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Overview

Course Prescription

Explores the global food system with a focus on sustainability, health, sovereignty, culture, science and technology, particularly within Aotearoa, New Zealand. Students will work in teams to analyse future trends and propose innovative solutions, using a transdisciplinary approach to envision and design sustainable food systems and practices that respect diverse cultural perspectives.

Course Overview

Are you curious about the world of food and its impact on who we are? Our course offers a unique opportunity to dive deep into the central role food plays in shaping our health, environment, cultural identity, and overall wellbeing. Food isn’t just about what we eat—it's a central part of who we are, and society’s relationship with food is complex and ever-changing. This course is designed to help you develop the skills and perspectives needed to understand and positively influence this relationship.

We take a transdisciplinary approach, meaning we go beyond just one field of study. You’ll explore food from various angles—combining insights from business, design, population health, nutrition, the humanities, food process engineering, food science, and environmental science. Our approach merges rigorous academic knowledge with real-world relevance, involving both academic and community perspectives.

As a student in this course, you'll have the chance to:

• Collaborate with peers from different disciplines to tackle real-world challenges.

• Engage with diverse community perspectives to create meaningful, future-focused solutions.

• Gain a well-rounded understanding that goes beyond traditional classroom learning.

We invite students from all backgrounds and fields of study to join us on this exciting journey. Whether you're passionate about health, the environment, business, or culture, there’s a place for you in our community.

The course is approved for General Education for all undergraduate programmes.

Main Programme

Key Topics

  1. Food Sustainability: Integrate scholarship and research on food sustainability, emphasizing the impact of policies on sustainable choices and public health. Examine how these choices influence both individual and community well-being.
  2. Nutrition & Public Health: Delve into nutrition research, public health, and systems principles. Use your knowledge to visualize a future of healthy, accessible, sustainable food for all.
  3. Scientific and Technological Innovation: Gain insights from food science and engineering research to understand food processing, safety, and preservation techniques that ensure quality and longevity. We will investigate technological advancements and systems thinking in food processing, showcasing innovative solutions to food security challenges.
  4. Design for Food Systems Change: Discover the transformative power of design in fostering creative and sustainable innovations at the intersection of social, technological, and ecological systems. Engage with research from the fields of Design and Development to explore food design as a catalyst for change.
  5. Food Information Systems: Examine the role of blockchain technology in ensuring food sovereignty and preserving integrity along the supply chain. We will discuss the critical applications of technology in enhancing food systems.
  6. Consumer Communication on Food Choices: Explore research on anti-consumption and its relevance to food choices among consumers. We will discuss how communication strategies can influence consumer behaviour towards food.
  7. Food Sovereignty and Global Contexts: Investigate how international geopolitical factors and trade dynamics affect food sovereignty. We will discuss the intertwining of cultural identity and food sovereignty in shaping food systems.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in. 

For this course, you can expect 12 hours of lectures (plenary sessions), 22 hours of studios (11 x 2 hour studios), 44 hours of reading, viewing videos and other creative works and thinking about the content and 70 hours of work on assignments (individual and group) and/or test preparation.

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Each week the course involves one 1 h plenary class (very much like a lecture) and one 2 h studio (like a tutorial).   

The weekly 1 h plenary sessions will be available as recordings and attendance is optional but encouraged.  The plenary sessions will involve interactive components which will not be captured by recordings.  

The weekly 2 h studio session involves small group work and associated practical tasks and skill development linked to assessment and learning outcomes. Attendance at studio sessions is compulsory as these contain activities, teamwork and marks that contribute towards learning outcomes and assessment. 

At the end of the course you will engage in a course symposium to showcase your work and ideas to diverse audiences inside and outside the University. You will learn more about this in the early weeks of the course. 

Course material will be available where possible on the course’s Canvas site.

Staff office hours will be available either in-person or via Zoom

There is no final exam – the course is 100% internally assessed.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).There is NO set textbook for this course. Readings will be provided via Talis and other resources are available on Canvas.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.


You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5
6

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Special Requirements

Engagement in studios is compulsory to pass this course.

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type123456

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

Formative feedback will be conducted at mid semester and at the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through the University’s course evaluation. 

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Additional Information on Tuākana

Tuākana Science is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/study-with-us/pacific-in-our-faculty.htmlhttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/study-with-us/maori-in-our-faculty.html

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.