Course Syllabus
Sustainable Food: Production and Consumption C |
| Semester & Location: |
Spring 2025 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Core Course - 3 credits |
| Study Tours: |
Amsterdam & Rotterdam - Netherlands |
| Major Disciplines: |
Environmental Studies, Public Policy and Sustainability |
| Prerequisite(s): |
None |
| Faculty Members: |
Ed Romein - contact via Canvas inbox |
| Time & Place: |
Mondays and Thursdays 8.30-9.50 AM | Room: V10-A43 |
Course Description
It's possibly the greatest challenge of our time: to feed an ever growing population without further destroying the planet. And we need to do so under the growing pressure of climate change, scarce resources and hardly any room for error, while at the same time our efforts are held up to increasing scrutiny on their social, economic and environmental impact. This course seeks to shed light on this predicament by seeing what lessons can be learned from the past but even more so by exploring the possibilities of alternative ways of food production and consumption. Solutions that recognize and address the environmental and social impacts of food and which seek to reshape our connection to food. Critical questions include: What is the true cost of food? How can we achieve more sustainable diets while producing less waste? Does food activism make a difference? What do pioneering restaurants and food entrepreneurs teach us? How do cities help shape more sustainable food practices?
Learning Objectives
This course aims to:
- increase food literacy through understanding the social, economic and environmental impact of food production and consumption choices.
- develop critical thinking skills through analysis and evaluation of sustainable food practices.
- increase the capacity to take an active role in dealing with the challenges of our time through envisioning opportunities and challenging values.
At the end of the course the student is able to:
- Identify and formulate the global challenges of sustainable food production and consumption.
- Define sustainable food production and consumption from multiple perspectives.
- Differentiate and compare types of sustainable food initiatives through their origins, advantages and disadvantages.
- Critically evaluating evidence that supports or contradicts common and competing claims and beliefs about food systems.
- Point out the possibilities of alternative food production and consumption approaches.
- List food strategies and diets that contribute to a more sustainable food system.
Faculty
Ed Romein, M.Sc. Economics (Erasmus University Rotterdam, 1999); M.A. Art History (Leiden University, 2000); M.A. Philosophy (Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2003). PhD candidate (Philosophy, Erasmus University Rotterdam). Consultant, researcher and educator since 2001. Lecturer at Netherlands School of Public Administration (2001-2007), Copenhagen Business School (2015-2021), Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen (2015-2021), University College Freiburg (2021), MAD Academy (since 2021). With DIS since 2014.
Readings
There is no textbook for this course. The readings will be made available on the Canvas page of the course.
- Barber, Dan (2014). The Third Plate. Field notes on the Future of Food. New York: Penguin Press, 2014.
- Hauter, Wenonah (2012). Foodopoly. The Battle over the future of food and farming in America. New York & London: The New Press, 2012.
- Foley, Jonathan A. et.al. 'Solution for a cultivated planet.' In Nature Vol 478 (October 20, 2011), pp. 337- 342.
- Halloran, A. et.al. (eds.)., (2018). Edible Insects in Sustainable Food Systems. Springer International Publishing, Cham.
- Lang, T., Barling, D. and Caraher, M. (2009). Food Policy: integrating health, environment and society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Lappe, Anna (2010). Diet For A Hot Planet, The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It. Bloomsbury, 2010.
- Mason, P.M. and Lang, T.M. (2017). Sustainable Diets: How ecological nutrition can transform consumption and the food system. Abingdon: Routledge Earthscan.
- Mouritsen, Ole G. (2013). Seaweeds: Edible, Available and Sustainable. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 2013.
- Poore & Nemecek (2018) - 'Reducing food's environmental impact through producers and consumers.' In Science 360, pp.987-992 (2018).
- Sage, Colin. (2015). “Food and sustainable development: How should we feed the world?” In: Routledge International Handbook of Sustainable Development. 264-277.
- Shiva, Vandana (2016). Who Really Feeds the World? The Failures of Agribusiness and the Promise of Agroecology. Berkely: North Atlantic Books, 2016.
Guest Lecturers
TBA
Study tours
Core Course Week and study tours are an integral part of the course as we take the classroom on the road and see how theory presented in the classroom translates to practice in the field. For this course you will travel with your classmates and DIS faculty/staff on two occasions, a short study tour in Denmark during Core Course Week and a long study tour to the Netherlands.
On previous tours we visited organic and bio-dynamic farmers and artisan producers, collect wild food in the forest and foraged on the beach for our meal, had cooking workshops and visited state of the art food production facilities.
Core Course Week
Destination: Denmark
Dates: Core course week | February 3th - 8th
Long Study Tour
Destination: Netherlands
Dates: Long Study Tour | March 2nd - 7th
Expectations for study tours
In general, the expectations for the study tour is that you:
- Actively participate in all activities
- Engage in discussions, ask questions, and contribute to achieving the learning objectives
- Respect the destination, the speakers, DIS staff, and your fellow classmates
- Represent yourself, your home university, and DIS in a positive light
While on a study tour, DIS will provide hostel/hotel accommodation, transportation to/from the destination(s), approx. 2 meals per day, and entrances, guides, and visits that are part of the study tour program. You will receive a more detailed itinerary prior to departure.
Travel policies: You are required to travel with your group to the destination. If you have to deviate from the group travel plans, you need approval from the program director and the study tours office prior to departure. You are free to return to Copenhagen on your own if you choose to do so, but you must stay with the group through the last visit and inform your study tour leaders of your plans in advance.
Approach to Teaching
Class sessions will combine lectures (including guest lecturers) and discussions, which examine theory, current debate, and case studies. The classroom experience will be enhanced by experiential learning, through cooperative learning methods, along with field studies and study tours. With such a broad topic, it is impossible to cover all issues and themes, therefore topics are selective rather than comprehensive.
DIS Accommodations Statement
Your learning experience in this class is important to me. If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support academicsupport@dis.dk
Expectations of the Students
Students are required to:
- Attend all class sessions, with exceptions only for illness or emergencies
- Complete assigned readings and preparations before each class
- Submit all assignments by their due dates
- Observe course policies stated below
- Participate actively in classes and field studies
- Demonstrate respect and open-mindedness toward fellow students' contributions and guest speakers
Our goal is to create a collaborative learning environment where students learn not only from course materials but also from each other's perspectives and experiences. Active participation in class discussions is essential for this learning approach to succeed.
Evaluation
To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.
Assignments
Based on your readings and discussions in class, you will be asked to prepare and participate in group work and to do three small assignments, one of them being a group assignment. The purpose of the assignments is to sharpen your knowledge around theories and cases presented in class.
Final paper
By the end of the semester you will be asked to hand in an academic final paper. See assignments for more details on the final paper.
The overall grade will come from the following:
Grading
| Assignment |
Percent |
| Engagement & participation |
25% |
|
3 assignments |
45% |
|
Final paper |
30% |
Additional Areas to Cover
Handling deadlines - It is crucial for your learning that you stay on task and hand in assignments on or before the due date. All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. Late papers or projects will be marked down with 3/100 of a grade for each day it is late.
Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom – Electronic devices such as laptop computers, mobile phones, tablet devices etc are NOT allowed in class. Please be sure that all cell phones are put away and are set to “off” prior to the beginning of the class or a meeting. However, in some specific cases the instructor will request you to use your laptop, tablet or phone for quick/ad-hoc research on Internet. Any misuse of our trust will be reflected in your engagement grade. Use of laptop in class for taking notes is accepted. But no phones during class.
Use of Artificial Intelligence in the course - (Adapted from Ethan Mollick). There is an increasing probability you have been using large Language Model AI (ChatGPT or other) or that you are using AI (ChatGPT or other) in class or outside. Some assignments and exercises might be enhanced by the use of AI, but don’t require you to use AI. Learning to use AI is an emerging skill, please check this website for some short video.
AI is a tool, but one that you need to acknowledge using. When you intend to use AI in order to fulfil the requirements of this course please include a paragraph at the end of any assignment that uses AI explaining what you used the AI for and what prompts you used to get the results. Failure to do so is in violation of academic honesty policies.
Furthermore, be aware of the limits of ChatGPT or other AI tools:
If you provide minimum effort prompts, you will get low quality results. You will need to refine your prompts in order to get good outcomes. This will take work!
Don't trust anything it says. If it gives you a number or fact, assume it is wrong unless you either know the answer or can check in with another source. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions provided by the tool. It works best for topics you understand.
Be thoughtful about when this tool is useful. Don't use it if it isn't appropriate for the case or circumstance.
Please make sure that you clarify whether you can use AI with your other teachers and courses.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|