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GBST10020

Academic Year 2026/2027

From Micro to Global (GBST10020)

Subject:
Global Studies
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Jeremiah Garsha
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module is exclusively for Global Studies students. In it, we will explore micro lived experiences as they connect globally, offering students a ground up view of global entanglements. We will do this through a global study of food.

Experiences with hunger and eating cut across all time periods and societies. And yet, the role and relationships of foods are ever changing. Every food has a history. These play out through global and local contexts, with globalisation and transport networks bringing new products to our plates and in so doing changing diets and palates, while also entrenching power structures and environments.

In this course we will explore food using the global perspective you will gain on your pathway. In so doing we will cover larger concepts, from gender and environmental histories to colonialism, capitalism, and culture; literary reflections on consumables, and human animal to non-human animal relationships . We will track key food items to explore connected and entangled histories that provide learners with the understanding of global studies centred on specific, edible, materials. From potatoes and pineapples to sugar and sweeteners, meats and plants, and tea and cocktails, this module will make historical stops from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries in order to investigate societal changes and commodities networks. This course provides the historical contexts and gives an introduction to larger events through the lens of common foods under new perspectives.

Note: All teaching and discussions will be in English, however, students are encouraged to use their own linguistic skills and training to enhance their understanding and use non-Anglophone examples in their assessments.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, students will:

1) Hone analytical skills through focused case-studies. Students will learn to categorise across thematic groupings to complement their future research

2) Critically engage with diverse primary and secondary sources, including unconventional sources and multidisciplinary methodologies

3) Gain experience focusing the skills of academics: such as how to research, synthesise readings and lecture content, meet deadlines, and present research findings through written work and small group discussions

4) Write analytical essays to the standards of a level one undergraduate student

5) Gain transferable skills: such as critical engagement with materials, self-reflection, clear communication, an assessment of tone, authorial intent, and the shaping effect of audiences

6) Think globally in order to reflect on issues of diversity and inclusion within academic spheres

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Food as Culture
Week 3: Americana and Racism
Week 4: Food and Labour
Week 5: Sugar and Slavery
Week 6: Canned Goods
Week 7: Animals, Meat, and Gender
Week 8: Early Modern Feasts and Etiquette
Week 9: Colonial Cuisine
Week 10: Seminar Project Presentations
Week 11: Individual Academic Advising Sessions

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Advanced Beginner

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Advanced Beginner

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Novice

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Novice

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Novice

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Advanced Beginner

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Novice

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Advanced Beginner

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Advanced Beginner

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Advanced Beginner

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Specified Learning Activities

50
Autonomous Student Learning

50
Total

122

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module combines large-group and small-group teaching, through a weekly two hour seminar. Occasional lectures provide overviews of key topics, with focus upon key interconnected trends, debates and events. Weekly seminars focus on small-group active and task-based learning using both secondary and primary sources related to the weekly topic. Autonomous learning is nurtured through required preparatory reading each week, and a formative and summative written and oral assignment. Key research, writing and citation skills are explicitly incorporated into seminar work and are assessed and advanced from the formative to the summative assignments.

Generative AI is not permitted to be used in this module. Any questions about this should be addressed to the module coordinator.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Individual Project: A completed essay/blog/article(s)/of 1500 words; or a 5 minute edited video; or 10 minute podcast Week 12 Graded No
35
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students will be graded on their participation during the seminars (NB: this is not based on attendance, but rather active discussion and participation). Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11 Graded No
25
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students will outline their final project on a single A4 sheet and orally present their project to the group. When not presenting, they are to offer constructive feedback to their peers. Week 11 Graded No
20
 No
Reflective Assignment: Mid-term reading analysis Week 6 Graded No
20
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on leading the seminar discussion will be provided orally, immediately following the seminar. Oral feedback will be provided on an ongoing basis in seminars in response to student contributions. Feedback on the learning journals will be provided weekly via brightspace. Feedback on the end-of-semester essay assessment will be provided in writing post-submission, via brightspace. Students will also have the opportunity for a one-to-one consultation to discuss their progress throughout the trimester.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Fri 12:00 - 13:50
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