Philosophy of Food
Philosophy of Food
Course Description
An exploration of how food relates to major areas of philosophical inquiry, including metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, ethics, and political theory. Topics can include, but are not limited to, the nature of food, food as art, biotechnology, the ethics of eating animals, human rights and food safety,cultural identity, and the politics of global food distribution and production.
Course Objectives
●to familiarize students with philosophical inquiry and how it relates to food;
●to develop critical thinking skills;
●to promote written and oral communication skills;
●to assist students in cultivating a deeper appreciation about how our food choices have ethical consequences.
Book
The Philosophy of Food (2012), David Kaplan, (ed.), University of California Press.
E-reserves
Basis for grade determination
●Midterm = 25%
●Short writing assignments = 25%
●Group presentation = 15%
●Final paper = 25%
●Class participation = 10%
Midterm exam: an in-class exam that measures the students’ ability to articulate philosophical arguments and their application to certain food issues.
Short writing assignments (1-2 pages): I will assign these periodically during the semester to complement our readings and/or class discussions. These assignments will measure critical thinking and writing skills and encourage currency with the readings.
Group presentations: each group is required to give a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation that covers an assigned chapter from America’s Food (2009), located at the Reserve Desk in the library.The presentationsshould includeoutside research and they are graded on the basis of accuracy, clarity, quality of outside research, organization, and creativity. A (1-2 pages) contribution paper required.
Final paper (5-7 pages): a paper that defends a thesis about a food-related issue. Outline and class presentation required.
Class participation: students will be assigned a grade based on detailed rubric.
Outline of class
All readings from Philosophy of Food(2012) and/or E-reserve.
Short writing assignments will be assigned throughout the semester.
Week 1 - Introduction/World Hunger
E-reserve: Garrett Hardin: “Lifeboat Ethics” and Peter Singer: “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”
Week 2 – Food as identity
“Real Men have Manners” –Scruton
“Down-Home Global Cooking” –Heldke
Week 3–Food as art
“Tastes, Smells, and Everyday Aesthetics” – Emily Brady
“Ethical Gourmandism” – Korsmeyer
Week 4 – Food politics
“Two Evils in Food Country: Hunger and Lack of Representation” –Korthals
“Nature Politics and the Philosophy of Agriculture” – Thompson
Week 5– GMOs and food safety
“Ethics and Genetically Modified Food” - Comstock
“The Ethics of Food Safety in the 21st Century” - Burkhardt
Video: excerpts from Food, Inc.
Week 6
E-reserve: “Stolen Harvest: the hijacking of the global food supply” – Shiva
Catch up/review
Midterm
Week 7 – Eating animals
E-reserve: Factory farming (and environmental degradation)
E-reserve: “Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly on the Earth” - Fox
E-reserve: “The Conscientious Omnivore” – Singer and Mason (The Ethics of What We Eat)
Week 8
“The Myth of Happy Meat” - Haynes
“The Problem of Happy Meat and the Importance of Vegan Education” - Francione
Videos: Meet your Meat/Life in Bars
Week 9
Group Presentations
Week 10
Group presentations
Week 11 – Food technology
“Nutritionism and Functional Foods” – Scrinis
“In Vitro Meat” – Berlin
Week 12
Catch up
Thanksgiving Break
Week 13 - Seafood
“The Ethics and Sustainability of Aquaculture” – Kaiser
E-reserve: “The Blue Revolution” - Shiva
Student presentations
Week 14
Student presentations
Final paper due exam week.