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Food for a Healthy Planet (UNIB10009)
Undergraduate level 1Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Food is a human right and a fundamental requirement for survival. By 2050, the world must feed more than 9 billion people. This interdisciplinary subject introduces students to complex challenges in meeting the growing human population's increasing demand for healthy and nutritious food in the face of mounting pressures on natural resources and climate change. Globally, nearly 800 million people still suffer from chronic hunger, and more than two billion from micronutrient deficiencies.
On the other hand, unhealthy foods and food environments worldwide are leading to an increased burden of morbidity and mortality due to obesity and other non-communicable diseases. Global food insecurity has surged among the covid pandemic and climate change-associated natural disasters. Moreover, geopolitical conflicts affect the productivity and sustainability of food systems and global food supply chains.
Meeting the global need for more food while constrained by increasingly challenging climatic conditions and limited resources will be a global challenge in the coming decades. There is an urgent need to develop the systems of food production, distribution and consumption that are sustainable and resilient in the face of mounting climate and population challenges.
The transformation of the food system to provide sufficient and healthy food urgently requires innovative solutions that will draw on knowledge and skills from the many disciplines of Science, Humanities and Social Sciences. This subject will emphasise multidisciplinary holistic thinking, which considers the relevant underlying causes of the problem and the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the potential solutions to achieve transformational changes.
Eminent experts from different faculties and invited speakers will teach students from the full range of disciplines in arts, biosciences, nutrition, medicine, public health, agricultural science, and economics, plus practitioners from the food, nutrition, farm industry and natural resource sector.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Identify challenges for sustainable, resilient and equitable food production and supply in context of a changing climate and new technologies
- Explain how global food security is impacted by culture, geopolitics, global conflicts, and economic policy
- Relate food wastage to its global environmental, economic, and social impacts
- Critically evaluate and discuss the social and commercial determinants of health and how they influence product development and dietary choices
- Discuss how food histories and politics have shaped national and cultural identities
- Debate the role of technology and media as key drivers of change in food preferences
- Discuss the evolutionary changes in human dietary preferences, and how the health impacts of these can be applied to improve current health outcomes
Generic skills
On completion of the subject, students should be able to:
- Think critically and integrate interdisciplinary knowledge
- Derive, interpret, and analyse information from primary and secondary sources
- Demonstrate both written and oral communication skills
- Participate in a discussion group and develop a logical argument to support a particular position
- Participate effectively as a member of a team
- Plan work, use time effectively and manage projects and tasks
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Forum Report
| Week 5 | 30% |
Research essay
| Week 9 | 30% |
Examination
| During the examination period | 40% |
Attendance at a minimum of 80% of tutorials Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 80% of tutorials | N/A |
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Principal coordinator Mohan Singh Coordinator Nanette Esparon Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours including two one-hour lectures and a one-hour tutorial per week Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 March 2025 to 1 June 2025 Last self-enrol date 14 March 2025 Census date 31 March 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 9 May 2025 Assessment period ends 27 June 2025 Semester 1 contact information
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
A reading pack will be produced and made available through the LMS.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Breadth Track Feeding the World's Population Breadth Track Wine and Food - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 14 March 2025