Department of Consumer Sciences
School of AgricultureOverview
The Department of Consumer Sciences is one of the departments in the School of Agriculture at the University of Venda. It was established in 2000 to offer a three degree in Family Ecology and Consumer Science (B.FECS). In 2002 the department produced its first group of graduates. The Department is designing two Undergraduate Career Focused Diploma Programmes, i.e, Foods and Nutrition and Clothing Design/Construction. In addition the department will offer Methods of Consumer Science. Current programmes include two Short Learning Programme certificates (SLP) in Catering/food preparation and Clothing production/sewing. The Department assists in supervising students from the Institute for Rural Development.
Mission
The mission of the Consumer Science department is aligned to University of Venda vision which is to provide tertiary education to meet the human resource needs for rural and regional development in Southern Africa. This is achieved through teaching, research, and community engagement. The department’s aim is to facilitate the process for individuals, families, and communities to become more responsible for improving their well-being in relation to their economic, social, cultural, political and physical environment. The primary focus is to improve peoples’ decision-making abilities in order help them make the best use of available resources. This is achieved through providing practical skills and career focused programmes to students focusing on Foods/Nutrition, Clothing design/construction.
Vision
The department’s aim is to produce graduates with skills for careers in the formal (Teaching, Community Development, Extension work, Food/Clothing Industries) and informal sectors (Entrepreneurship and Self-employment in Foods/Catering, and Clothing Design/construction).
Modules
Modules
Below is a list of the modules offered by the department.
CODE | NAME OF MODULE (Prerequisite in brackets) |
|---|---|
FEC 1541: | Introduction to Family Ecology |
FEC 1641: | Family Development and Management : (Prereq FEC1541) |
FEC 1642: | Introduction to nutrition |
FEC 2541: | Family resource management and decision making(Prereq FEC1641) |
FEC 2542: | Life-cycle nutrition(Prereq FEC1642) |
FEC 2543: | Introduction to foods |
FEC 2544: | Housing provisions |
FEC 2545: | Introduction to clothing and textiles |
FEC 2641: | Family financial management and consumer studies(Prereq FEC2541) |
FEC 2642: | Nutrition related diseases(Prereq FEC2542) |
FEC 2643:: | Food preservation(Prereq FEC2543) |
FEC 2644: | Ecology and design perspectives of housing(Prereq FEC2544) |
FEC 2645: | Garment construction and pattern design(Prereq FEC2545) |
FEC 3541: | Adult education , gender and development(Prereq FEC2641) |
FEC 3542: | Community nutrition(Prereq FEC2642) |
FEC 3543: | Meal management and food product development(Prereq FEC2643) |
FEC 3544: | Interior planning of houses(Prereq FEC2644) |
FEC 3545: | Fashion marketing & clothing industry consumer services(Prereq FEC2645) |
FEC 3081: | Research project / industrial attachment |
Staff
The following is a list of staff members in the Department of Consumer Science:
