Health, Food & Social Justice

Fall 2015, UGS 2280-001

T,H 2:00-3:00, OSH 137

Professors:

Adrienne

Office: BUC 23

Shannon

Office: HPER N Room 210

Peer Mentor

Jennifer

Course Description:

Thewaysinwhichfoodisgrown, produced,and distributedis both fascinating and problematic in terms of health and social justice. In this course we will explore social, cultural, and economic systems that shape our food practices and consequently our health. We will use a variety of cultural lenses to consider food and health before examining how communities across the globe have transformedlocal food systems to create more balanced health outcomes. Finally, we will develop a plan for engaging with our local food system to promote equitable food access and healthful food practice for Salt Lake communities.

Learning Outcomes:

Students will:

  • examine social, political and economic forces that shape our food system;
  • evaluate various cultural perspectives on healthand consider how these impact food and equity;
  • analyze case studies relating to social change and equity through civic engagement and action at local levels; and
  • generate a proposal for an engaged project(s) within the local community that address health, food, and social justice.

Topic by date / Readings/Documentaries for following week / Assignments for following week
Tuesday, August 25th
Course introduction and community building / Food fight documentary
Excerpt Rebuilding the Foodshed(pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Reflection
Thursday, August 27th
Food rules: history of prescribed nutrition / A brief history of USDA food guides
USDA Food Shopping Tip Sheet (pdf)
ExcerptFood Policy in the United States: an Introduction(pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, September 1st
Defining health and healthy food practices across cultures
Amy Brunvand re researching cultural food guidelines / Botany of desire video clip
Readings by research group
Thursday, September 3rd
Cultural aspects of food with Polly Weissner / Excerpt Food as cultural construction (pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, September 8th
Food Rules
Student Research Presentations / FedUp documentary / Presentations
Thursday, September 10th
Culture, Environment &Social Justice
Bad Sugar Case Study / Excerpt Salt Fat Sugar(pdf)
/ Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, September 15th
New Roots Field Trip / Food, gender and ‘refugee community’ moments (pdf) / Conceptions of Health Paper
Thursday, September 17th
Campus Garden Tour /

Excerpt The Pull of the Earth (pdf) / Critical Analysis /Reflection Form
Tuesday, September 22nd
Food Justice overview / ExcerptFood Justice (pdf)
Excerpt Cultivating Food Justice, (pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, September 24th
Food Pantry on campus and beyond SR / A Place at the Table Documentary
Map the Meal Gap (pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, September 29th
Global Food Systems / Excerpt:Stuffed and Starved(pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, October 1st
Real Food / Anim Steel video
Excerpt Stuffed and Starved(pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, October 6th
Community Food Assessment presentation with Ashley Patterson / Eric Holt Giménez – / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, October 8th
Meet the potential partners/speed dating WCG, RFR, GUL/Fruitshare, Food Bank / Traditional vs. Critical Service-Learning: Engaging the Literature to Differentiate Two Models - Tania Mitchell (pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
FALL BREAK-NO CLASS
Tuesday, October 13th
Thursday, October 15th / No readings
Tuesday, October 20th
Proposal ideas discussion / Readings TBA / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, October 22nd
Proposal work time / e-talks: The Secret of Food Marketing
National Institute of Health: Navigating the Grocery Store (pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, October 27th
NO CLASS
Food store field scavenger hunt and creation of video/mp/guide for health, justice or both / No readings
Thursday, October 29th
Student presentations of grocery store navigation / Readings TBA / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, November 3rd
Illusion of Diversity – Howard lecture / Readings TBA / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, November 5tb
Urban agriculture: The Farm Documentary / Excerpt “The Raw and the Rotten: Punk Cuisine”(pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, November 10th
Gleaning/Food / Excerpt Fast food/organic food: reflexive tastes and the making of ‘yuppie chow’ (pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday November 12th
Food Policy/Farm Bill Intro / Readings TBA / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, November 17th
Critical look at Food Rules – revisit initial ideas / Readings TBA / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, November 19th
Present findings & Discussion / Readings TBA / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, November 22nd
Real Food / Real food reading -TBA / Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, November 24th
THANKSGIVING-NO CLASS / None
Tuesday, December 1st
Proposal work time / Breaking the Food Chains: An Investigation of Food Justice Activism (pdf) / Reflection paper due
Critical Analysis Form
Thursday, December 3rd
Proposal work time/SC case study / Rural Connections: Local and Regional Food Hubs Boost Rural Economies(pdf) Developing a Health Food Hub in Rural Nevada (pdf) / Critical Analysis Form
Tuesday, December 8th
Proposal work time/SC case study / Rebuilding Alaska Foodsheds: No shortage of good ideas (pdf), Growing a Local Food Policy Council (pdf) / Proposal due
Thursday, December 10th
CLC Outing SR / None / Critical Analysis
Form

Choices for Academic Success

Participation

Class sessions are predominantly interactive with a heavy emphasis upon collaborative efforts. As a consequence, in-class activities for which points are assigned cannot be “made up” outside of class time. Absences for parts of class sessions (i.e., arriving late, leaving early) will be used in the calculation of participation. There is no differentiation between excused versus other types of absences: when you are absent, you are missing experiences and interactions that cannot be gained in any other way. Because we are a small and mobile class, please notify me if you will be late or absent.

Critical Analysis Forms

Each student will complete a critical analysis form for each class session. These forms, available from our CANVAS site will help you read critically and articulate your questions, reactions, and potential or actual roles in these issues.

Proposal

By the end of the semester, student groups will complete a community research or project proposal designed to better understand or promote access and healthful food practice in our community. This proposal will include the following group elements:

problem statement

strategies for solutions/amelioration,

task list and timeline for project implementation

project evaluation plan

individual student learning goals

Cultural Food Rules Research Presentation & Paper

Each student will research the “food rules”of three different cultures for presentation to the class. After articulating these food rules, students will consider how the global agro-industrial food system supports or undermines these “rules” and, in the form of an essay, describe how we might attend to these tensions.

Reflection Assignments

You will write two papers that examine your perceptions about food and health. The first will help you understand and articulate your own “food rules.” The second assignment will include an analysis/reflection of how your thoughts have changed given your experiences in the course.

Course Bibliography

Alkon, A. H. & Agyeman, J. (2011). Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class, and Sustainability. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Alkon, A. H. & Norgaard, K.M. (2009). Breaking the Food Chains: An Investigation of Food Justice Activism. Sociological Inquiry, 79(3), pp. 289-305.

Braw, E. (2014, September 9). Bristol to provide urban farming inspiration as EU Green Capitol. The Guardian. Retrieved from:

Clark, D. (2013). The Raw and the Rotten: Punk Cuisine. In,Food and Culture, Counihan, C. & Van Esterik, P. (Eds.), pp. 411-422. New York: Routledge.

Colicchio, T., Lurie, J., Skoll, J., Lurie, C.W., & Weyerman, D. (Producers), & Jacobsen, K. & Silverbush, L. (Directors). (2012). A Place at the Table [Motion Picture]. United States: Magnolia Pictures.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Office of Environmental Justice. (2008). Case Studies from the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Program. Washington D.C.: Environmental Protection Agency.

eTalks. The Secrets of Food Marketing. Retrieved from:

Gerlach, S. C. & Loring, P.A. (2012). Rebuilding Alaska Foodsheds: No shortage of good ideas. In Rural Connections: Local and Regional Food Hubs Boost Rural Economies, Newman, B, (Ed.), pp. 23-24. Logan, UT: Western Rural Development Center.

Giménez, E.H. (2015). The Vanishing Public Sphere. Retrieved from:

Gottlieb, R. & Joshi, A. (2010). Food Justice. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Gundersen, C., A. Satoh, A. Dewey, M. Kato & E. Engelhard. (2015). Map the Meal Gap 2015: Food Insecurity and Child Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level. Feeding America. Retrieved from:

Guthman, J. (2003). Fast food/organic food: reflexive tastes and the making of ‘yuppie chow’. Social & Cultural Geography, 4(1), pp. 45-58.

Hamilton, M. (2014, May 8). Urban Farming Yields Fresh Foods, Land Reuse. National Geographic. Retrieved from:

Couric, K. & David, L. (Producers), Soechtig, S. (Director). (2014). Fed Up. [Motion Picture]. United States: Atlas Films.

Lakes, Q. (2012). Developing a Health Food Hub in Rural Nevada. In Rural Connections: Local and Regional Food Hubs Boost Rural Economies, Newman, B, (Ed.), pp. 21-22. Logan, UT: Western Rural Development Center.

Leist-Ackerman, P. (2013). Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Lewis, H. (2009). Food, gender and ‘refugee community’ moments. From SOAS Food and Migration Workshop.

Mitchell, T. D. (2008). Traditional vs. Critical Service Learning: Engaging the Literature to Differentiate Two Different Models. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, pp. 50-65.

Moss, M. (2013). Salt, Fat, Sugar: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.

National Institute of Health: Division of Nutrition Research Coordination. Navigating the Grocery Store. Retrieved from:

Patel, R. (2007).Stuffed and Starved. Brooklyn, NY: Melville Publishing.

Gray, E., McLean, K. & Stewart, C.P. (Producers), Schwarz, M. & Gray, E. (Directors). (2009). The Botany of Desire. [Motion Picture]. United States: Kikim Media.

Smith, J. N., Harder, C. & Jannotta, S. (2010). Growing a Garden City: How farmers, first graders, counselors. Troubled teens, foodies, a homeless center chef, single mothers, and more are transforming themselves and their neighborhoods through the intersection of local agriculture and community. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Steel, A. (2015). Food Justice: A Vision Deeper Than the Problem. Retrieved from:

Thorp, L. (2006). The Pull of the Earth: Participatory Ethnography in the School Garden. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.

United States Department of Agriculture: Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. (2011). Smart Shopping for Fruits and Vegetables. Retrieved from:

Van Dis, K. & Martin, D. (2012). Growing a Local Food Policy Council. In Rural Connections: Local and Regional Food Hubs Boost Rural Economies, Newman, B, (Ed.), pp. 25-26. Logan, UT: Western Rural Development Center.

Western Rural Development Center. (2012). Austin, G., Barcinas, P.R., Barham, J., Bregendahl, C., Gerlach, S.C., Gunter, A., Lakes, Q., Liang, C., Loring, P.A. Martin, D., Merrigan, K., Michahelles, M. Pirog, R., Skarsgard, M., Thilmany, D., and Van Dis, K. Rural Connections: Local and Regional Food Hubs Boost Rural Economies. Logan, UT: Western Rural Development Center.

Wilde, P. (2013). Food Policy in the United States: An Introduction. London: Routledge.