| Responsible Department | Department of Large Animal Sciences
50 % Department of Agriculture and Ecology 25 % Institute of Food and Resource Economics 25 % | ||||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | MSc | ||||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Oral examination based on case report and in course curriculum Weight: Oral exam 100% 7-point scale, external examiner | ||||||||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | A case report must be submitted | ||||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Lectures, theorectical and practical exercises, project work on case study in groups and (when possible) field trips | ||||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 1 Week Structure: B | ||||||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | LHUA10152 LHUA10149 LHUA10152 LHUA10156 LØJA10281 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||||||
| The course content will address the following issues relating to the use of animals in a sustainability context at the enterprise and household level The course content will address the following issues relating to the use of animals in a sustainability context at the enterprise and household level 1) Introduction - sustainability and decision making . Sustainability concepts (all subjects) Introduction to case studies 2) Stakeholder analyses and societal legal considerations 3) Environmental sustainability . Animal husbandry and interaction with the environment o Impacts of livestock on the atmospheric, aquatic and terrestrial environment o Technological opportunities for minimising negative environmental impacts . Natural resource and nutrient flux perspectives of international trade with fodder, animal derived food, live animals and other products related to the animal sector . Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool for assessing environmental impacts and sustainability of different livestock systems 4) Economic sustainability . Economic concepts of sustainability . Incentive structures and policy instruments . Inter temporal economic evaluations of animal welfare and environmental interactions etc. 5) Case study synthesis and discussion Ethical considerations Group work with ethical considerations Presentations 6) Examination | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||||
| . Lectures, and exercises . Group work . Defined case study of relevance to animal sector illustrating all aspects of sustainability | |||||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome The objective of the course is to enable students to independently perform a scientifically sound and holistic analysis and evaluation of sustainability in its widest sense (economical, environmental and societal) of industries, animal husbandry and other issues pertaining to the animal sector. Furthermore, the course provide student with knowledge to understand the external (international) factors and the instruments that can be applied to develop a sector in a given direction. At the end of the course the student should be able to: Knowledge: - Describe the concepts of different sustainability criteria - Understanding multi-criteria and other economic methods for analyzing sustainability - Explain the factors and mechanisms leading to environmental consequences of keeping animals - Understand the theory and principles behind life cycle analyses Skills: - Apply various methods for analysis and evaluation of sustainability - Interpret life cycle assessments and economic analyses of various production chains or animal related activities. - Competencies: - Scientifically analyze a given animal (production) system - Elaborate sustainability considerations for a given animal related activity and development trends influencing these - Discuss and suggest appropriate measures to improve sustainability of a given sector or activity, and how these can be implemented | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||||||||
| Perman, Roger, Yue Ma, James McGilvray, and Michael Common, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, 3 ed., Harlow: Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2003. Steinfeld, Gerber, Wassenaar, Castel, Rosales, de Haan. Livestocks Long Shadow. FAO, 391 pages available at ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/a0701e00.pdf Steinfeld et al. Livestock in a changing landscape 1 and 2. available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/am074e/am074e00.pdf Swanepoel, et al. The Role of Livestock in Developing Communities: Enhancing Mulitfunctionality. WUR - selected chapters (available as pdf file) Material on companion animals and sustainability to be identified Academica literature identification, interpretation and evaluation are core elements due to the project nature of the course. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hanne Helene Hansen, han@life.ku.dk, Department of Large Animal Sciences/Production and Health, Phone: 353-33083 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee V | |||||||||||||||||||
| Work Load | |||||||||||||||||||
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