1. Saved on: Thursday 06 November 2014 09:07PM
BI3S48 - Communities Agriculture and Biotechnology 09 MAY 2012 - 30 SEP 2018 |
Version 1
Associated Module Information
Module Code: BI3S48
Module Title: Communities Agriculture and Biotechnology
Faculty: Faculty of Health, Sport and Science
Faculty Group: Department of Science and Sport
Faculty Sub Group: N/A
Module Leader: Denis J Murphy
Module Team:
First Intended Intake: NOV 2012 Final Year of Intake: NOV 2012
Date Validated: 31 JUL 2007 Date Closed: N/A
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 6 (Honours (H))
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module: N/A
JACS Code:
ASC Code:
Document Version Information
Version: 1
Valid From: 09 MAY 2012
Valid To: 30 SEP 2018
Module Aims
This module is concerned with the interactions of human communities with animals and plants, most particularly
in the context of agriculture. There will be three major aspects, namely: Animals, Plants & Agriculture,
Agriculture & Society and Breeding & Biotechnology. The module will cover themes such as the role of crops &
livestock, their crop domestication, limitations on human food supplies, economics & Politics of food,
globalisation and development countries, crop & livestock breeding,
Modern biotechnology, GM animals & crops and the debate on their pros and cons, and the ethical
considerations of GM technology in agriculture.
ICIS Module Spec - BI3S48 Communities Agriculture and Biotechnology
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2. Content Summary
Animals, Plants and Agriculture: Agricultural Diversity: The Many Uses of plants and animals, population and
limits to agricultural productivity, farming systems: development, productivity and sustainability, plants and
animals as a source of
112
food: human nutrition, origins of crop plants, the major species of domesticated animal, and agriculture, grasses
and legumes as sources of food, pros and cons of meat and dairy products, commercial products derived from
plants: beverages, herbs and spices, plants and human health I. Medicinal applications, fungi as a source of
food and beverages, why can so few animals be domesticated as livestock? Genetic basis of the domestication
syndrome in animals and plants
Agriculture & Society: Economics and agriculture, evaluation and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology,
biodiversity and biotechnology, biotechnology and developing countries, breeding for crop improvement, new
breeds of GM animals, agricultural genetic engineering: plant transformation with new traits.
Agbiotech and the public debate: Input traits - inset resistance and herbicide tolerance, output traits - quality,
high value traits - molecular pharming, new crops - diversity without GMOs, economics/societal concerns - are
GM crops feasible and/or desirable? The future - are GM livestock and crops inevitable in the long term?
Learning and Teaching Methods
Activity Type Hours
Lecture 22
Project supervision 12
Fieldwork 16
Directed Study 64
Independent Study 86
Total Hours Selected 200
Learning Outcomes
# Learning Outcome
1 Describe the development of agriculture from domestication to the present day.
2 Describe the factors underlying food supply by crops and livestock.
3 Understand the risks and benefits to agriculture and society of crop related biotechnologies.
4 Demonstrate intellectual and transferable skills.
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3. Module Requisites
Pre / Co Requisites
Module Code Module Title Requisite Type
BI1S60 Diversity of Life 1 Pre-Requisite
Other Requisites
Other Prerequisite(s):
N/A
Other Corequisite(s):
N/A
Assessment Criteria
Assessment
Category
Assessment Description Duration Word
Count
Weight
(%)
Best
of?
Written Assignment Essay 1 N/A N/A 500 65 No
Written Assignment Project 1 N/A N/A 500 35 No
Assessment Matrix
Learning Outcomes
Assessment Criteria 1 2 3 4
Essay 1 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Project 1 Yes Yes Yes Yes
ICIS Module Spec - BI3S48 Communities Agriculture and Biotechnology
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4. Reading List
# Reading List Entry
1 Murphy DJ (2011) Plants, Biotechnology, and Agriculture, CABI Press, UK
2 Hammond J, McGarvey P & Yusibov V (1999) Plant Biotechnology (Springer Verlag)
3 Davis D (2002) Animal Biotechnology: Science Based Concerns (National Academies Press)
4 Anon (2001) GM animals UK Parliament, www.parliament.uk/post/pn157.pdf
5 113
6 Lurquin PF (2001)The Green Phoenix (Columbia University Press)
7 Lang T, Lappe MA & Bailey B (1999) Against the Grain: the Genetic Transformation of Global Agriculture
(Earthscan)
8 Reiss MJ and Straughan R (2001) Improving Nature; the Science and Ethics of Genetic Engineering
Cambridge University Press
9 Martineau B ((2001) First Fruit: The Creation of the Flavr Savr Tomato and the Birth of Biotech Food
(McGraw Hill)
10 Pence GE (2002) Designer Food, Mutant Harvest or Breadbasket for the World? (Rowman & Littlefield)
11 Pinstrup-Anderson P & Schioler, E (2001) Seeds of Contention, (Johns Hopkins University Press)
12 Much use will also be made of reading material available on websites, especially about GM crops and
animal/plant domestication.
Key Skills
# Key Skill
1 1. Intellectual skills
2 2. Communication skills
3 3. Organisational skills
4 4. Research Skills
5 5. Numeracy Skills
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