Schedule and Readings

UNIT ONE: Making Citizenship Modern
(The unit one schedule has been moved to the bottom of the page)

UNIT TWO: UNDERSTANDING MODERN CITIZENSHIP
FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Week 6 (Top)
Monday, Feb 15 - What the World Eats
Readings: "How the World Eats" (TIME Article)
              "What the World Eats" (TIME Photo Essay)
Assignment: Service Learning Assignment

Wednesday, Feb 17 - What are we eating?
Readings: "The Real Cost of Cheap Food" (TIME article)
               "Eating made simple" (Marion Nestle)
               "The Consumer: A Republic of Fat"
                     "Omnivore's Dilemma", Chapter 6, pp 100 - 108

Friday, Feb 19 -Nutrition
Readings: "Can a family eat on $100 a week?"
              "Food, Inc." (pg 227 - 262)
                Chapter 12 - "Improving Kids Nutrition"
              "Eat on the Cheap"
              "New frugality shows up in local checkout lanes"
Supporting Resources:
               "How Much are You Eating?" - USDA dietary and portion size guidelines
               "USDA Dietary Guidelines and Food Resources"
Assignment: Plan a Menu for a family of 3 with only $131. 50

Week 7 (Top)
Monday, Feb 22 - Service Project Discussion/Work Day #1
Reading: "The Limits of Charity", D. Hilfiker
Assignment due: Service Learning Project research (2-min class presentation)

Wednesday, Feb 24 - Genetically Modified Foods:The Solution to Hunger?
Reading: "Should We Grow GM Crops?" by Peter Tyson (part of a PBS special)
Supplemental: "Harvest of Fear" - PBS/NOVA/Frontline Special Report

Special Event:
Host: Mecklenburg County Fruit & Vegetable Coalition (Health Department)
Location: Mecklenburg County Health Department Multipurpose Room
                249 Billingsley Road 
                Charlotte, NC 28211
When: Wednesday, February 24th - 4:00 - 6:00pm
Phone: 704-432-3468 - Allison Mignery

You are invited to a screening of the documentary FRESH! followed by a discussion panel of local food advocates that's sure to be thought provoking!. For more information please click here.

Participating in the discussion will be Lynn Caldwell, Manager of the Tailgate market, Carl Wagner of Carlea Farms, Dr. Greg Pillar, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Chemistry at Queens University of Charlotte and B.J. Ratcliffe, Registered Dietitian.

Friday, Feb 26 - Organic vs Conventional Farming
Activity: "Food Inc." - Documentary

Week 8 (Top)
Monday, Mar 1 - Service Project Day #2
Reading: "America's Hunger/Wandering Families"
              "Hunger in America: A Matter of Policy" Marion Nestle

Wednesday, Mar 3 - Where Does Our Food Come From? Conventional Ag.
Reading(s): "Omnivore's Dilemma" (pg 15 - 64)
                   Chapter 1 - "The Plant: Corn's Conquest"
                   Chapter 2 - "The Farm"
                   Chapter 3 - "The Elevator"
Assignment Due: Plan a Menu for a family of 3 with only $131.50

Friday, Mar 5 - Where Does Our Food Come From? Organic Farming
Readings: "Omnivore's Dilemma" (pg 185 - 207)
                Chapter 10 - "Grass: Thirteen Ways of Looking at Pasure"
               "Food, Inc." ( pg 47 - 60)
                Chapter 3 - "Healthy Food, and So Much More"

Week 9 - SPRING BREAK

Week 10 (Top)
Monday, Mar 15
- Where Does Our Food Come From? Feedlots and Meat
Readings: "Omnivore's Dilemma" (pg 65 - 99)
                 Chapter 4 - "The Feedlot: Making Meat"
                 Chapter 5 - "The Processing Plant: Making Complex Food"

Wednesday, Mar 17 - Animal Practices
Readings: "Food, Inc." (p. 61 - 64)
                "The Dirty Six: The Worst Animal Practices in Agribusiness"
                "Omnivore's Dilemma" (pg. 208 - 225)
                  Chapter 11 - "Animals: Practicing Complexity"

Friday, Mar 19 - Cheap Labor
Readings: "Food Inc." (pg. 123 - 148)
                  Chapter 7 - "Cheap Food: Workers Pay the Price"
                "The Cruelest Cuts" (Charlotte Observer Special Report)
                  Read Day 1 - Day 6 (17 short articles)

Week 11 (Top)
Monday, Mar 22 - Eating Disorders: Mass Marketing and The Science of Appetite
Readings: "The Mass Marketing of Eating Disorders"
                "Science of Appetite" (TIME article)

Wednesday, Mar 24 - Citizen's Forum Paper Discussion

Friday, Mar 26 - Eating Disorders: Cultural Issues (Obesity/diabetes)
Readings: "Putting America's Diet on a Diet" (NY Times Magainze)
                "Can the food industry play a constructive role in the obesity
                  epidemic?" (Marion Nestle)
                 "Do dietary guidelines explain the obestiy epidemic? "(Marion Nestle)
                 "The ironic politics of obesity (editorial)" (Marion Nestle)

Supplemental:"Jamie Oliver: 'Eat your chips,' just not every day"
                      "Jamie Oliver's TED Award Speech" - Video
                      "A Makeover for Food Labels" by Tara Parker-Pope, NY Times
                       "A Makeover for Food Labels" (1 page graphic)
                      "Dollar Stores: The Last, and Not So Healthy Eating Choice, Before                           the Food Lines" by Habiba Alcindor
                       "First Lady Links Childhood Obesity to National Security in Launch                           of 'Let's Move' Campaign" by Penny Starr
                       "Let's Move: Advocating to Make Michelle Obama's Vision of Ending                           Childhood Obesity a Reality" by Mark Bishop

Week 12 (Top)
Monday, Mar 29 - Global Issues: Climate Change
Readings: "Food, Inc." (pg 105 - 118, 119 - 122)
                Chapter 6 - "The Climate Crisis at the End of our Fork"
                Another Take - "Global Warming and Your Food"

Wednesday, Mar 31 - Global Issues: World Hunger
Readings: "Food, Inc." (pg. 65 - 78, 149 - 160, 161 - 168)
                Chapter 4 - "Food, Science, and the Challenge of World Hunger"
                Chapter 8 - "The Financial Crisis and World Hunger"
                Another Take - "The Scope of the World Crisis"
Assignment Due: Citizen's Forum Paper

Friday, Apr 2 - NO CLASS - Easter Holiday

 

UNIT THREE: BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN - THE FORUM

Week 13 (Top)
Monday, Apr 5 - Preparing for the Citizens' Forum: Food Issues
Task: Assess topic options and debate proposal possibilities, identify roles

Wednesday, Apr 7 - Preparing for the Citizens' Forum
Task: Formulate proposal

Friday, Apr 9 - Preparing for the Citizen's Forum
Task: Revise and finalize draft of proposal

Week 14 (Top)
Monday, Apr 12 - First Citizen's Forum
Proposals presented and questioned, Belk Chapel

Wednesday, Apr 14 - 2nd day of First Citizen's Forum
Proposals presented and questioned, Belk Chapel

Friday, Apr 16 - Work on Revisions
Task: Reflect on proposals at the Forum, propose revisions to section proposal

Week 15 (Top)
Monday, Apr 19 - Make final Revisions to Proposal
Revised proposals presented and voted up or down, Belk Chapel

Wednesday, Apr 21 - Final Citizen's Forum
Revised proposals presented and voted up or down, Belk Chapel

Friday, Apr 23 - 2nd day of Final Citizen's Forum
Revised proposals presented and voted up or down, Belk Chapel

Week 16 (Top)
Monday, Apr 26 - Review Citizen's Forum
Task: Debrief on the experience in active citizenship

 

UNIT ONE: Making Citizenship Modern

Week 1 (Top)
Monday, Jan 11 -
Introduction

What are the responsibilities of citizens today?

What does "modern" mean?
Wednesday, Jan 13 - What does modern mean?
Reading: Modernity essay

Friday, Jan 15 - Who is modern?
Reading: Ben Franklin Autobiography, excerpt
How is he modern? How does a modern person improve themselves and their society?

Week 2 (Top)
Monday, Jan 18 - No Class: Martin Luther King

Consent
Wednesday, Jan 20 - Consent and government

Reading: "Treatise of Civil Government
",excerpt, John Locke

Background Reading:
"Declaration of Independence"

Friday, Jan 22 - The American Experience
Reading: VA Stamp Act Resolves (1765)

Week 3 (Top)
Monday, Jan 25 - Extending Rights

Reading: "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
, Frederick Douglass
Background Reading"Consititution"

Wednesday, Jan 27 - Modern Rights and Responsiblities
Reading: "Seneca falls" and "Bill of Rights"
Women's demands - how are they modern?

Friday, Jan 29 - Protecting Rights
Reading: Roosevelt Economic Bill of Rights
              Farmer In Chief (Michael Pollan - NY Times)

Week 4 (Top)
Representation
Monday, Feb 1- American Representation

Readings: Sunstein article (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22453)

Wednesday, Feb 3 - Defending the Constitution
Reading: Federalists No. 10, 57 & 70

Friday, Feb 5 - Contemporary Representation
How do modern interest groups shape gov't today? Do they impair our representation? Do they get in the way? How are they useful? Besides electing representatives, how do we participate in our gov't?
Reading: Influencing Government: Food Lobbies and Lobbyist (Food Politics by Marion Nestle)

Week 5 (Top)
Participation
Monday, Feb 8 - An Engaged Society
Reading: de Tocqueville excerpt
How do Americans engage in politics and society?

Wednesday, Feb 10 - Modern Engagement
Reading: Gore, Assault on Reason excerpt

Friday, Feb 12 - Exam #1

 

 

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