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PG (Level 7) Description

ThisÌý module will draw on cross-disciplinary expertise in and outside Anthropology to examine emerging themes concerning Nutrition, Health and Culture. Building on expertise in biosocial approaches in medical anthropology, biological anthropology and nutrition science you will examine cutting edge concerns and topics as these relate to food, health and well-being. It uniquely combines long standing expertise in anthropology on the cultural meaning of food, eating and health with new approaches to pressing global health care challenges concerning hunger/obesity, embodied inequalities and metabolism, including also emerging research on gut microbiomes and Ìýissues in the ‘Anthropocene ‘ concerning food security or sustainability and the question food as exposure in the context of chemical toxicity. ÌýAcross the different weeks of the course the aim is to develop cross-disciplinary approachesÌý essential to address food and nutrition in the context of local and global health care challenges

Jointly taught by those in Biosocial Medical Anthropology , Medical Anthropology, Biological Anthropology and Nutritional science students will be provided with cross disciplinary perspectives and expected in their learning engagements and assessments to draw from and critically incorporate these different approaches to Nutrition, Health and Culture.

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Module Content:

The module will introduce students to a comparative anthropology of nutrition and its effects on human health. Drawing on relevant research in anthropology and nutrition the course will enable students to gain an understanding of and develop a biosocial perspective on health, nutrition and culture.

Topics addressed will include:

Topics addressed will include but not be limited to:

1. Globalisation, Hunger and Obesity

2. Evolutionary Perspectives on Diet

3. Metabolism and Health Inequalities

4.Guts, Microbiomes and multi-species approaches

5 Food Security and Sustainability in the Anthropocene

6. Food as Exposure; Chemicals and Toxicity

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Learning Outcomes:

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PG

Having completed the module, the students will have a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the interrelationship between culture, nutrition and food from diverse fields of knowledge within and beyond anthropology. They will be able to understand, critically apply and consider the relevance of a biosocial Ìýapproach in examining nutrition and health at an advanced level and consider how these approaches are related to broader themes. This includes critically evaluating diverse methodologies relevant to approaches in anthropology and beyond in examination of health, nutrition and culture.

They will be able to appreciate how food stimulates cultural change and be able to critically evaluate the relevance of food in both biosocial and health contexts at an advanced level.

They will have a critical awareness of how rich ethnographic comparative perspective on nutrition, health and culture can be combined with other knowledge insights from diverse disciplinary approaches.

They will be able to appreciate and reflect on how cross-disciplinary approaches to health, nutrition and culture are relevant to public health and policy.

They willÌý have gained a number of transferable skills including: independent learning (including thinking, critical and synoptic skills); communication and presentation skills, peer collaboration, time planning and critical analysis.

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Indicative Delivery Method:

The module will be jointly taught by staff in Anthropology (biological and biosocial and medical anthropology) and those working on nutrition sciences UCL.

Across the course students will have contributions from staff from both these disciplinary fields examining emerging key themes in Nutrition, Health and Culture.

The module will be delivered by 2 hour seminar (one hour lecture and one hour seminar). There will also be face-to-face seminars and independent learning exercises.

Students will develop mini projects/blogs focusing on topics throughout the module. They will also give group presentations on cross-disciplinary topics in the final week of term.

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Additional Information:

Brief overview of any formative assessments

Students will submit a 5 slide PPT reflecting on a personal food experience relevant to themes of the course. They will be provided with feedback from the course tutors. This formative exercise will help develop skills for summative group presentations.

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