ENVS 313, Sustainable Food Systems

 

Instructor: Dr. Amy Telligman (telligmanal@wofford.edu, 864-597-4494)

Lecture: TR, 1:00 – 2:20

Office Hours: F 10-noon & by appointment (via Zoom) Office: CCES 209

Final Exam: Tuesday, December 8, 2-5 pm

 

Course Description

This course provides an overview of the US food system while focusing on interrelationships with the environment, society, public health, and equity. Students will examine the major driving forces shaping our modern US food system and possible alternatives. The course introduces students to analytical and theoretical frameworks used by social scientists to discuss and critique social relationships surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of food situated within broader political economies.

Course Objectives

At the end of the semester you should be able to:

·         Explain a systems approach to food systems.

·         Utilize analytical and theoretical frameworks to understand and reflect on the key dimensions of the US food system.

·         Discuss various approaches to food system change including public health, social movement, and human rights, and provide examples of changes underway.

·         Identify and evaluate the social-environmental impacts of various agrifood practices.

·         Identify, locate, and collect appropriate primary and secondary data and assess the status of community food systems.

·         Reflect on how your attitudes and beliefs about food systems are different from those of other cultures and communities

Course Texts

Neff, Roni. Introduction to the US Food System: Public Health, Environment, and Equity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand. ISBN-13: 978-1118063385.

Multiple readings will be posted on Moodle. Please check Moodle on a regular basis.

 

 

 

 

Brief Course Outline

Date	Week	Lecture Topic
Sep 1	1	Introduction to food systems, food ways & identity, food culture, and the sociological imagination
Sep 8	2	The changing structure of agriculture, concentration and consolidation, treadmills, polices shaping agrifood systems, subsidizing the treadmill
Sep 15	3	Consumption, promotional marketing, food packaging, processing
Sep 22	4	Food insecurity, local food environments, food access, COVID and disruptions in supply chain system
Sep 29	5	Agrifood systems and inequities, Pigford Cases, race and gender in agrifood work
Oct 6	6	Agrifood labor, agricultural exceptionalism, farm wages, migrant labor, immigrant labor, pesticide exposure, essential workers in COVID
Oct 8	6	Midterm
Oct 13	7	Food, agriculture and the environment, climate change, carbon  & water footprint
Oct 20	8	Food animal production, crop production and food systems
Oct 27	9	Alternative food systems, community food security
Nov 3	10	Organic agriculture, organic lite, yuppie chow, politics of localization
Nov 10	11	Food justice, food sovereignty, food democracy Book review due
Dec 1	12	Book Reviews Lightening Presentation
Dec 8	13	Final Exam

 

1.       Weekly reading assignment and questions (20%)

Reading assignments and prompts will be posted on Moodle. Late assignments not accepted. The readings will be a mix of chapters from the textbook and journal articles. To receive full credit, you need to answer all questions in complete sentences, and use evidence from readings in answer.

 

2.         Book Review & Lightening Presentation (20%)

Choose a book from the list provided below, read, and review (a rubric will be posted on Moodle). This is an opportunity for the entire class to learn more about the book you reviewed, and will help build a community library of books related to the sociology of food and agriculture. Additionally, lightening talks are increasingly a popular presentation option at conferences. The short time presentation time forces a tight presentation, this is an opportunity for you to experiment and practice the lightening talk model, and should be approached as a professional development opportunity.

Important Dates for this assignment

Sep 15: turn in book selection

Nov 10: submit book review

Dec 1: Lighting presentations

 

Lightening Presentation: In no more than five minutes (practice ahead of time!), provide the class with: (a) descriptive information about their selected book (e.g., title, author name/affiliation, year); (b) brief content summary (e.g., key arguments, methods, conclusions); and (c) personal reaction and recommended readership.

 

List of books for review:

·         Alkon, Alison and Julian Agyeman. Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class, and Sustainability

·         Barnard, Alex. Freegans: Diving into the Wealth of Food Waste in America

·         Bowen, Natasha. The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming

·         Daniel, Peter. Dispossession: Discrimination against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights

·         Ganz, Marshall. Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization, and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement

·         Guthman, Julie. Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism

·         Guthman, Julie. Agrarian Dreams. The Paradox of Organic Farming in California

·         Harrison, Jill. Pesticide Drift and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice

·         Hatch, Anthony Ryan. Blood Sugar: Racial Pharmacology and Food Justice in Black America

·         Hassanein, Neva. Changing the Way America Farms:  Knowledge and Community in the Sustainable Agriculture Movement

·         Holmes, Seth. Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States

·         Longo, Stefano, Rebecca Clausen, and Brett Clark. The Tragedy of the Commodity: Oceans, Fisheries, and Aquaculture

·         Pellow, David. Total Liberation: The Power and Promise of Animal Rights and the Radical Earth Movement

·         White, Monica. Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement

·         Reese, Ashante. Black Food Geographies: Race, Self-Reliance, and Food Access in Washington D.C.

·         Ribas, Vanesa. On the Line: Slaughterhouse Lives and the Making of the New South

·         Winders, Bill. The Politics of Food Supply: U.S. Agricultural Policy in the World Economy

 

3.       Kloppenburg Food Assignment (10%)

Kloppenburg food assignment involves doing some research/exploration on your own. You will select an exercise from the list (e.g., fasting, practicing a vegan diet, experiencing a new food culture – I’ll post a list on Moodle).  The results of each exercise will be reported in a 5 page (double spaced) essay. Exercises should be well organized, thoughtful, and should include key concepts, theories, terms we have addressed in class while also incorporating additional research to make and illustrate points.

 

4.       Community Meal (10%)

We will prepare community meals in the Food Lab at least one Thursday of the month at noon*. Everyone is invited to join. Regardless if you join at noon or later, you will be responsible for planning a short commentary and theme for one meal – even ig others prep and eat it. Themes should revolve around course material for the week. You will share this information at the start of the 1 o’clock class time. A rubric for the commentary/planning portion will be posted on Moodle. Also, I encourage you to work in pairs for this assignment. *We can discuss what dates would work for the majority.

 

 

5.       Exams (15% each)

There will be 2 exams during the semester (midterm and final). Exams will be a mix of basic knowledge questions (short answer, fill in the blank); comprehensions questions (short paragraph); application and analysis questions (short paragraph); synthesis and evaluation (essay). EXAMS CANNOT BE MADE UP WITHOUT MEDICAL EMERGENCY DOCUMENTATION.

 

Midterm: Oct 8

Final Exam: Dec 8

  

6.       Participation (10%)

Participation is based on class preparedness, and contributions made during discussions.

 

Course Evaluation

20%     Reading Questions

            20%     Book Review & Lightening Presentations

            10%     Quarterly Journal Updates

            10%     Community Meal

            15%     Midterm Exam

            15%     Final Exam

            10%     Participation

 

Other Course Policies

Honor Code

Wofford's Honor Code is an important expression of our community values, including academic honesty. Assignments will be explained so that you understand when collaboration is appropriate and expected, and when you must work independently. You always need to provide information about the resources you use, whether they are from the internet, library, or other people. Please ask if you are ever unsure of the requirements for an assignment!

 

You can find the honor code in its entirety online:

http://www.wofford.edu/uploadedFiles/studentLife/Honor%20Code_RightsResp.pdf

 

Attendance Policy

You are expected to attend all class and lab meetings unless prevented by illness, emergency, or athletic commitment. Please contact Dr. Telligman as soon as you know you will be absent on a particular day. After 2 unexcused lecture absences, an attendance warning will be issued. Additional unexcused absences beyond two will result in a 5% reduction in your final grade for each day you miss. 

 

Electronics Policy

Your phone needs to be in airplane mode of turned off during class. Texting, gaming, or using electronic media for any purpose other than following class instructions is strictly prohibited. We will occasionally use laptops in class to complete spreadsheets or conduct internet research. Use of laptops for other purposes or at other times, including for note-taking, is not permitted except in cases where an accommodation is required.

 

Wellness

If you are struggling, either academically or emotionally, friends and professional counselors can both be a great help. Wofford Counseling Services is available to help you navigate difficult situations. Please, seek support if you need it, or if you are concerned about how friends are coping with stress or other issues.             http://www.wofford.edu/wellnessCenter/counselingFAQ/

Academic Integrity

The Wofford Honor Code will apply to all activities conducted during this course. If you are in any doubt about any course of action, please contact me to make sure that your decision will be the right one.

Please refer also to this document describing plagiarism, written by Dr. Clayton Whisnant: http://webs.wofford.edu/whisnantcj/handouts/Plagiarism.pdf

Statement on Classroom Environment and Title IX

Wofford College is committed to creating a safe environment for all Wofford community members. To that end, all faculty members must report to the Title IX Coordinator any information they receive related to incidents of sexual or gender-based misconduct, including stalking, sexual harassment, sexual assault, gender-based harassment, and dating violence. For information about Wofford’s policy and resources, please visit www.wofford.edu/administration/title-ix.

 

I want you to feel comfortable sharing information with me directly and through classroom discussions and assignments, but please be aware that there are some instances in which I am required to share information with the College and some instances in which I will feel obligated to share information with appropriate College staff. If I receive information related to sexual and gender-based harassment, violence, and discrimination, I will keep the information private, but I am required to share that information with the Title IX Coordinator. Contact information for the Title IX Coordinator and for confidential resources can be found on the Title IX webpage: www.wofford.edu/administration/title-ix. Additionally, if I am aware that you are struggling with something that may be traumatic or if I am concerned about your mental health or behavior, I may raise a flag in Starfish or reach out to appropriate College staff for resources and assistance. Students may speak confidentially with the counselors in the Wellness Center and with the College Chaplain.

 

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

“It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit.  It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let me know so we can make arrangements for you.” (Source: University of Iowa College of Education)

I will also honor your request to address you by an alternate name or pronoun. Please advise me of this preference via email or in person so that I can honor this request.