Objectives:

The objectives of the course are to increase the student's knowledge, competence and skills in the field of global nutrition embracing:

• the interdisciplinary nature of nutritional problems in low-income countries
• the current key global challenges to human nutrition today and the regional trends in nutritional indicators
• the interaction between nutrition and child health/development in low-resource settings
• the commonest diseases affecting the nutritional status of children and mothers
• the nutritional indicator and clinical responses to critical undernutrition
• the stand of nutrition in international policy and the right based approach to water and food
• the UN structure and development relevant for nutrition policy
• the commonest carbohydrate sources in different parts of the world, the preparation and nutritional values

Content:

The course content is divided into three parts:

Overview of global nutrition:

Overview of the world nutrition situation in relation to other critical issues for our common future, including: Poverty, demographic changes, water, sanitation and other environmental issues, the UN Sustainable development goals and food as a Human Right, epidemiology of global nutritional problems and their current trends.

Health and nutrition.

The influence of nutrition on the health status, including: Immunity, diseases of poverty, maternal and child health, breastfeeding, HIV/Aids and tuberculosis.

Food production and nutrition in low-resource settings.

Overview of crop and livestock systems, household fuel, food production, post-harvest technology, marketing and participatory rural appraisal.

Food security and gender issues in food production are key areas.

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has broad knowledge of the nutritional challenges globally in our world today, and regional trends in nutritional indicators.
• has an in-depth understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of nutritional problems in low-income countries from agro sciences, economic and policy sciences, human, social and health sciences
• is familiar with the concept of food as a human right and food in relation to international policy and institutions.
• has a good understanding of the interaction between nutrition and health, especially in low-resource settings.
• has a good understanding of constraints in food production and trading globally and in low-resource settings.
• is familiar with the commonest food crops in the world, smallholder¿s production systems, subsistence farmers¿ strategies and livestock.

Skills

The student:

• can analyse a subject matter in global nutrition in light of relevant policy and research.
• is able to plan an assessment of national implementation strategies of SDG 1,2,3 and food as a human right.

General competence

The student:

• is able to read, write and present a global health problem in English which is the course language.
• can read and understand a policy document and depict the implications for implementation priorities.
• can interpret global nutrition research literature.

The course comprises lectures, demonstrations, seminars, and group work and individual studies and assignments.

The course will have a research oriented focus through presentations, discussions and reading material and present relevant activities at our faculty.

A group project is assigned as an educational tool to depict current issues in the field of nutrition.

This will be a total of 130 working hours, of which 56 hours are contact hours: 43 hours of teaching and 13 hours of supervision of tasks (physical and through electronic contact) and exam. Individual work (54); 30 hours for individual reading and exam preparation; and 24 hours for the individual assignment. 20 hours for group work, crop and food preparation seminar.

Written 2 hour exam (1/3 or the grade), presentations of group assignments (1/3 of the grade); every group need to hand in written material for peer review stating their contribution and all members of the groups need to participate in presentations; and individual assignments (1/3 of the grade) which is a written individual task in the format of essay or report (around 1000 words).

Students who receive the grade "F" are allowed to re-sit according to standard procedures at the University of Bergen.

Online evaluation.

Centre for International Health

E-mail: mailto:studie@igs.uib.nostudie@igs.uib.no

Tel: 55 58 85 69