological and nutritional necessity for any living plant or animal. Acquiring food is one
of the key drivers of social organisation while, for humans, defining what is edible and what is not, has underscored
both our ethical systems and our sense of human exceptionalism. Food production is a major economic sector, a
central component of the global liberal trade regime. Yet food is also personal, an issue of self, of identity, of
sociability, of taste and of engagement. Recent years have seen a growing politicisation of food, from the
environmental impact of both production and consumption to the ethics of trade, of killing, of excessive consumption
and of distributional inequalities. The expanding human population is putting considerable pressure on the
production of food leading to new agendas of food security, climate impact, sustainable intensification and resource
use while concern for the types of food being produced (industrial crops, animal feed, GMO crops, intensive animal
production systems) raise broader questions of the future direction of food production. The food sector is also one of
considerable innovation, in new biotechnologies, in genetic and genomic engineering, in biosecurity, in the
development of new foods and food substitutes, in pest, disease and weather resistance and so on. Finally, food is
ever more culturally relevant; the phenomenon of celebrity chefs, cooking programmes, including the Great British
Bake Off, growing concern for the impact of eating disorders, particularly amongst young people, the progressive
use of food in health training and maintenance. Food is, in short one of the world’s great contemporary issues. This
interdisciplinary module, drawing on geography, psychology, biosciences and sport and health sciences, will allow
you to explore in depth a series of key debates with respect to food leading to the development of progressive ideas
and practical projects for addressing these issues.
A useful tool for understanding and quantifying the impacts that food consumption has on society and the
environment is through ‘footprinting’. We are nowadays familiar with the idea of a ‘carbon footprint’ that describes
the greenhouse gas emissions of a process such as building a car or running a home. Extending this idea, there are
also ‘water footprints’ that describe the water required, for example, to make a cotton t-shirt, from the irrigation of the
crop to the dye used in the garment. Recently, the total food footprint, or ‘foodprint’ of the City of Oxford was
estimated, showing that feeding Oxford’s population of 150,000 requires 53,000 hectares of land, 398 million tonnes
of water per year, and releases 380,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Currently less than 1 % of Oxford’s food
comes from local sources, but the report showed that shifts in consumption and farming would allow Oxfordshire to
become self sufficient in food, with huge reductions in land, water and energy use. In this module, you will review
the Oxford Foodprinting report, and prepare a Foodprint for Exeter.
The module is comprised of two parts. Part 1 is the ‘Grand Challenges’ week. During this week, you will explore and
discuss a number of key debates around issues of food security, sustainable food production, food and health,
global food trade, eating patterns and behaviours and food related inequality. You will attend lectures given by
experts in the field, you will evaluate different forms of media presentation of key food issues, you will be provided
with a series of key scientific and other papers through ELE for reading and discussion. In parallel, you will become
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Module Descriptor Template Revised October 2011
familiar with the process of ‘footprinting’ as a methodology for assessing the impact of communities on food supply
chains and the resources needed to sustain them. You will work in groups to evaluate the footprinting approach and
its relevance to the key issues and debates, such as biodiversity, health, sustainability and food security, associated
with food production and consumption. Each group will prepare a presentation based on their work, which will be
culmination of the Grand Challenges Week.
Part 2 will take place in the form of a credited module in term 1 of your second year. You must have undertaken the
Grand Challenges Week before taking the module. The goal is to undertake a Foodprint of the City of Exeter
including an assessment of how future changes to eating practice and consumption behaviour may impact upon
such a Footprint. You will be provided with information and data sources to quantify the impacts of food
consumption, and the Enquiry Groups will tackle the different facets of the foodprint. The Enquiry Groups will be
interdisciplinary and draw in students from all of the four CLES disciplines as well as from other Colleges and
disciplines in the University. The four individual CLES disciplines will each coordinate one or more Enquiry Groups
but the themes and methods will range across all four disciplines. The Enquiry Groups will each take a distinct
theme. These will range across research questions concerning food supply chains, environmental impacts of food
production and processing, consumer choice and behaviour, health and welfare drivers and distributional
inequalities.
Working in these groups, you will collectively prepare a report for the City of Exeter and produce assessed group
reports that will each form a section of the final report. You will present to the other Enquiry Groups, and together
consider how changes to food production and consumption in Exeter and the surrounding countryside could affect
the various dimensions of the foodprint, finding trade-offs and co-benefits of different actions. These discussions will
form the Synthesis and Recommendations of the final report. The Foodprint for Exeter could become an important
policy document to help us understand how our food choices affect society and the environment, and how we could
change our diet choices for the better.
MODULE AIMS – intentions of the module
In this module, we aim to provide you with a research-inspired, innovative, multi-disciplinary, enquiry-led learning
experience and encourage you to improve your employability and academic skills whilst tackling one of the world's
greatest contemporary issues. The module is student-led, enabling you to work with fellow students to shape your
own educational experience. The module aims to allow you to use and develop your skills and knowledge to make a
real difference in a challenging, fun and engaging environment, whilst working and networking with employers,
alumni, honorary graduates, local businesses and the local community. The aims of the module are to develop an
interdisciplinary understanding of a number of key issues with respect to food in contemporary society, to determine
and assess the arguments surrounding these issues and to explore and develop research-led and practical ways of
approaching these issues in ‘real world’ contexts.
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILOs) (see assessment section below for how ILOs will be assessed)
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:
1
Identify important problems and challenges facing our world today from an interdisciplinary perspective
2
Propose and critically evaluate potential solutions to problems
3
Complete group projects successfully, including collection of information and presentation via a chosen method
Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:
4
Describe the principal distributional, environmental, social, health and ethical issues in contemporary debates
around food
5
Assess the environmental impact and footprint of food consumption patterns
6
Describe the main theoretical bases, research methods, and empirical findings in research related to
changing eating behaviour
Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and Knowledge:
7
Communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively and fluently using a variety of formats in a manner
appropriate to the intended audience
8
Collect and interpret appropriate information and complete research-like tasks, drawing on a range of
sources, with limited guidance
9
Undertake independent/self-directed study/learning (including time management) to achieve consistent,
proficient and sustained attainment
10
Reflect effectively on learning experiences and summarise personal achievements, including recognising and
articulating employability skills gained during this module
11
Work in a small team and deal proficiently with the issues that teamwork requires (i.e. communication,
motivation, decision-making, awareness, responsibility, and management skills, including setting and working
2
Module Descriptor Template Revised October 2011
to deadlines)
SYLLABUS PLAN – summary of the structure and academic content of the module
1. Grand Challenges Week (6-10 June 2016) Year 1 and Year 2 students
Day 1: Introductory Lectures from discipline leads on Key themes
Days 2-5: Enquiry Groups facilitated by staff and PGR students, Guest Lectures, Film Screenings,
Discussion and Debate led by staff and PGR students, Guided project work on ‘Foodprinting’, led by PGR
students
Day 5: Presentations
2. Grand Challenges Module (Term 1, 2016/17) Year 2 or 3 students only

Introductory workshop at the start of the second year, giving an overview of how the module will work,
and explaining the assessment criteria

1 hour meeting between each group and the module convenor near the start of the term, so that each
group can agree with the module convenor on the output they will produce.

A minimum of three 1 hour meetings with a supervisor for each group – spread throughout the term.
This is to check that the groups are on track, and offer any extra support if needed.

A minimum of three voluntary 1 hour meetings with PGR students taking place in alternate weeks to the
supervisor meetings.

Interim workshop presentation of group work to entire module and staff.

Workshop at the end of the term for you to deliver your group presentations.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and 46
Guided independent
104
Placement/study abroad
Teaching activities
study
0
DETAILS OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS
Category
Hours of study time
Description
Scheduled learning and teaching
5
Before Grand Challenges Week – preparation
including meetings, lectures and training sessions
Scheduled learning and teaching
25
Grand Challenges Week – June of Year 1 lectures, debates, and guided facilitation led by
experts, staff and PGR facilitators and
complemented by key texts and references.
Course leaders will organise and oversee group
projects.
Scheduled learning and teaching
16
Second year – introductory workshop, meeting
with convenors, and meetings with group
academic leads
Guided independent study
15
Before Grand Challenges Week – preparatory
reading, research and reflection
Guided independent study
3
Second year – voluntary meetings with PGR
students
Guided independent study
86
Second year – additional reading, research and
preparation of group output and presentation
3
Module Descriptor Template Revised October 2011
ASSESSMENT
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT - for feedback and development purposes; does not count towards module grade
Form of Assessment
Size of the assessment e.g. ILOs assessed
Feedback method
duration/length
Participation in daily group tasks and
Ongoing throughout Grand
All
Oral, group and
discussion during Grand Challenges
Challenges Week
individual
Week
Continuous contribution during the
Ongoing throughout the
All
Oral and/or written,
Autumn Term
Autumn Term
group and individual
Group presentation at the end of
10-20 minutes
All
Oral, group and
Grand Challenges Week
individual
Interim workshop presentation
10-20 minutes
All
Oral to the group
Group presentation at the end of term
10-20 minutes
All
Oral to the group
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (% of credit)
Coursework
100
Written exams
0
Practical exams
0
DETAILS OF SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Form of Assessment
% of
Size of the assessment e.g. ILOs assessed
Feedback method
credit
duration/length
Each Group production of
75
2000 words
All
TBC
one section of overall
project report (10% of the
mark will be awarded
through peer assessment
of each individual group
member’s participation in
the work)
Assembling of overall multi- 5
Dependent upon number of All
TBC
group project report with
groups
introduction and
conclusions
Individual reflective essay
20
1000 words
1-10
TBC
DETAILS OF RE-ASSESSMENT (where required by referral or deferral)
Original form of assessment
Form of re-assessment
ILOs re-assessed
Time scale for re-assessment
Group production of
Essay (2500 words)
1-10
August ref/def period
individual section of overall
project report
Reflective essay
Essay (2500 words)
1-10
August ref/def period
RE-ASSESSMENT NOTES
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you
will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a reassessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first
attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be
required to submit a 2500 word essay. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for
100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.
RESOURCES
INDICATIVE LEARNING RESOURCES - The following list is offered as an indication of the type and level of
information that you are expected to consult. Further guidance will be provided by the Module Convener.
Atkins, P. and Bowler I (2001) Food in Society. Arnold, London
Bell, D. and Valentine, G. (1997) Consuming geographies: we are where we eat. London, Routledge
Counihan, C. and van Esterik. P. (2007) Food and culture: a reader (second edition). London, Routledge
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Module Descriptor Template Revised October 2011
Garnett, T. 2013. Food sustainability: problems, perspectives and solutions. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 72: 29–39.
Guptil, A.E. et al (2013) Food and Society: Principles and Paradoxes. Polity Press, Cambridge
Lang, T., Barling, D. & Caraher, M. 2009. Food Policy Integrating health, environment and society. Oxford University Press
Lang, T. & Heasman, M. 2004. Food wars: the global battle for mouths, minds and markets. Earthscan, London.
Miller, J. (2009) Food Studies: An Introduction to Research Methods, London, Bloomsbury
Godfray, C. (2013) Food printing Oxford: How to feed a City
(http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/view/1004)
CREDIT VALUE
PRE-REQUISITE MODULES
CO-REQUISITE MODULES
NQF LEVEL (FHEQ)
ORIGIN DATE
KEY WORDS SEARCH
ECTS VALUE
15
7.5
None
None
AVAILABLE AS DISTANCE LEARNING
5
No
LAST REVISION DATE
16/07/2015
13/11/2015
Grand Challenges, Food, food security, eating, health, food technology, food
printing
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Module Descriptor Template Revised October 2011