Summer Courses

Intensive Study Programmes “Food systems embedded in territories”

When & where?

The two GOODFOOD Intensive Study Programmes (ISP) “Food systems embedded in territories” were organised by the Muenster University of Applied Sciences in Muensterland (Germany) in July 2022 and by UNISG in Melle (Piedmont, Italy) in July 2023, together for 48 students of 6 GOODFOOD universities.

Topics & activities

The 8-days programmes addressed a wide range of topics in the area of embedded food systems, in the form of a range of educational activities based on experiential and action learning. Students’ understanding of the topic and their expectations specified in the GOODFOOD survey were taken into consideration during construction of the programme. During the study trips students visited local food system stakeholders and analysed various aspects of their embeddedness in the territory and sustainability.

Methods

Experiential, action learning, with analysing specific case studies from multidimensional perspectives, in groups. Emphasis was put, among others, on strengthening students’ team working and communication skills, analytical and problem solving skills, creativity, entrepreneurship, intercultural competences and fluent communication in English.

Lecturers

The course gathered a transdisciplinary team of experienced lecturers from 6 GOODFOOD universities, and thus enabled participants to gain multidisciplinary, high quality knowledge unavailable in standard educational programme of one university.

Students & their enrolment

For each Programme, every partner had a task to select 4 B.Sc./M.Sc./Ph.D. students (plus 2 for the reserve list) representing different backgrounds, corresponding to various aspects of the embedded food systems topic. Such a multidisciplinary approach fostered interaction of students from different academic disciplines and helped them develop understanding of the complexity of the food system and the importance of analysing the studied topic from many different perspectives. Candidates were recruited based on the application procedure carried out at each university. Students’ motivation, language skills, a balance between a number of students representing different academic disciplines, as well as gender balance, were taken into consideration in the process of participants selection.

Introductory phase – GOODFOOD eLearning

The GOODFOOD ISP was preceded by an introductory e-learning module (led by Warsaw University of Life Sciences). The module gave the students background knowledge and prepared them to the topics that were more broadly studied and discussed during the Intensive Study Programme (see e-Learning modules & e-Learning materials for more details).

Credits & certificates

The Intensive Study Programme together with the preceding e-learning module corresponded to 4 ECTS. Certificates of the Programme accomplishment (for students) and of lecturing contribution (for lecturers) were issued and awarded to all participants at the end of the Programmes.

All GOODFOOD Intensive Study Programme materials are available here: ISP materials and outputs.