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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies : Veterinary Sciences

Postgraduate Course: Innovation in Sustainable Food Systems (VESC11188)

Course Outline
SchoolRoyal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies CollegeCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeOnline Distance Learning AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryProducing food sustainably requires innovation systems that meet the needs of a range of actors across food systems. This course explores innovation and sustainability in the context of food production
Course description Ensuring food supplies in a sustainable and equitable manner in the face of climate change driven events is one of the key challenges facing societies in the 21st Century. While often posed as a production led innovation challenge, at least as important are the societal contexts, including changing patterns of consumption. This course considers sustainable food systems and food security from a wide range of perspectives, examining farming as a social practice, as commercial food production, as a contribution and challenge to environmental policy and as an integral part of sustainable and healthy consumption. Innovation is examined in both its scientific and social aspects.

Introduction: setting the context
Farmers and Scientists: knowledge exchange
Farmers and environmental impact: scales of change
Farm Livestock and people
Challenges of infectious diseases (plant and animal)
Agricultural Innovation Systems
Biotechnology and Agriculture
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable food production systems
Alternative production systems
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  12
Course Start Flexible
Course Start Date 05/08/2024
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 196 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Formative -
500 word critique of a scientific publication (publication to be linked to summative assessment) - peer and tutor feedback provided.

Summative -
1. Reflective Case Study: 70%
2. Individual Poster (with audio description): 30%
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate critical awareness of the range of social contexts within which food production operates and the challenges of knowledge exchange within food production systems. (SQF 11.1)
  2. Demonstrate extensive, detailed and critical knowledge of different dimensions of sustainable food production systems and the implications for innovation. (SQF 11.3)
  3. Demonstrate ability to identify, conceptualise and offer new and creative insights into innovation in food production systems. (SQF 11.2)
  4. Demonstrate ability to communicate using appropriate style and language for different audiences within a food production system. (SQF 11.4)
  5. Demonstrate ability to take responsibility for their own work. (SQF 11.5)
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Fiona Borthwick
Tel: (0131 6)50 7300
Email: fiona.borthwick@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Stephanie Easton
Tel:
Email: stephanie.easton@ed.ac.uk
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