SASA10153U Animals and Sustainability

Volume 2018/2019
Education

MSc Programme in Animal Science - compulsory
MSc Programme in Agricultural Development - restricted elective

Content

The course will address the following issues relating to the use of animals in a sustainability context at the enterprise and farm level.

Introduction – sustainability and decision making

A brief introduction to sociological studies of the use of animals
Sustainability concepts (all subjects)
Introduction to case studies

Environmental sustainability


Animal husbandry and interaction with the environment
Impacts of livestock on the atmospheric, aquatic and terrestrial environment
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

Livestock and people

Stakeholders, viewpoints and dilemmas

Economic sustainability

Economic concepts of sustainability
Incentive structures and policy instruments

 

Classroom teaching, group work guest lectures and (when possible) excursions will take place in the first 7 weeks of the course. The students will complete and submit group reports in the 8th week and take exams in the 9th week.

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, farms and other animal husbandry enterprises pertaining to the animal sector. Furthermore, the course provides students 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
- Understand 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

 

Literature


New scientific articles and book chapters will be identified and links provided during the course.

Academic literature identification, interpretation and evaluation are core elements due to the project nature of the course.

BSc in Animal Science (husdyrvidenskab) or equivalent.
• Lectures and exercises
• Group work with defined case studies of relevance to the animal sector, illustrating all aspects of sustainability

Evaluation model: Survey-based model
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Colloquia
  • 10
  • Exam
  • 10
  • Guidance
  • 10
  • Lectures
  • 30
  • Preparation
  • 22
  • Project work
  • 124
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 20 minutes
Written assignment
Case report and oral exam.
Case study report; Weight: 34%.
Oral examination (20 minutes oral exam: based on a given question and course curriculum) Weight: 66%.
Exam registration requirements

The case study report must be submitted, presented and receive a passing grade.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Internal Censorship. More than one eksaminer.
Criteria for exam assesment

 In order to obtain the highest grade (12), the student should be able to:


Knowledge:

- Describe the concepts of different sustainability criteria
- Understand 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 

The exam will include several aspects of sustainability and can't be passed with knowledge of only a single aspect.