LNAK10083U Rural Livelihoods and Natural Resources Governance
MSc Programme in Agricultural Development
MSc Programme in Forests and Livelihoods (SUTROFOR)
MSc Programme in Sustainable Development in Agriculture (Agris
Mundus)
MSc Programme in Agriculture
The course is concerned with rural livelihoods in a developing country context. It is well-suited for students interested in developing quantitative and qualitative competencies in researching and analyzing rural livelihoods and their connections to wider societal and environmental processes. We will have a particular emphasis on, including the linkages between rural livelihoods and natural resources governance.
The focus is on how rural livelihoods are constructed when capital assets are used in activities that generate livelihood outcomes. The focus will be on the five capital asset categories; physical, financial, natural, social and human., with a particular emphasis on natural capital assets. The course will illustrate how external factors affect rural peoples’ access to natural resources and, thereby, their livelihood strategies and outcomes.
In addition to an overview of these subject areas, the course will focus on both quantitative and qualitative tools for understanding and analysing rural livelihoods as well as provide insights on how to critically assess and reflect on academic representations of livelihoods. This will help the student link local issues to wider developmental processes. The course emphasises that students are enabled to reflect critically on the complexity of livelihoods and the methodologies used for understanding these.
The aim of the course is to provide participants with a thorough
understanding of rural livelihoods in a developing country context
and to enable them to critically reflect on methodological and
analytical strategies. .
After completing the course the students should be able to:
Knowledge:
Ellis’ livelihoods framework’s components
Linkages between Ellis’ livelihoods framework components
Main criticisms of Ellis’ livelihoods framework
New livelihoods perspectives development
Global processes and their impingement on livelihood concerns at the local level
Themes of the course will be:
Introduction to Ellis’ livelihoods framework
The five capitals
Activities and livelihood strategies
Livelihood diversification
Criticism of the livelihoods framework
Mediating processes and access
Livelihoods dynamics and scale
The question of the commons
Skills:
Apply principles of livelihood analysis
Analyse quantitative household-level data with Excel
Discuss qualitative approaches to livelihoods,
Solve case study problems on different aspects of the livelihoods framework
Cooperate with fellow students on solving problems using different methodological approaches to livelihoods
Competences:
Towards the end of the course, students should be able to critically reflect on and discuss outcomes and processes of rural livelihoods and different methodological and analytical strategies for understanding these.
The course curriculum consists of state-of-the-art book chapters and journal articles within the areas of the course that will be made available during the course.
- Category
- Hours
- Class Instruction
- 24
- E-Learning
- 24
- Exam
- 30
- Excursions
- 4
- Lectures
- 12
- Practical exercises
- 12
- Preparation
- 100
- Total
- 206
As
an exchange, guest and credit student - click here!
Continuing Education - click here!
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- PortfolioThe assessment has three components: (i) continuous assessment of participation to online discussions (20% of final mark); (ii) Exam 1 (needs to be submitted at the beginning of December), where students work in a group of 4-5 people on solving 3 problems based on household-level livelihoods data provided. You will start working on Exam 1 from the first week of the course and there will be weekly opportunities for asking questions and getting feedback. This first exam will count for 30% of the final grade and will be handed in individually; (iii) Exam 2 is a 24 hour exam where students will be asked to individually solve a problem using a combination of qualitative and quantitative insights and write a 2000 words paper describing the solution. Exam 2 refers back to both exam 1 and the process document. Exam 2 counts 50% of the final grade and is to be done individually. The grade is to be set as a weighted average of the results from the part-assessments.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
one internal examiner
- Re-exam
Re-examination will be an oral exam. The student will draw a question within an area of the curriculum and be examined for up to 30 minutes with no prior preparation.
No aids allowed.
Criteria for exam assesment
See description of 'Learning outcome'
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- LNAK10083U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 2
- Schedule
- A
- Course capacity
- Maximum 30 participants
- Continuing and further education
- Study board
- Study Board of Natural Resources, Environment and Animal Science
Contracting department
- Department of Food and Resource Economics
Course Coordinators
- Mattias Borg Rasmussen (3-706575436c697572316e7831676e)
- Mariève Pouliot (4-71657473446d6a7673326f7932686f)
Lecturers
Mattias Borg Rasmussen
Mariéve Pouliot