Dealing With Complex Problems: The Food Issue

Course manual 2018/2019

Course content

The global issues that are the central focus of Future Planet Studies are so complex that they cannot be studied from a sole discipline. They call for an interdisciplinary approach in which various perspectives are combined and integrated. In Dealing with Complex Problems, differing perspectives from both the natural sciences as well as the social sciences and humanities, such as empirical, computational and interpretative approaches, are compared. Traditional and newer approaches, models and paradigms for grappling with challenges such as the world food issue are clarified. Moreover, their underlying assumptions are highlighted and their strengths and weaknesses assessed. This way, students are prepared for multi-, inter- or even transdisciplinary research on complex problems.

Starting from a philosophy of science that provides insight in the process of scientific knowledge acquisition, the course also aims to offer new, inspiring visions about how we could give shape to the relation between humanity and nature. The core of a new science-based vision is complexity thinking, offering a meta-position for navigating alternative paradigms and making informed choices of resources for projects involving so-called ‘wicked’ problems.

In this core course of the third semester within Future Planet Studies, we focus on the complex issue of how to guarantee sufficient food for everyone while the world population increases up till an expected 9.7 billion in 2050. While food availability has improved considerably in the last decades, there is still a need for doubling food production in the coming four decades as the world population increases while economic development simultaneously leads to diets with more animal proteins. We investigate which resources are available for food production; whether we have enough land to grow food or whether we need to develop alternative substrates for soil to meet the demand, and whether we have enough water in order to be able to grow crops.

And we also address additional questions, such as how we can save land for nature and biodiversity, what production system would be most effective to feed the world population, and which means we have to improve the nutritious value and quality of our food (‘upgrading'). Making use of the reflexive tools provided by the philosophy of science book, we engage in the critical discussion about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Do we have to stick to traditional breeding methods to fortify our crops or should we commercially develop GMOs to enhance (the quality of) our food production? What are the chances and risks of the genetic manipulation of crops? More generally, we will investigate whether the new scientific insights and technological innovations enable us to guarantee a sufficient food supply for the future world population or whether we should thoroughly rethink the way we currently organize our food system and prepare for a transition towards a fundamentally different system.

Study materials

Literature

• Tromp, C. (2018) Wicked Philosophy - Philosophy of Science and Vision Development for Complex Problems, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. The book can be ordered via https://nl.aup.nl/books/9789462988774-wicked-philosophy.html or via bol.com

Practical training material

• Knowledge clips that help explain key concepts of the book, and texts that you may have to read to be able to make the work group assignments or the Take Home Exam will made available on Canvas.

Other

• The study material for the Food Production part of the course consists of scientific papers and review articles which will be made available on Canvas.

Objectives

The overall aim of the course is to help students develop a nuanced view on what science, scientific knowledge acquisition and vision development entail and how they can contribute to finding solutions for pressing complex issues such as the world food issue.

More specifically, the aims are that students:

• Gain insight in the role of soil quality (nutrients), substrates and water for the production of food.
• Develop basic insight into relations between fertilizers and essential mineral nutrients in relation to crop productivity.
• Learn what biological processes are involved in plant diseases, traditional and modern plant breeding, including genetically modifying organisms (GMOs), and acquire competencies with regard to the plant breeder's molecular toolbox in manipulating DNA.
• Acquire the skill to recognize the various models, perspectives and paradigms that are used within science, and to integrate them into a more comprehensive approach to complex problems, in particular the world food issue.
• Learn how to use a range of conceptual tools, provided by philosophy of science, to make critical analyses and evaluations in the context of inter- and transdisciplinary study of complex issues.
• Develop insight in the possible role of various forms of futures thinking and vision development with regard to finding solutions to complex issues such as the food issue.
• Expand their academic skills by further development of critical thinking skills, argumentative reasoning in debate and dialogue as well as in writing, and development of reflexive capacities.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Work Groups

The course has a variety of work forms:

• In the first, introductory class meeting the whole set-up of the course is explained and a first introduction to the food issue is given.
• In the weekly lectures you will learn more about agro-ecological production factors related to food production. The last lecture will be a masterclass with an expert in the field, who can answer questions of students that have been prepared in the work groups.
• There will also be weekly work groups on philosophy of science, which adhere to the principle of the flipped classroom. This means that you prepare beforehand by studying the compulsory literature and – if needed or desired – watching the accompanying knowledge clips on Canvas. What is explained in the clips, will not be further addressed in the work groups, unless you still have pressing questions about certain key concepts. You can test your understanding by formulating answers to the reading questions that you can find at the end of each chapter. Besides addressing some pressing questions, we will also do exercises in the work groups. These exercises are questions from earlier Take Home Exams. Each week you will prepare for the exercise by making an assignment, so that you can actively participate in the work group. Note: Not preparing for the work groups and missing deadlines to send in assignments will lead to exclusion from the work groups. If this happens more than once you will be excluded from the course.
• The work groups of the food production part will be dedicated to the topics of the weekly lectures with relevant literature and to the introduction and progress of the FARM assignment. The last work group will be dedicated to the preparation of the exam.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• In case of practical sessions, the student is obliged to attend at least of 90% of the sessions and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.
• In case of tutorials/seminars with assignments, the student is obliged to attend at least 90% of the tutorials/seminars and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the course cannot be finished

Additional requirements for this course:

You’re expected to attend both the lectures and the working groups. For the work groups there is a strict attendance rule: if you’ve missed two work groups, your attendance at work groups will be graded with NA (Not Attended). This results in exclusion from the course.

If a conflict with your major education schedule causes you to miss a work group, you must inform your work group teacher in advance by sending an e-mail to announce your anticipated absence.

The course schedule will be published and kept updated at www.datanose.nl.

Assessment

Examination consists of a take home exam on philosophy of science (50%), a final exam on the food issue, based on open and multiple choice questions (30%) and an assignment called “A Farm-Level Perspective on Agricultural Decisions and Practices in the Netherlands” (20%).

Table 2: Assessment, deadlines and exam dates

In the first work group, it will be explained what to expect from the Take Home Exam.

On Canvas, you can find further instructions for the Take Home Exam, including a clear explanation what is exactly expected of you. Read the instructions carefully, as deviation of the requirements can cost you valuable points. Exams have to be submitted via Turnitin.  When personal circumstances cause you problems, you can approach your work group teacher and ask for delay of the deadline. In view of the deadline for the grading, postponement can never be more than one or maximally two weeks.

The  (group) assignment within the Food Production part of the course consists of an assessment of a  farm on food production issues covered in this course. The exam will consist of with open and multiple choice questions on facts, figures and concepts.  

Inspection of assessed work

Up to 20 working days after the announcement of the results students have the right of inspection of their work (all forms of assessment). You can request a copy of your work by e-mailing your work group teacher or the course coordinator.

The teachers of this course will provide a scoring form to all students. On an individual base, you can make an appointment with your work group teacher. See email addresses below.

Assignments

As said, every week there is an assignment to prepare for the work group on Philosophy of Science. 

And for the work groups for Food Production you will need to work on the FARM assignment.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Coyan Tromp