EDF3173 - Food, health and wellbeing - 2019

This unit introduces students to the interdisciplinary study of food and its relationship to health and wellbeing. The unit forms part of a sequence of health discipline studies that develops students' disciplinary knowledge required to teach health education. The unit addresses three interrelated interdisciplinary food themes including food production and sustainability; food politics and cultures; and nutrition for health and wellbeing. Throughout the unit, students consider how communities, families and individual food choices are shaped by a myriad of factors including geography, culture, politics, economics, gender, environment, nutrition and taste. Drawing on literature and research studies in this field, students are involved in critical explorations into how public health authorities and policies attempt to govern and regulate food choice and food practices in order to influence health and wellbeing. Students review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise this knowledge to advance their knowledge in this field.

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the range of factors that influence both access to food, and individual and family food choices
2. analyse competing interests and discourses associated with different disciplinary perspectives on food, health and wellbeing
3. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts of human nutrition
4. critically evaluate different food programs and models that seek to influence food choice
5. engage in critical explorations into public health authorities' practices and policies and apply this knowledge from research in various forms.

Research project and presentation (2400 words equivalent, 60%)

Examination (2 hours, 1600 words equivalent, 40%)

Minimum total expected workload equals 144 hours per semester comprising:

1. Contact hours for on-campus students:
   • workshops: 24 hours over the semester
2. Additional requirements:
   • weekly independent study: Readings, preparation of work for workshops and for assessment tasks
   • group learning activities assigned as preparation for and/or follow-up to workshop sessions

See also Unit timetable information