HSN706 - Policy and Practice for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems

Unit details

Year:

2024 unit information

Enrolment modes:Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online
Credit point(s):1
EFTSL value:0.125
Unit Chair:Trimester 2: Mark Lawrence
Cohort rule:

H511, H517, H616 and H714 students: enrol in online mode only.
H748 students: enrol via Campus mode at Burwood (Melbourne) only.
Other Postgraduate students who wish to enrol in this unit:

If you are enrolled in an on campus course, you can enrol in the on campus unit offering and you will need to request a manual enrolment from a Student Adviser in Student Central.

If you are enrolled in an online course, you need to enrol into the online unit offering.

Prerequisite:

Nil

Corequisite:Nil
Incompatible with: Nil
Typical study commitment:

Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment:

5 x 2 hour seminars
All students: Online and collaborative learning activities.

Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment:

5 x 2 hour online seminars

Content

The food we eat and how it affects individual, population and planetary health is shaped by food systems. This unit focuses on the policies needed to transform food systems to be healthy and sustainable. Policies that affect the structure and operation of food systems as well as nutrition policy reference standards (Dietary Guidelines, Nutrient Reference Values and advice on ultra-processed foods) are analysed. Policies will be scrutinised against the principles of ‘Ecological Nutrition’. Topical food policy case studies are explored to illustrate policy practice: food supply chain practices to reduce the environmental ‘foodprint’ as well as food regulation for labelling and fortifying food products to promote healthy and sustainable dietary patterns. Food has environmental, health, economic, social and cultural meanings and inevitably food policy is contested and political – throughout the unit the role of evidence and politics in food policy-making will be analysed.

ULO These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes
ULO1

Evaluate what food policy is, why it's important, and its role in influencing the food system from a public health perspective.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO2: Communication
GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO6: Self-management
GLO8: Global citizenship

ULO2

Explain the scientific basis to the Dietary Guidelines for Australians, the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, the Nutrient Reference Values, and principles for a sustainable diet.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO2: Communication
GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO8: Global citizenship

ULO3

Analyse those factors that influence how and why food policy is made, including the role of evidence informed practice, ethics, politics and values.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving
GLO6: Self-management

ULO4

Debate the political nature of food policy and be familiar with relevant practical issues associated with its implementation and evaluation.

GLO2: Communication
GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving
GLO7: Teamwork

ULO5

Explain what food regulation is and its role both in protecting public health and safety in the setting of food standards and in promoting public health as a particularly strong policy instrument.

GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving
GLO8: Global citizenship

ULO6

Appreciate critical skills in the core competencies of food policy research and food policy advocacy.

GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving
GLO8: Global citizenship

Assessment

Trimester 2:
Assessment description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week

Assessment 1: Assignment

3000 words 60%
  • Week 7

Assessment 2: Assignment

2000 words 40%
  • Week 11

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning Resource

The texts and reading list for the unit can be found on the University Library via the link below: HSN706 Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

Unit Fee Information

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