ANSC 4880 - Global Food, Energy, and Water Nexus – Engage the US, China, and India for Sustainability

(crosslisted) AEM 4880, CHEME 4880, FDSC 4880
(CU-ITL, CU-SBY)

Fall. 3-4 credits, variable. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: junior, senior, or graduate student status, or permission of the instructors.

X. Lei, T. Li, D. Miller, P. Pingali, J. Tester.

This course is offered by four Departments at Cornell, in collaboration with two Universities in China and one India. Video conferencing will be used to connect classrooms in the three countries in real time. Important issues related to the food, energy, and water nexus and its implications for nutrition security, one health, environmental sustainability, and economic development the US and these two countries will be described. Challenges associated with these issues will be evaluated and strategies to address them will be proposed. Engagement of these countries with each other and the rest of the world will be explored. The course serves as a platform for students from Cornell, China, and India to learn from and interact with each other in the same class, and to share their thinking, creativity, and perspectives on these issues.

Outcome 1: Identify and compare the major food, nutrition and health, energy, water, and economic challenges facing the US,China, and India.

Outcome 2: Describe barriers to food and nutrition security for all people in each of the three countries and globally and propose solutions for overcoming these barriers.

Outcome 3: Identify and quantify the requirements of energy and water for producing, processing, transporting, and/or preparing food.

Outcome 4: Evaluate various predictions of regional and global impacts of climate change on agricultural production in the 21st century.

Outcome 5: Collaborate as members of interdisciplinary teams composed of students from the US, China, and India to analyze and solve problems that affect food and nutrition security.

Outcome 6: Effectively and respectfully debate, with people of opposing views, issues related to food and nutrition security.

Outcome 7: Prepare and deliver oral and written presentations to an international audience of peers that are focused, clear, impactful, and culturally sensitive.