Teaching

4302-470 (Master)

(Claudia Bieling, Birgit Hoinle; 7,5 ECTS; every summer semester; block module; max. 20 participants)

This course builds on two interdisciplinary concepts in order understand landscape change and its ecological and societal implications. Firstly, students will become acquainted with the social-ecological resilience perspective. The resilience framework provides us with a deeper understanding of the patterns of dynamics in coupled human-natural environments, particularly regarding the interplay between ecological, economic and socio-cultural domains as well as between spatial and temporal scales. These conceptual ideas will be explored and illustrated in the course of case studies from all around the world (individual presentations elaborated by students on self-selected topics). Secondly, students will deal with the ecosystem services framework, in order to grasp the linkages between biodiversity in changing landscapes and human well-being. We will place a particular focus on the subset of cultural ecosystem services (e.g. recreation, cultural heritage, aesthetics), which have an outstanding relevance not only in European cultural landscapes. In small subgroups, students will carry out an empirical assessment of cultural ecosystem services for an area adjacent to Stuttgart (resulting in group presentations as a basis for opening up a broader discussion e.g. on the possibilities of including such findings in landscape planning).

4302-460 (Master)

(Birgit Hoinle; 6 ECTS; every summer semester; weekly during lecture period; max. 50 participants)

This course has been designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of agri-food systems and the paradigmatic shifts within them. The focus is on the social conditions that permitted the emergence of organic and sustainable agriculture, exploring the background and explaining the relationships between developed and developing countries, and conversely between global and local. Specific case studies from various geographic regions reinforce the learning process through enhanced discussions and critical reflection. After completing this course, students are able to specify the diverse motivations and politics that have led farmers, consumers, and policy makers toward (or away) from more sustainable agri-food systems. They are familiar with the geographical, sociological, historical, political, legal, and economic aspects of how and why individuals, groups, and industries make (or are involved in) certain choices throughout the food chain (production, processing, trade, consumption).

4301-033 (Bachelor)

(Claudia Bieling, Veronica Hector; 1,5 ECTS; jedes Wintersemester; semesterbegleitend)

Die Vorlesung ist Teil des Moduls Agrarpolitik und Sozialwissenschaften (4201-030). Sie befasst sich mit den gesellschaftlichen Zielvorstellungen für die Landwirtschaft und ihrem Verhältnis zur landwirtschaftlichen Praxis. Das sich ergebende Spannungsfeld wird näher ausgelotet, wobei die Themenfelder Nahrungsmittelversorgung, Nachhaltigkeit und Multifunktionalität im Mittelpunkt stehen. Aktuell besonders stark diskutierte Themen werden im Hinblick auf Probleme und Lösungsansätze näher beleuchtet, z.B. im Zusammenhang mit gentechnischen Verfahren, Glyphosat, Tierwohl oder Nahrungsmittelabfällen.

4302-420 (Master)

(Claudia Bieling, Veronica Hector, Birgit Hoinle; 6 ECTS; every winter semester; weekly during lecture period; max. 20 participants – special application procedure with motivation letter!)

The module is broadly structured in two parts: Part I is dedicated to the theoretical foundations of ethical thinking. Under the guidance of an ethicist from the International Center of Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW, University of Tübingen), students will become acquainted with basic knowledge of ethical theory and tools for ethical analysis and argumentation. In Part II, students will practice their capacity to identify ethical issues related to the field of food and agriculture and critically reflect on them. For this, guest speakers are invited to share their experiences and perspectives, e.g. as an ethicist working in science or on providing food aid to developing countries. A particular emphasis will be on “solutions” or ways forward for reducing ethical problems and conflicts. A very interactive approach is central to this module, and students are expected to share and discuss their perspectives in class as well as reflect on their viewpoints and experiences in the course of a weekly journal.

3005-410 (Master)

(Claudia Bieling, Veronica Hector/lecturers in EnvEuro network, 7.5 ECTS; weekly during lecture period, starting mid of November; max. 90 participants; special requirements for signing up)

Environmental Management in Europe is an interdisciplinary E-learning course offered by the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen with contributions from different European universities and institutions. The aim of the course is to provide a solid understanding of how environmental management in Europe is applied at different scales, from the EU level to the national, regional and local levels. Focus is on environmental management of natural resources to achieve long term sustainability for soil, water, air, biodiversity and climate. The course covers a wide range of the UN Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on SDG3 (good health and well being), SDG6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG13 (climate action) and SDG15 (life on land). The course is open for MSc students from Denmark, other countries in EU and the rest of the world. The tuition fee is 12.750 DKK for EU citizens (corresponds to approximately 1.700 euros) and 26.850 DKK for non-EU citizens (corresponds to approximately 3.600 euros). Only students in the Master programme Environmental Sciences in Europe (EnvEuro) are exempted from this fee.

4302-500 (Master)

(Claudia Bieling, Birgit Hoinle, Veronica Hector, Verena Seufert, Laura Henn; 6 ECTS; every winter semester; weekly during lecture period; max. 30 participants)

This module provides a comprehensive introduction into transformation studies in the field of agri-food systems. To lay a foundation, key concepts in research on sustainability-directed transformations are covered (e.g., multi-level perspective, change agents, sufficiency). Participants will also engage with the scientific paradigms of transformative research and for this look into, among others, transdisciplinarity and decolonical perspectives. The course draws on many case examples in core fields of action for sustainability transformations related to agri-food systems, such as alternative food networks. Moreover, students will be become aquainted with different methods for facilitating transformational thinking (visioning, theatre, mapping). The module follows a highly interactive seminar style and requires regular and dedicated participation.

(every semester on a weekly basis during the lecture period)

This colloquium brings together researchers from University of Hohenheim’s divisions 430a (Communication and Advisory Services in Rural Areas), 430b (Societal Transition and Agriculture), 430c (Sustainable Use of Natural Resources) and 490c (Social and Institutional Change in Agricultural Development). The programme includes presentations by members of the three research teams, typically PhD candidates, but also guests from other universities. This is followed by in-depth joint discussion.