OAAG 1000 - Agriculture and Food in the Global Agenda

** Small Lecture - up to 40 students **

Through a historical approach of global & domestic food and agriculture policies and the various channels through which they are inter-related, the course will make two main points. On the one hand, it shows that the way international institutions frame current debates on food security is deeply structured by their history as well as the economic structure of the food system; this path dependence explains the focus put on agricultural production rather than on other dimensions of food security. On the other hand, it seeks to demonstrate that, in the different streams of international negotiations concerned with food security, locally specific solutions should generally be explored first, even if they can highly benefit from institutional arrangements and cooperation at broader levels.

>> LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:

• Students will know the key issues surrounding food security and agriculture: established facts, matter of controversies
• They will have a sense of (i) why these issues have been the matter of political regulations / interventions, and (ii) how are these policies formulated and implemented
• Students will develop skills regarding the critical analysis of controversies and how they influence the political agenda, using the field of food security as an example (looking for example at issues like GMOs, trade, food sovereignty)

Critical feedback will be given to students orally after their oral presentation, and a short written comment will follow based on the slides sent to the instructor

In preparation of their final paper, students will have the opportunity to exchange with PM Aubert to frame their essay, identify the key resources to deal with the chosen topic, get feedback on a provisional outline.

Assessment will be based on the following:

• A group / oral presentation of a critical analysis of a paper chosen by the students in coordination with the Instructors. 10 groups of 3 students will be formed at the inception of the course and each group will give an oral presentation of 20 minutes at the beginning of each session. This will account for 25% of the final grade.
• A final essay dealing with a key controversy in the field of food and nutrition security. The essay should be 3,000-4,000 words long, backed by at least 8 academic references (no maximum!). This will account for 75% of the final grade.

• Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester