AGR202 Food Environment and Culture (8)

As professionals, agricultural and wine science graduates will work in a dynamic environment and society, involving personal and institutional negotiations with social and ethical issues. An understanding of the background of the issues and some core skills in different approaches to unpack them will enable graduates to engage meaningfully with these challenging areas.
The main areas to be studied in this subject include ethics and ethical frameworks, environmental and social sustainability linked to economics, the major challenges facing agricultural production and food security, and how Indigenous Australian culture and values intersect with and can inform land use and management.
By completing this subject students will improve their ability to communicate these challenges in a professionally appropriate style through a series of presentation assessments and via the teaching strategy of group work and discussion

Availability

Session 2 (60)
On Campus
Wagga Wagga Campus
Online
Wagga Wagga Campus

Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: AGR202. Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.

Subject Information

Grading System

HD/FL

Duration

One session

School

School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences

Assumed Knowledge

AHT 101

Incompatible Subjects

SCI201

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
  • Be able to explain a number of the core concepts that define the major contemporary challenges for global agricultural production and critically examine the potential future implications of one of these challenges
  • Be able to recognise the inter-relationship between cultural, environmental, social and economic sustainability and discuss issues that arise for global sustainability in Agricultural contexts
  • Be able to analyse the history of agricultural development in Australia from the perspective of Indigenous Australian peoples and other cultures to explain a) the historical impact of the values and beliefs of the dominant culture on the Australian landscape, and b) the potential of cultural inclusivity for the future of sustainable agricultural practice
  • Be able to examine how our own and others cultural values and beliefs affect professional communication and practice and the strategies that can be employed to enhance communication across cultures
  • Be able to use ethical models to review and analyse the complexity of ethically challenging issues in agriculture
  • Be able to communicate, in a professionally appropriate style, about contemporary Agricultural challenges by considering multiple perspectives to arrive at a justified viewpoint

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:
  • An examination of different ethical models that can be used to review and analyse the complexity of ethically challenging issues in agriculture, such as animal welfare and the use of genetic technology etc, and including the broader social and environmental issues arising from discussion about sustainability and cultural heritage will be examined.
  • The core concepts that define the major contemporary challenges for global agricultural production now and into the future. Sustainability in theory, and the inter-relationship between cultural, environmental, social and economic sustainability and global issues in an agricultural context and the tensions that arise from this discussion will be examined. These concepts include issues around climate change, water availability in Australia, global and local food security, and alternative uses for agricultural land such as carbon sequestration and bio fuels. The materials and case studies examined will use contemporary issues to ensure the discussions are up to date.
  • The history of agricultural development in Australia from the perspective of Indigenous Australians and other cultures. Topics will include land law and land rights, relationships to land, cultural understanding of landscapes and indigenous approaches to land management including firestick farming and bush foods and the impact of the values and beliefs of the dominant culture on the Australian landscape.

Indicative Assessment

The following table summarises the assessment tasks for the online offering of AGR202 in Session 2 2021. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated and can also differ to suit the mode of study (online or on campus).

Item Number
Title
Value %
1
food journal blog posts
15
2
Communicating climate change
40
3
Indigenous land management
45

The information contained in the CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: June 2022. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.

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