AGRIBUS 7057 - Trends & Issues in the World Food System
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2015
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code AGRIBUS 7057 Course Trends & Issues in the World Food System Coordinating Unit Centre for Global Food & Resources Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Assessment Assignments, Tests and Oral Presentation Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Professor Randy Stringer
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
Monday 10am - 1pm
Engineering Nth, N132
Lecture Theatre -
Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
1) Enhance your conceptual skills to better analyse how global trends and international policy responses impact food and agriculture.
2) Build on knowledge gained from prior courses, integrating an international perspective into informed decision making.
3) Improve communication capacities, especially writing and presenting, for working more effectively in today’s business environment.
4) Demonstrate practical applications of policy analysis to assess global issues, evaluate options, reach decisions, and present results.
5) Acquire a global perspective on how businesses, governments and NGOs adapt to evolving agricultural and food systems.
6) By the time you finish this course, you should be comfortable writing concise summaries of international developments affecting the agriculture sector and making succinct presentations to decision makers, policy makers, and NGOs.University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1,3,4,5,6 The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 1,2,3,6 An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 4,6 Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 3,6 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 6 A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 5,6 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 1,4 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
Required readings are provided on the course website. There is no required textbook for this course.Recommended Resources
This is a wide-ranging course. The reading list key literaure and epirical studies that support and/or challenge what you hear in the lecture. You are expected to follow up the references to articles or books and read widely agricultural business and agricultural development journals.
For background information on the more industrial countries agricultural sectors visit OECD’s and WTO’s web pages. For developing and emerging economies, visit the World Bank’s and FAO’s web pages.
Australian government, industry bodies and NGOs present an abundant supply of excellent information and analysis on international developments on their web pages.Online Learning
Power-point slides for each lecture are made available on MyUni. So too are all the required readings related to each lecture. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Two teaching methods are used. The first hour or so is a lecture/discussion format covering a specific global topic. Each topic represents a current international policy question, social issue or business strategy.
The second half of class involves seminar/collaborative learning methods. The seminar sessions include group and individual presentations, with interactions, assessments, comments and critical analysis provided by all students. The lectures and seminar sessions guide and inform the group and individual assignments.
The seminars are designed to motivate students to grapple with the same kinds of decisions and dilemmas managers and policymakers confront. Seminars create a classroom to both absorb information, strategies and concepts and to practice the skills of teamwork in the face of real problems.
Learning and teaching for this course includes self-directed learning exercises and tasks. Students are expected to take an independent approach to learning by doing all prescribed readings associated with course material.
I want you to learn, enjoy and succeed in this course. This means I need you to ask questions when confused, to read and prepare for class, to be present and on time and to participate. I expect you to be an active learner. I can guide, motivate and teach, but learning is up to you.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
Contact time consists of 12 lectures and 12 tutorials = 36 hours
First paper = 16 hours
Second paper = 18 hours
Presentations = 26 hours
Background Reading = 60 hours
Total 156 hours
Learning Activities Summary
Schedule 2 March Course Overview: The Global Food System 16 March Forces of Change: Feeding 9 Billion People 27 March Development of Agricultural Markets 30 March Institutional Arrangements and Transaction Costs 27 April Water, Soil and Climate: Managing and Adapting Supermarkets and the Food Retail Revolution 4 May The Greening of Agricultural Food Chains 11 May Small holders and global chains 18 May Health, Diet and Nutrition 25 May Plants, Genes and People: Investing in Agriculture 1 June Certifications and Regulatory Regimes Disclaimer: This program is provisional and subject to change Small Group Discovery Experience
Some tutorial questions encourage students to work in small groups. Opportunities for small groups to work on project reports. -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
First Report 25%
Second Report 30%
Presentations 35%
Individual Participation 10%Assessment Related Requirements
Attendance is required for all tutorials. The seminar sessions include group and individual presentations, with interactions, assessments, comments and critical analysis provided by all students. Willingness to communicate and interact in the classroom is essential.Assessment Detail
Presentation guidelines are announced in class and can be found on MyUni.
General guidelines for the first and second reports.
Students are are required to either analyse an agricultural or food related policy issue or socio-economic trend affecting the agricultural sector in a country, region or global level.
The report is presented using 12 point font and 1.5 line spacing. The maximum word limit is , 2,000.
Marking guidance: (i) style and presentation are 20%; (ii) integrating course-developed skills is 20%; and (iii) content and analysis are 60%.Submission
Assignments must be submitted in:
1. Softcopy through Turnitin on MyUni
The deadlines will be announced in class and MyUni
Your assignment MUST include the GF assignment cover sheet which can be downloaded from MyUni under “Assignments”. Each page must be numbered with your student ID and name.
All assignments must be presented professionally with clear headings, appropriate referencing and using one and a half spacing.
Extensions will only be granted if requests are received in writing to the course coordinator at least 24 hours before the final due date unless they are requested on medical or compassionate grounds and are supported by appropriate documents.
Please contact the course coordinator, preferably by email, at any time to make an appointment for assistance or guidance in relation to course work, assignments or any concerns that may arise. Assignments will normally be returned two weeks after they have been submitted.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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