LV0139, Food ethics, 7.5 Hp
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Syllabus

Finalized by: PN-NJ, 2024-11-15
Valid from : Autumn semester 2025 (2025-09-01)

Level

Second cycle (A1N)

Main field of study

Food Science, Animal Science

Grading Scale

The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.

Course language

English

Entry Requirements

Objectives

The aim of the course is that students, independent of previous competence, improve their ethical skills, both in a general sense and in relation to food issues. After completion of the course, the student shall be able to identify ethical issues in the food chain, to reflect upon them from different perspectives, and to show acquaintance with how to use standard normative ethical theories in ethical analysis of the food chain. Further, the aim of the course is to create opportunities for practicing ethical argumentation and deliberation with peers, both verbally and while producing shorter texts, in order to be able to argue for a certain position in accordance with basic argumentations rules such as consistency, coherence and relevance.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to

• Identify ethical issues in the food chain, including those related to e.g. food security, food safety, feed efficiency, biotechnology, sustainable development, foods of animal origin.
• Describe some standpoints from the history of food ethics.
• Describe and use a number of normative ethical theories (e.g. utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and contractarianism) on issues within food production, distribution and consumption.
• Reflect on the role of social context, culture, religion and ethical norms in decisions regarding food.
• Explain and reflect on the interaction between ethics and science in relation to food issues.
• Formulate an ethical standpoint on a concrete problem of food ethics, discuss it through a pro and contra analysis and argue for it.

Content

Subject-related content

The content of the course is structured along the food chain – from production and distribution to consumption and waste. Ethically relevant aspects occurring along the food chain will be elaborated by use of the most common normative ethical theories to highlight ethical challenges and value clashes as for example between animal welfare and climate friendly production, or between biodiversity and economic efficiency, or consumer versus citizen interests. Students will further be asked to read food ethics literature to get a grip of the theoretical standpoints in order to learn detecting relevant ethical aspects and understand pro and contra arguments for different positions. Hence, ethical discernment is in focus, and students will practice ethical argumentation though active listening to one another’s opinions, formulate relevant questions and strive for a coherent line of argumentation in a certain issue.

Teaching formats

To further student learning and promote discussion, a variety of methods are used:

Web lectures will be held to present the normative ethical theories and argumentation analysis. During online IRT seminars, various core topics in food ethics are presented and discussed, with some selections made by the students themselves. These will be mandatory seminars for discussion of the different themes mentioned above, where active participation is required.

The course focuses on the following generic competencies:

• critical thinking
• problem solving
• scientific methods
• digital competence
• oral communication
• written communication
• ability to work autonomously
• plan and manage time
• creativity

The following course components are compulsory:

• Attendance at the ethics lectures and seminars that lay the foundation for the competence in ethics required to pass the other parts of the course.
• Active participation in group work between teacher-led sessions.
• Assignments according to schedule and specific instructions
• Active participation in presentations. This includes a self-presentation of one's own analysis of an ethically relevant issue in the food chain, opponentship of another student's work, and active participation in the discussion during the presentation days.

Collaboration with the surrounding community takes place through the following:

The course provides an increased understanding of the values and positions that underlie decisions within the many stages of the food chain, as well as the competence to analyse them. Many students choose to highlight and analyse a particular market or company in their own project, and then contact the company. Otherwise, the course is theoretical.

Examination Formats and Requirements for Passing the Course

Active participation in seminars and presentations. Short written assignments. Oral and/or written presentation of an individual assignment, in the form of an ethical analysis of a food ethics issue. The topic must first have been approved by the teacher.

Responsible Department/Equivalent

Department of Molecular Sciences

Supplementary information

Included in program

• The Master's Programme Sustainable Food Systems
• Agriculture and Food Science
• Agriculture Programme - Food
• Agricultural Science with a Specialisation in Food Science

Module set

Title	Credits	Code
Single module	7.5	0001

The Course Replaces

LV0115