Programme Specification for the 2022/3 academic year
MA Food Studies
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | MA Food Studies | Programme code | PTA1HPSHPS72 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Full Time Part Time |
Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Campus(es) | Streatham (Exeter) |
Programme start date | 09/2018 |
| NQF Level | 7 (Masters) |
2. Description of the Programme
This course will prepare you to understand, critically assess, and practically engage with foodways and food systems. Core modules will provide interdisciplinary perspectives on foodways and food systems from within fields of study including archaeology, classics, history, anthropology, sociology, geography, political economy, business, and the life sciences. The historical development of agriculture and food—from the agricultural revolution, to the industrialization of agriculture and food manufacturing, to the globalization of food—will be examined. You will gain an appreciation of the place of agriculture and food in the constitution of social identities and institutions, from the family, to social classes and ethnic groups, to the nation. You will also analyse the workings of mainstream and alternative food systems and food chains, from production and processing, to trade and retail, to preparation and service, to consumption and waste. And you will study the challenges and proposed solutions to making foodways and food systems more sustainable. The course will give foundation to comparative understanding of foodways and food systems in industrialized and non-industrialized societies, and the relation of each of these to global forces.
Programme pathways will allow you to specialise in either Food, Society and Culture, or Food Systems and Sustainability. Optional modules will allow you to develop focused expertise in areas such as sustainable food production, health and nutrition, community development, education, or food business and management. You may also prepare for further research by taking optional modules in theory and methods in a range of disciplines. A placement or internship in a food-focused institution, organisation or business and will afford the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and to develop networks, while the dissertation will provide the chance to acquire expertise in a particular area of study and to develop research and writing skills.
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
With food at the centre of so many pressing global issues today, the field of Food Studies is rapidly developing. This programme allows you to combine study in the Humanities and Social Sciences with study in fields such as the life sciences or business, giving you a unique combination of skills in the critical analysis of foodways and food systems as well as in more practical undertakings, such as growing or preserving food, developing an educational curriculum, or setting up a social enterprise. An optional module (SSIM908) on the course allows you to do an internship or placement in an area of professional interest while simultaneously informing yourself about the relevant context of your work through directed readings with a member of staff teaching on the course. Through such forms of study, the programme engages in substantial ways with vibrant food, farming and fishing sectors in Exeter and the Southwest of England. The programme equips you to conduct research on foodways and food systems—whether past or present, whether in the UK or elsewhere in the world. It fosters comparative understanding of the economic, environmental, political and cultural dynamics of food systems and foodways, as well as critical perspectives that will allow you to identify issues and problems faced by different stakeholders and the potential consequences of various forms of intervention and transformation. Graduates are prepared to articulate these perspectives in various forms, from the writing of reports or scholarly pieces to the production of grant proposals or business plans. Depending upon your interests and career objectives, you may go on to conduct doctoral research, or to find employment in: the food industry or small and medium sized food businesses; government departments and agencies engaging with agriculture, fisheries, food manufacture, food safety, public health, or culture and heritage; food-focused print, broadcast and new media; or third sector organizations focused on issues such as environmental sustainability, trade policy, food safety, public health, food poverty, or social isolation.
4. Programme Structure
5. Programme Modules
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme. Details of the modules currently offered may be obtained from the College web site:
http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/sociology/current/postgraduatemodules/
You may take Option Modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. Descriptions of the individual modules are given in full on the College web site:
http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/sociology/current/postgraduatemodules/
You may take elective modules up to 30 credits from another MA programme offered at the University (subject to availability and, where appropriate, the required prerequisites).
A choice of pathway affects the options you are expected to take: consult section 7 below. The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree programme based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new emergent areas of study, timetabling and student demand.
Stage 1
120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
You may choose either the 15 credit or the 30 credit version of each module, you cannot choose both
Compulsory Modules
Students are required to take the dissertation and at least 60 additional credits from the following list:
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSIM909 | Dissertation in Food Studies | 60 | Yes |
| ANTM004 | Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective or | 15 | Yes |
| HISM041 | Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective | 30 | Yes |
| ANTM021 | Food, Body and Society or | 15 | Yes |
| SOCM022 | Food, Body and Society | 30 | Yes |
| POLM016 | Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption or | 15 | Yes |
| SOCM021 | Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption | 30 | Yes |
| SOCM044 | Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment or | 15 | Yes |
| SOCM045 | Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment | 30 | Yes |
Optional Modules
Programme Pathways
Our flexible programme enables you to choose either a specific pathway or a selection of modules, which might be at a much later date than date of entry to the MA Food Studies. All students graduate with a Masters in Food Studies, but if you elect to specialise, you will have one of the following pathways named in your degree title:
Food, Society and Culture (MA)
This pathway allows you to focus study on the social, cultural and historical dimensions of food and foodways. Modules fulfilling compulsory requirements must include: either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective; and either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food, Body and Society. Your dissertation will also focus on a theme in the area of Food, Society and Culture.
|
ANTM004 |
Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective |
15 |
|
|
or |
|
|
HISM041 |
Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective |
30 |
|
|
|
|
|
ANTM021 |
Food, Body and Society |
15 |
|
|
or |
|
|
SOCM022 |
Food, Body and Society |
30 |
Food Systems and Sustainability (MSc)
This pathway allows you to focus study on food systems, alternative food networks and sustainability. Modules fulfilling compulsory requirements must include: either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food System, Alternative Food Networks and Ethical Consumption; and either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment. Your dissertation will also focus on a theme in the area of Food Systems and Sustainability.
|
POLM016 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption |
15 |
|
|
or |
|
|
SOCM021 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption |
30 |
|
|
|
|
|
SOCM044 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment |
15 |
|
|
or |
|
|
SOCM045 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment |
30 |
You may also choose from the following list to satisfy the 60 credit optional module requirement.
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANTM003 | Theory and Methods of Food Preservation | 15 | No |
| ANTM006 | Gardening, Wellbeing and Community | 15 | No |
| SSIM908 | Directed Practical Study: Agriculture and Food | 30 | No |
| ARCM100 | Research Methods and Archaeological Theory | 30 | No |
| ARCM120 | Themes in Archaeological Theory and Practice | 15 | No |
| ARCM130 | Discovering the Past with Molecular Science | 15 | No |
| ARCM403 | Advanced Zooarchaeology | 15 | No |
| ARCM407 | Zooarchaeology | 15 | No |
| BEMM108 | Entrepreneurship: New Venture Development | 15 | No |
| BEMM374 | Tourism and Marketing | 15 | No |
| BEMM381 | Tourism Business: Management, Impacts and Evaluation | 15 | No |
| BIOM562 | Sustainable Land Use in Grassland Agriculture | 15 | No |
| BIOM566 | Sustainable Livestock and Fisheries | 15 | No |
| BIOM568 | Blue Planet | 15 | No |
| BIOM4040 | Fisheries Management | 15 | No |
| CTHM007 | Research Skills in Classics, Ancient History and Theology | 30 | No |
| GEOM143 | Global Systems Thinking | 15 | No |
| GEOM145 | Theory for Sustainable Transitions | 15 | No |
| GEOM406 | Marine and Coastal Sustainability | 15 | No |
| GEOM407 | Perspectives on Sustainable Development | 15 | No |
| HISM016 | Advanced Historical Research Skills | 30 | No |
| HPDM027 | Contemporary Environment and Human Health | 15 | No |
| HPDM033 | Global Public Health and Environment | 15 | No |
| HPDM122 | Planetary Health | 15 | No |
| HUMM018 | Cultures and Environments of Health | 30 | No |
| HUMM019 | Making, Using and Contesting Evidence | 30 | No |
| POLM093 | Land, Power and Politics: a critical problem-based approach | 30 | No |
| SHSM051 | Nutrition and Society | 15 | No |
| SOCM019 | Research Methods in the Social Sciences | 15 | No |
| SOCM023 | Social Theory | 15 | No |
| Total Credits for Stage 1 | 180 |
|---|
Stage 2
| Total Credits for Stage 2 |
|---|
6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
1. Critically analyse a wide range of historical and contemporary foodways and food systems | Reading and discussion-based seminars, lectures | 1 Reading response papers (1-3) 2 Essays (1-3) 3 Dissertation (1-3) |
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
4. Critically evaluate information and arguments relating to foodways and food systems, and discern underlying social political and economic dynamics | Reading, discussion-based seminars, lectures | 4 Reading response papers (4-6) 5 Essays (4-6) 6 Dissertation (4-6) |
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
7. Identify timely food-related issues and formulate questions for research | Reading, discussion-based seminars, lectures, placement | 7 Reading response papers (7-9) 8 Essays (7-9) 9 Dissertation (7-9) |
7. Programme Regulations
University Regulations on the number of credits to be taken and at what level for each stage of the programme can be found in the Credit and Qualifications Framework.
Progression
Condonement is the process that allows you to be awarded credit (and so progress to the next stage or, in the final stage, receive an award), despite failing to achieve a pass mark at a first attempt. You are not entitled to reassessment in condoned credit. Regulations on condonement can be found in the Handbook for Assessment, Progression and Awarding for Taught Programmes.
Assessment and Awards
For undergraduate degrees assessment at stage one does not contribute to the summative classification of the award. Details of the weightings for each year of all programme lengths can be found in the Handbook for Assessment, Progression and Awarding for Taught Programmes.
Classification
Full details of assessment regulations for undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes and the classification of awards can be found in the Handbook for Assessment, Progression and Awarding for Taught Programmes.
You can also read details of Generic Marking Criteria.
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
Personal and Academic Tutoring
It is University policy that all Colleges should have in place a system of academic and personal tutors. The role of academic tutors is to support you with individual modules; the role of personal tutors is to provide you with advice and support fo the duration of your programme, and this support extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties and sickness. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.
Information on the College Personal Tutoring system, library provision, ELE resources and access to College support services can be found on the College webpages for current students.
Student Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC)
SSLCs enable students and staff to jointly participate in the management and review of the teaching and learning provision.
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
Learning Resources
The University Library maintains its principal collections in the main library buildings on the Streatham and St Luke's campuses, together with a number of specialist collections in certain Colleges. The total Library collection comprises over a million volumes and 3000 current periodical subscriptions.
IT Services
A wide range of IT services are provided throughout the Exeter campuses, including open-access computer rooms, some of which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Helpdesks are maintained on the Streatham and St Luke's campuses, while most study bedrooms in halls and flats are linked to the University's campus network.
Student Support Services
The University provides many support services including health and wellbeing, multifaith chaplaincy, family support, the Students' Guild and international student support.
10. Admissions Criteria
All applications are considered individually on merit. The University is committed to an equal opportunities policy with respect to gender, age, race, sexual orientation and/or disability when dealing with applications. It is also committed to widening access to higher education to students from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.
Candidates for undergraduate programmes must satisfy the undergraduate admissions requirements of the University of Exeter.
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.
The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.
12. Indicators of Quality and Standards
Certain programmes are subject to accreditation and/or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).
13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards
The University and its constituent Colleges draw on a range of data to review the quality of education provision. The College documents the performance in each of its tuaght programmes, against a range of criteria on an annual basis through the Annual Student Experience Review (ASER).
Subject areas are reviewed every five years through a College Academic Audit scheme that includes external contributions.
14. Awarding Institution
University of Exeter
15. Lead College / Teaching Institution
College of Social Sciences and International Studies (CSSIS)
College of Social Sciences and International Studies (CSSIS)
College of Social Sciences and International Studies (CSSIS)
16. Partner College / Institution
Partner College(s)
Not applicable to this programme
Not applicable to this programme
Not applicable to this programme
Partner Institution
Not applicable to this programme.
17. Programme Accredited / Validated by
0
18. Final Award
MA Food Studies
19. UCAS Code
Not applicable to this programme.
20. NQF Level of Final Award
7 (Masters)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | 180 |
ECTS credits | 90 |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
23. Dates
| Origin Date | Date of last revision |
|---|