MAME4440 Migrasjon, mat og helse Emneplan

Students who are admitted to Master studies within the following subject areas are eligible to apply for admission to the course: nutrition and/or health and nursing Sciences.

Upon completion of the course the student will have obtained the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills and general competencies:  

  Knowledge

The student

• has advanced knowledge on the importance of food culture and how food is used in different cultures to denote identity, social status and gender roles   
• can analyse and apply theoretical approaches related to changes in food habits after migration, with a particular focus on dietary acculturation
• has advanced knowledge on the process of dietary transition and how migration may affect this process and health
• can apply knowledge on how changes in food habits after migration can lead to increase of non-communicable diseases
• has advanced knowledge of scientific literature addressing nutrition intervention with multicultural population, with a particular focus on cultural sensitive interventions

Skills

The student

• can analyse and deal critically with relevant interventions addressing public health nutritional challenges in multicultural population
• can use relevant methods to assess the need of nutritional intervention in multicultural population
• can use relevant methods to develop, pilot and evaluate culturally sensitive nutrition interventions for multicultural population

General competencies

The student

• can apply knowledge and skills to research and professional activities related to food habits and health in multicultural population
• can communicate extensively with professionals of various discipline

Food habits are an important expression of our cultural identity and are of fundamental importance for our health. Migration to western countries is often associated with the adoption of less healthful dietary habits and a higher risk of obesity and related disorders. The development of increasingly multicultural societies creates new challenges for health promotion initiatives. Migration, Food and Health provides an interdisciplinary approach to understand the relationship between migration, food habits and health in order to build capacity for nutrition intervention with a multicultural population. 

 The course lasts for 6 weeks.

Students are responsible for achieving the outlined learning objectives, and are expected to participate actively during the course and contribute to its success. A variety of learning approaches will be used, including:

Lectures with subsequent discussions, self-study, group work, interactive exchange among students and between students and resource persons, oral presentations, short stages at relevant institutions and organizations working with multicultural population.

Group (3-4 students per group) written assignment ((2000 words (+/- 25 %), followed by an oral presentation on the development of a specific nutrition intervention targeting multicultural population or selected groups.

Written exam (1500 words (+/- 10 %), in English or Norwegian, individual, 48 hours. The exam text is given in English.

All

A grading scale of A (highest) to F (lowest) where A to E is a pass grade and F is a fail grade.

Internal and external examiner