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41828-01 - Lecture with practical courses: Natural Science Perspectives on Sustainability: The Food System (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Alejandra Morán Ordóñez (alejandra.moranordonez@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The course is offered within the scope of the program "Pathways to Sustainability": https://msd.unibas.ch/en/study-programs/pathways-to-sustainability-tqne/ The program consists of 3 introductory lectures with practical courses (lecture A and B are offered in fall semesters, C is offered in spring semesters) dedicated to conveying the foundations of sustainable development. An additional integration seminar (D, offered in spring semesters) engages with interdisciplinary work. The assignment and completion of D requires the successful completion of two lectures from the above mentioned lectures A, B and C. This course (lecture A) deals with the analysis of sustainability problems and problem solving from a natural sciences perspective. There is a special focus on food production and its interdependencies and impacts on natural ecosystems. In this course, students will learn about what the planetary boundaries are, and how the global food production system is contributing to transgressing them with a special focus on land use change, overexploitation of resources and ecosystem impacts. The course addresses topics such as the expansion of the agricultural frontier, the need to protect the last remains of intact natural ecosystems and the linkages between climatic, biodiversity and food production crisis. We also discuss options for more positive and sustainable food productions systems, from agroecological alternatives as opposed to intensive agriculture to sustainable diets. The course consist on weekly lectures and topic-specific practical work: the lectures deal with systematic overview knowledge and a set of specific aspects of (un-) sustainable food production and ecosystems conservation. The practical assignments focus on empirical case studies of how food production intersects with different aspects of environmental and resources conservation and involves active student participation. |
| Learning objectives | Thematic competences: Understand how sustainability is addressed from the field of natural sciences (silos perspective) and the interlinkages between ecological, economic and social systems in this subject area (break silos). Practical competences: students will develop the ability to organize and carry out research group work on sustainability of food production from the natural sciences perspective; they will practice their synthesis and presentation skills, presenting and discussing their work in front of peers. |
| Bibliography | Will be provided in advance via ADAM. |
| Comments | Kick off lecture: 15. September 2026: 14.15-18h, for details see section "Dates & Rooms". Kick-off practical course: 09. October 2026; follow-up session: 20.11.2026; 10.15-12h. Extra certificate Upon completion of the entire program “Pathways to Sustainability” AND the enrolled degree program at the University of Basel students may order an additional certificate. For this purpose, students send an email to coordination-msd@unibas.ch, attach their official final degree transcript (= graduation transcript = Zeugnis) and provide the postal address for the mailing. This course is offered by the programs "Pathways to Sustainability" and MSD. Prof. Dr. Alejandra Morán Ordóñez is member of the teaching committee MSD and head of the research group Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems Conservation/Dep. Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, and of "Pathways to Sustainability". |
| Admission requirements | This course is open to students of the University of Basel and of EUCOR sustainability programs who are at least in their third bachelor semester, or who are studying at Master or PhD level. MSD 2017 & MSD 2026 Students for whom this course is a mandatory class but who have already taken a similar course should contact Prof. Dr. Alejandra Morán Ordóñez to arrange an alternative option. For both MSD, the final course selection is to be fixed in a learning agreement (template available on the website MSD). |
| Course application | Course enrollment on online services should be completed by the beginning of the teaching period at the latest until Monday, 14. September 2026. Withdrawal possible until Monday of teaching week five. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Comments |
Kick-off: 15. September 2026: 14.15 - 18.00h (together with 41829) Practical course: Introduction Policy brief: 09.10.2026/10.15-12.00h; follow-up session: 20.11.2026/10.15-12.00h Final written exam date: 12. January 2027. Repeat exam date: 26. January 2027. For details regarding time and room see below. |
Dates
| Modules |
Grundkurse (Transfakultäre Querschnittsprogramme im freien Kreditpunkte-Bereich) Module: Complementary Knowledge in Natural Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Complementary Knowledge Natural Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Module: Electives in Data Science (Master's Studies: Data Science) Module: Topics and Methods in Sustainable Development: Social Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Specialization Module Global Europe: Environment and Sustainability (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Compulsory attendance in presence of lecture and practical course, submission of learning portfolio according to the announced requirements. Final written examination on 12. January 2026; repeat exam on 26. January 2026 (details acccording to information of lecturer): 60 minutes. For details regarding dates and room see online course directory/section "dates and rooms". Practical courses: Details about the task will be announced in class during the kick-off session of the policy briefs on 09. October 2026. A follow-up will take place on 20. November 2026. For details regarding the room allocation see online course directory/section "dates and rooms". |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, best attempt counts |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Departement Umweltwissenschaften |