Course
Global Food
Politics

Level: Master 1
Period: Semester 2
Language: English
Credits: 3 ECTS
Teacher/Coordinator: Eric Taisne and Sabine Weiland (ESPOL)

Main Objectives

Food covers immense terrain. It is at the intersection of competing issues such as production, consumption, supply chains, trade, government and politics, science and technology, nutrition, public health, environment, ethics, culture, social justice and many more. In this array, it is particularly difficult to design food policy on various levels and among diverse actor groups and demands. In this course, we will explore the contemporary global food system, the past and possible futures for food policy. We will cover a number of core problems, such as in food policy and governance, food production and consumption, food security and safety, health and the environment, food behavior and culture, and food poverty and justice.

General Content

The course is taught through 12 lectures of 2 hours each. Each session contains also interactive elements, and students are encouraged to actively participate, ask questions and discuss issues of common interest. The lectures are designed to outline the topic in general, highlight illustrative examples and discuss some salient points. They are meant as an introduction to the topic at hand which enables the students of further self‐study.

You are required to read the basic literature (see “Basic reading” in session overview) in preparation of the sessions.