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751-2105-00L 3 Credits MSC D-USYS , D-HEST
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Political Ecology of Food and Agriculture

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Johanna Jacobi
Number of participants limited to 25. All students wo register will be on the waiting list. A motivational application is required until 6 September: - presenting yourself and your studies - stating what topic in the field of Political Ecology that you are interested in - suggesting one paper to enrich the literature list for the course The selected students will be notified until 9 September. Questions regarding the application to .
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:29:32

Abstract

In this seminar, students are introduced to the multi-disciplinary field of political ecology to investigate human-environment relationships in food and agricultural systems.

Objective

- Being able to provide an overview of the multi-disciplinary field of political ecology for investigating the relationships of humans to our environment - Learn to identify how power and interest influence social-ecological systems and to distinguish symptoms from systemic root causes - Become enabled to analyse complex and sometimes distant human-ecology relationships choosing from a broad range of methods

Content

We will review common narratives in agri-food systems informed by a range of different theories and assisted by different analytical tools. For this purpose, we will start from different concepts of nature, power and interests, explore different ontologies and epistemologies through a set of topics such as hunger, obesity, agrobiodiversity and seeds, forests and deforestation, climate change and food production. Students will explain one concept in each course to the groups and practice their argumentative and writing skills in a final essay, applying the acquired tools to a topic of their choice. While specific inputs from external lecturers broaden our perspective, enough time for critical discussion and reflection will be granted.

Resources

Lecture Notes

20.9.2024 Introduction to political ecology27.9.2024 Ontologies and epistemologies4.10.2024 Climate justice and food systems11.10.2024 Green revolution, industrial agriculture, and agroecology18.10.2024 Conservation: Protecting what from what?25.10.2024 Don't blame the rain: Water management in agriculture1.11.2024 Deforestation: Root causes and alternatives8.11.2024 Pandemics, syndemics and the food system15.11.2024 Technology and the politics of knowledge22.1.2024 Land-sharing, land-sparing29.11.2024 Feminist (political) agroecology6.12.2024 Food: Commons or commodity?13.12.2024 Alternatives to sustainable development20.12.2024 Final session (The Hunger Banquet)

Literature

Literaturelist provided on Moodle when the course starts.

Learning Materials (Links)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
MSC
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
- Active participation including complying with the reading assignment for every session: 30% (oral or written contributions possible)- Session preparation (group task): 30%- Final Essay (max. 3000 words excluding references): 40%

Registration & Places

Limited places (Special selection)
Signup End
27.09.2024
Priority: Registration for the course unit is only possible for the primary target group

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Political Ecology of Food and Agriculture
  • Fri 14:15-16:00 (LFW C 4)
2 h weekly

Offered In