Enrolments for 2020 have closed.
Global Nutrition and Food Security
Postgraduate | ACU-PUBH642 | 2020
Course information for 2020 intake View information for 2024 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- -
FEE-HELP available
Global Nutrition and Food Security
About this subject
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of local and global determinants of adequate nutrition and the interrelationships between nutrition and social, cultural, economic and environmental and other factors
- Compare and contrast different food systems, as well as the determinants and consequences of food insecurity at local, national and global levels
- Assess nutritional status of a community or population, its food system and its food security, with an emphasis on identifying vulnerabilities and enhancing program sustainability
- Critically appraise interventions for addressing hunger, malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency and food security, especially in terms of program sustainability
- Integrate knowledge of nutrition and food security issues with the design of effective and culturally appropriate strategies or interventions to address these issues
- Nutrition and food security in a global context
- Nutrition, food security and health
- Global socio-politics of food
Optimal nutrition and food security are cornerstones of human health and well-being and public health practitioners are required to demonstrate, and apply, knowledge of nutrition and food security across a range of settings. This subject will introduce students to the major concepts and issues around global nutrition and food security. Emphasis will be placed on the Nutrition Transition phenomenon, which reflects the interconnectedness of food consumption, health (and illness), socioeconomic and environmental factors, and sustainable development. Students will explore challenges to nutrition and food security from the standpoints of availability, access, utilisation and stability, as well as other risk factors and broader issues of food industry influence, culture and colonisation, globalisation and new media. Causes of major nutrition issues, their prevalence and severity will be examined, along with their impact on health and development. Application of community-/population-level nutrition assessment and intervention will then be considered, especially in the context of developing countries and humanitarian responses to crises. Students will learn the fundamental aspects of nutrition-related health issues and will develop skills in developing food-based solutions for important and complex nutrition issues.
In order to successfully complete this unit, students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks and obtain an aggregate mark of greater than 50%.
Assessment tasks directly align with PUBH642 learning outcomes and graduate attributes and the national core competency framework of public health developed by the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia 2016. Tutorial activities are aligned with assessment tasks which will engage students in active learning and help them to prepare for the assessments. The first assessment task will help students to build knowledge, skills and confidence. Assessment tasks are based on essay style which provides opportunity for students to develop an extended argument, encourages depth of learning, opportunity to develop capacity to interpret, translate, apply, critique and evaluate, and opportunities to explore beyond the boundaries of contemporary knowledge.
PUBH642 assessments are designed to simulate the work of a public health practitioner working either at the policy level, or as a front line field officer engaged in community nutrition enhancement. The assessment strategy used allows students to progressively develop their knowledge and skills to the level of sophistication where they are able to critique and develop their own community health interventions. In Assessment 1, students demonstrate skills in information gathering, subsequently using this for critical analysis of a nutrition-related disease. In Assessment 2, students further develop their understanding through synthesizing the complex phenomenon of the dual burden of malnutrition, applying this understanding in an authentic way through the development of a community-based nutrition intervention.- Critical Analysis Written Task (50%)
- Development of an intervention (50%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
Established in 1991 after amalgamating four eastern Australian Catholic tertiary institutes, Australian Catholic University now has seven campuses, from Brisbane to Melbourne and welcomes students of all beliefs. Specialising in arts, business, education, health sciences, law, theology and philosophy, ACU encourages its students to think critically and ethically and bring change to their communities and offer this online through Open Universities Australia.
Learn more about ACU.
Explore ACU courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 34
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 29
Entry requirements
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted into a degree.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.