PS 510 (M1) - Politics of Food
Politics of Food
Term: Spring 2020 - UNHM Credit (15 weeks) (01/21/2020 - 05/11/2020)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
CRN: 56872
Start Date | End Date | Days | Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
1/23/2020 | 5/7/2020 | R | 6:01pm - 7:30pm | ONLINE |
Whatever else your food has in it -- and we’ll examine where your food comes from, what it’s made from, how it gets to you, and how it affects your body, your family, your community, the economy, and the planet -- modern food is filled with politics, whether we’re talking about international trade agreements, agricultural subsidies, programs like school lunch and Food Stamps, workplace safety and health regulations, federal definitions of “organic” or “low fat,” battles over the labelling of genetically modified organisms, the usefulness and constitutionality of mandated calorie and salt warnings on restaurant meals, or how large-scale industrial food systems affect global warming, obesity, and hunger. And yet, without the mass production and global distribution of scientifically state-of-the art food, mass starvation would likely be as much a feature of modern society as it was of previous eras. We’ll confront these issues, and more, with an interdisciplinary perspective and with as much hands-on learning as we can.