UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Module Specification
1 The title of the module
The Social Politics of Food (SA519)
2 The School which will be responsible for management of the module
SSPSSR
3 The Start Date of the Module
Module specification revised January 2006
4 The number of students expected to take the module
50-80
5 Modules to be withdrawn on the introduction of this proposed module and consultation with other relevant Schools and Faculties regarding the withdrawal
N/A
6 The level of the module (eg Certificate [C], Intermediate [I], Honours [H] or Postgraduate [M])
Level H (FHEQ Level: 6)
7 The number of credits which the module represents
15 credits (7.5 ECTs)
8 Which term(s) the module is to be taught in (or other teaching pattern)
Autumn
9 Prerequisite and co-requisite modules
None
10 The programmes of study to which the module contributes
The module is available as an option for students on all undergraduate degree programmes in SSPSSR and also as a wild module for students on other programmes in the Social Science Faculty.
11 The intended subject specific learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to programme learning outcomes
The subject specific aims of the unit are to present students with:
· an overview of current work in relation to the sociology of food and to link it to policy related work
· a chance to explore an area of policy making that is not normally included in social policy degrees but that raises the central issues for the subject, enabling them to see how social policy issues extend beyond familiar areas.
The subject specific objectives of the unit are:
· to equip students with an understanding of issues in relation to food and food policy. Students will gain a good grasp of the main theoretical approaches to the study of food and of food policy. This will involve cross disciplinary work drawing on social anthropology, sociology and political studies. They will learn how to contrast and interrelate these different traditions, and place them in the context of social policy theorising.
· to provide students with the capacity to discuss critically policy options in food and food choices
· to provide students with an opportunity to evaluate and criticize research evidence, engaging directly with research materials and monographs using publications by government and by pressure groups to explore how debates concerning the sector are analysed and treated within the policy process
These contribute to the educational aims and subject specific aims of programme specifications for degrees in Social Policy, Health and Social Care, Criminology and Sociology, Sociology.
12 The intended generic learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to programme learning outcomes
· Highly developed skills in presentation and debate, both verbal and written, and in utilization of research and empirical data (in relation to Key Skills 1 Communication and 4 Working with Others)
· The ability to synthesis items of knowledge from different schools and disciplines of enquiry and critically assess policy options (in relation to Key Skills 6 Problem Solving)
· The ability to gather library and web-based resources appropriate for final year degree study; make judgments about their merits and use the available evidence to construct a critical argument to be presented orally or in writing (in relation to Key Skills 1 Communication, 3 Information Technology and 6 Problem Solving)
· The ability to reflect upon one’s own experience in a systematic and analytical way (in relation to Key Skills 5 Improving One’s Own Learning and Performance)
These contribute to the transferable skills aims of programme specifications for degrees in Social Policy, Health and Social Care, Criminology and Sociology, and Sociology.
13 A synopsis of the curriculum
The subjects covered in the unit include:
· Food within households: family, gender and class
· Food and identity
· The politics of food
· Food retailing and planning
· Income and health
· Eating disorders
· The rise of obesity
· The politics of ingestion
· Eating virtue: vegetarianism
14 Indicative Reading List
Bell, David and Valentine, G (1997) Consuming Geographies: We Are What We Eat,
London: Routledge
Bordo, S. (1993) Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture and the Body, Berkeley:
California U. P.
Fine, B. et al (1996) Consumption in the Age of Affluence: the World of Food, London:
Routledge.
Lang, T. and Heasman, M (2004) Food Wars, London: Earthscan
Lupton, D. (1996) Food, the Body and the Self, London: Sage
MacSween, M. (1993) Anorexic Bodies London: Routledge.
Marsden, T et al (2000) Consuming Interests: The Social Provision of Foods, UCL
Mennell, S., Murcott, A. and Van Otterloo, A., (1992) The Sociology of Food and Eating, London: Sage
Warde, A (1997) Consumption, Food and Taste
Wrigley, N and Lowe, M (eds)(1996) Retailing, Consumption and Capital
Wood, Roy C. (1995) The Sociology of the Meal, Edinburgh: Edinburgh U. P.
15 Learning and Teaching Methods, including the nature and number of contact hours and the total study hours which will be expected of students, and how these relate to achievement of the intended learning outcomes
Staff-student contact hours: 11 hours of lectures and 11 hours of workshops
Contact hours: 22
Total study hours: 150
Teaching will be by means of one lecture and one workshop each week. The lecture will provide an overview and review of the topic and direct students to further reading and sources of information. Students will be given material to prepare each week for the seminar discussion. Students are expected to prepare for workshops and to take individual responsibility for making a formal presentation to one seminar during the unit.
Students will acquire skills in essay writing, library research and seminar presentation.
The workshops and lectures will enable them to achieve the module objectives through analysis of food and food policy in an environment where critical commentary is available and by equipping them with an appropriate knowledge base.
16 Assessment methods and how these relate to testing achievement of the intended learning outcomes
The module is assessed by 100% Coursework: students will be required to submit two essays of 2,500 to 3,000 words. The assignments are designed so that students develop their understanding of the theoretical analysis of food and the policy implications of this. The first essay is chosen from a list of topics that follow the subjects covered in the lectures and discussed in the student presentations and seminars. The second essay is chosen from a list of topics that requires students to embark on more in the way of independent reading and research.
One essay delivered halfway through the course allows aspects of learning to be enhanced through feedback on the first marked essay. Assessment by essays is appropriate on this module, as it is necessary for students to be able to find and deploy empirical material from relevant sources. The skills being tested: research, creative and self reflective analysis are not easily tested in a timed examination.
17 Implications for learning resources, including staff, library, IT and space
The module has been running for a number of years and the library holding is good and regularly updated. Professor Julia Twigg will continue to teach this module, an area in which she has some 20 years research experience.
18 As far as can be reasonably anticipated, the curriculum, learning and teaching methods and forms of assessment do not present any non-justifiable disadvantage to students with disabilities
Statement by the Director of Learning and Teaching: "I confirm I have been consulted on the above module proposal and have given advice on the correct procedures and required content of module proposals"
......Director of Learning and Teaching / ......
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Statement by the Head of School: "I confirm that the School has approved the introduction of the module and will be responsible for its resourcing"
......Head of School / ......
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