SEMINARS FALL 2008
HONR 219B Food for Health: How Food Production Methods Affect
our Health and the Environment
Tuesday/Thursday 2 - 3:15 p.m.
Dr. Maria Oria, Lecturer in University Honors
The initial successes of industrial agriculture were clear for many years: high yields, easy management of pests, and, ultimately, affordable and abundant food for all. We are now coming to realize the long-term consequences of industrial agriculture. Also, in the past 20-30 years, we have embarked in a globalization trend that has created a more complex food chain. New trading patterns have allowed for year-round food availability but they have also widened the gap between consumer and producer. Questions about food production practices miles away and potential hazards to health and the environment have been raised. Public concerns about food safety issues and America's awakening "green" culture are just a couple of factors driving the increase in fresh and locally grown food sales. Although there is much evidence showing the benefits to the environment of growing foods in a more sustainable manner, there are less available data to support direct benefits to consumer such as better nutrition or safer products.
This course will deepen our awareness of the overall impact of food production in our lives. It will focus on making comparisons between food production systems and will review potential effects of those practices, specifically focusing on health outcomes for individuals and for the environment. The course will address questions such as: What are our motivations behind our decisions in purchasing/consuming foods? How has food production become industrialized? What are the benefits and risks of such a system? What are the consequences we are seeing today? How does the use of chemical pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics affect human health and the environment? Is the quality and nutrition of the food affected? What are the alternatives to an industrial system? What is sustainable agriculture? How does the USDA define organic agriculture? Is there one agricultural system that is better for humans and the environment? What are the current and future challenges of food production? As a consumer, what is your role in shaping food production by consciously selecting foods? After taking this course, would you change your decisions on the food you purchase?
Involvement in this seminar will include three main projects. We will design and conduct a survey among class participants to learn about their motivations behind food consumption and their understanding of the origin of the food they purchase. We will also participate in a role-playing exercise with the purpose of understanding the justifications for the co-existence of various food production systems. There will also be a requirement for a final paper with an analysis of the role-playing exercise. Students will be evaluated on the written and oral components of all three projects.
Reading Materials:
Marion Nestle, What to Eat; Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's
Dilemma; American Dietetic Association, Healthy Land, Healthy
People: Building a Better Understanding of Sustainable Food Systems for
Food and Nutrition Professionals; Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy, Food Without Thought. How US Farm Policy Contributes to Obesity.
CORE: Behavioral and Social Sciences [SB]
