Fall 2007 Wednesday 9:10 – 12:00 Room 221, Natural Resources Building
SYLLABUS
Instructors Jim Bingen Phil Howard 326 Natural Resources 316 Natural Resources 353-1905 355-8431 bingen@msu.edu howardp@msu.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Course Description This
graduate multi-disciplinary course in the Department of Community,
Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS) examines a range
of philosophical, socio-economic, health and political issues related
to food and farming in the US. This course is designed as the
introductory course for students specializing in the area of Community,
Food and Agriculture and as a foundation course for any students
interested in a wide variety of local, national and global food and
farming issues.
Key course themes that will be addressed from
diverse disciplinary and conceptual frameworks include: American
agrarianism; the transformation of US food and farming; food and
globalization; localized and place-based agriculture; value chains;
and, food democracy, security and sovereignty.
Students are
expected and encouraged to draw upon their experiences and backgrounds,
to expand their reading in the area of community, food and agriculture,
and to explore a specific issue or theme from an
intellectually-grounded conceptual framework.
Course Objectives The course objectives are to: provide
students with an overview of the literature addressing local, national
and global issues in community, food and agriculture develop an
understanding of various conceptual perspectives used to address issues
in the area of community, food and agriculture, and develop a scholarly
capacity for analyzing food and farming problems from a
multi-disciplinary perspective.
Course Approach The course
is organized as a small seminar with a commitment to developing
collaborative learning among all who participate. In the spirit of
creating an intellectual community around community, food and
agricultural issues, participants are encouraged to share their
concerns about the learning environment and to shape our efforts to
explore these issues.
Course readings are posted on the Angel site. In addition, students are required to purchase:
Wendell Berry. The Unsettling of America. Culture & Agriculture. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Course Assignments There are three written assignments: two short synthesis papers and one paper written for a general or popular audience.
The
two synthesis papers provide the opportunity to begin a review of
specific issues or questions. Starting with an issue or theme raised in
at least one assigned reading, each paper is expected to draw upon
other academic articles for this preliminary review of a specific
issue. Guidelines for these short literature review papers will be
distributed in class. In addition to submitting these 5-8 page papers,
students will post short (2-3 paragraphs) peer review/critiques of the
other class papers.
Due Dates: Paper # 1: October 3, with peer critique postings by the 10th Paper # 2: November 7, with peer critique postings by the 17th
The
final paper will be written as a “popular” or “outreach” article
designed to address a specific question or problem for a more general,
or not necessarily academic, audience. However, it must provide
evidence of familiarity with scholarly publications. This paper should
be (2000-2500 words) and written for submission to a newsletter,
magazine, an on-line site, etc. A draft must be posted by
Monday, December 3, for class discussion on December 5. Final papers
are due no later than Monday, December 10.
All papers must use
the following format: 1” margins, 1.5 spacing, 12 point font in Times
New Roman/Arial/Courier, page numbers at the bottom center on each page
of text.
Students are encouraged to use a bibliographic
program (e.g., EndNote, RefWorks, JabRef) for in-text citations and the
bibliography with any common social science format (e.g., Am J of
Sociology, etc.).
Class Participation Students are expected
to read all required readings, to participate actively during class
meetings as well as over Angel, and to be supportive and collegial to
classmates. To encourage more lively discussions in class each week
students are asked to share observations and comments related to class
readings on the weekly Discussion Forum on Angel.
Course Evaluation Course
evaluation will be weighted in three equal parts: class participation
and discussion, including weekly postings on Angel; the synthesis
papers, including the peer critiques; and the final paper.
COURSE SCHEDULE
INTRODUCTION August 29 What
are our plans and our expectations for this course? What do we bring to
our course discussions in terms of our experiences, past work related
to the topic; and, research area/themes of interest? What specific
topics/themes would you like to pursue during the course?
Showing of King Corn. Mosaic Films Incorporated.
THINKING ABOUT FOOD, FARMING AND AGRICULTURE What are some of our value-based and philosophical assumptions for thinking about food, farming and agriculture?
September 5 American Agrarianism - Philosophical Foundations A brief introduction to American agrarianism.
Required Readings Paul
B. Thompson. 2007. “Agriculture and Working-Class Political Culture: A
Lesson from The Grapes of Wrath.” Agriculture and Human Values. 24:
165-177. Paul B. Thompson. 2000. “Agrarianism as Philosophy.” In
Paul B. Thompson and Thomas C. Hilde (eds). The Agrarian Roots of
Pragmatism. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press: 25-50. James A.
Montmarquet. 2000. “American Agrarianism: The Living Tradition.” In
Paul B. Thompson and Thomas C. Hilde (eds). The Agrarian Roots of
Pragmatism. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press: 51-76.
September 12 Wendell Berry: Setting the Debate Reading The Unsettling of America as the “Silent Spring” for thinking about community, food and agriculture issues in the US
Required Readings Wendell
Berry. 1997. 3rd Edition. The Unsettling of America. Culture &
Agriculture. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. Chapters 1-4. Kimberly
K. Smith. 2003. Wendell Berry and the Agrarian Tradition. A Common
Grace. Chapter 1, “Agrarian Visions,” and Chapter 2, “The Greening of
Agrarianism.” Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
THE GREAT AGRICULTURAL TRANSITION What are some of the key features of what can be called our industrialized food and farming system?
What
are some of the key domestic and global political and policy issues and
debates raised by industrial agriculture and what are their
implications for us as citizens, consumers and researchers?
September 19 The Retail Side: An Insider’s Perspective How is the retail grocery sector organized? What changes have occurred and what drives change in this sector? Guest
speaker: Dr. John W. (Jack) Allen, Professor Emeritus of Food
Marketing, The Eli Broad School of Business, Michigan State University.
Discussion followed by an interview with Kevin Coupe and Michael
Sansolo, MorningNewsBeat.com.
Required Readings Mary
Hendrickson, William D. Heffernan, Philip H. Howard and Judith B.
Heffernan. 2001. Consolidation in Food Retailing and Dairy:
Implications for Farmers and Consumers in a Global Food System. Report
to the National Farmers Union. NFU. Thomas Reardon and Julio A.
Berdegué. 2002. “The Rapid Rise of Supermarkets in Latin America:
Challenges and Opportunities for Development.” Development Policy
Review, 20, 4: 371-388.
September 26 The Production Side: Exploring Corporate Control in Agriculture What are the defining features of, and critical issues raised by, what is called industrial agriculture?
Required Readings Wendell Berry, Chapter 5. Linda
Lobao and Katherine Meyer. 2001. “The Great Agricultural Transition:
Crisis, Change, and Social Consequences of Twentieth Century US
Farming.” Annual Review of Sociology. 27: 103-24. Michael Pollan.
2006. The Omnivore’s Dilemma. A Natural History of Four Meals. New
York: The Penguin Press. “Part I: Industrial Corn.” Pp. 15-119. Curtis
Stofferahn. 2006. “Industrialized Farming and Its Relationship to
Community Well-Being: An Update of a 2000 Report by Linda Lobao.”
Report to the State of North Dakota, Office of the Attorney General
October 3 Food and Globalization What is “globalization” and what issues does it raise for studies in food, farming and development?
Required Readings Wendell Berry, Chapter 6. Lynne Phillips. 2006. “Food and Globalization.” Annual Review of Anthropology. 35: 37-57. Bill
Pritchard and David Burch. 2003. Agri-food Globalization in
Perspective: International Restructuring in the Processing Tomato
Industry. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. Chapter 1,
“Introduction,” and Chapter 7, “Unpacking the Tomato: Interpreting
Agri-Food Globalization.”
FIRST SYNTHESIS PAPER DUE
ALTERNATIVES TO GLOBAL, INDUSTRIAL FOOD AND AGRICULTURE In
the face of industrial and global agriculture how can we think about
alternatives, such as sustainable, local, organic, fair trade, etc.
What are the opportunities for, and constraints on, promoting
alternatives?
October 10 Food and Agriculture Movements What
are the defining characteristics of the current food and agriculture
movement? How is it related to American agrarianism and does it
represent an important force for political change? Guest Speaker: Wynne Wright, Assistant Professor, CARRS
Required Readings Wendell Berry, Chapter 8 Kloppenburg et al. 1996. Coming in to the Foodshed. Agriculture and Human Values. 13, 3 (Summer): 33-42. Warren
Belasco.1999. Food and the Counterculture: A Story of Bread and
Politics. In Raymond Grew, ed., Food in Global History. Boulder, CO:
Westview. Pp. 273-292. Josee Johnston. “Counterhegemony or Bourgeois
Piggery? Food Politics and the Case of FoodShare.” In Wynne Wright
& Gerad Middendorf. (2007 forthcoming). The Fight Over Food:
Producers, Consumers, and Activists Challenge the Global Food System.
University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press. Wynne
Wright and Gerad Middendorf. “From Mindful Eating to Structural
Change.” In Wynne Wright & Gerad Middendorf. (2007 forthcoming).
The Fight Over Food: Producers, Consumers, and Activists Challenge the
Global Food System. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State
University Press.
October 17 Local and Place-based Agriculture What
issues are raised by the “local food movement” raise? On what grounds
could we develop a critically analytical perspective on this movement?
Required Readings E.
Melanie DuPuis and David Goodman. 2005. “Should We Go “Home” to Eat?
Toward a Reflexive Politics of Localism.” Journal of Rural Studies. 21:
359-371. C. Clare Hinrichs. 2003. “The Practice and Politics of Food System Localization.” Journal of Rural Studies 19: 33–45. Jim
Bingen and Laura B. DeLind. 2007. “Place and Rural Vitality: The Road
to Terroir in Northern Michigan?” Unpublished manuscript.
October 24 Organic and Fair Trade What’s behind organic and fair trade labels? Guest Speaker: Dan Jaffee, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Required Readings Julie Guthman, Agrarian Dreams. The Paradox of Organic Farming in California. Berkeley: UC Press. Chapter 1, “Agrarian Dreams.” Dan Jaffee. 2007. Brewing Justice. Chapter 1, “A Movement or a Market” and Chapter 5, “A Sustainable Cup?” Christy
Getz and Aimee Shreck (2006) What Organic and Fair Trade Labels Do Not
Tell Us: Towards a Place-based Understanding of Certification.
International Journal of Consumer Studies 30 (5), 490–501
FOOD POLICY What
is the current US agriculture policy framework? What opportunities does
it provide for moving beyond a commodity approach to agriculture, food
and farming? What can we learn from European approaches?
October 31 US Food Policy and Regulations What is the US Farm Bill and how does it define US agriculture?
Required Readings IATP.
2007. A Fair Farm Bill for America. Part of a Series of Papers on the
2007 U.S. Farm Bill. Edited by Ben Lilliston. Minneapolis, MN: IATP. Daryll
E. Ray, Daniel G. De La Torre Ugarte, Kelly J. Tiller. 2003. Rethinking
US Agricultural Policy: Changing Course to Secure Farmer Livelihoods
Worldwide. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee, Agricultural Policy
Analysis Center. Scott Marlow. 2005. The Non-Wonk Guide to
Understanding Federal Commodity Payments. 2005 Edition. Pittsboro, NC:
Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA.
November 7 European Agricultural Policies What are some of the key features of European agricultural policy? What could the US adapt? Guest Speaker: Kathryn De Master, Graduate student, University of Wisconsin
Required Readings Jan
Douwe Van der Ploeg and Henk Renting. 2000. Impact and
Potential: A Comparative Review of European Rural Development
Practices. Sociologia Ruralis 40(4) 529-543. Arunas Juska & Bob Edwards. “Resisting the Trojan Pig: The U.S.-Poland Coalition against Corporate Pork Production.”
SECOND SYNTHESIS PAPER DUE
November 14 Food Systems, Health and the Environment What
are the relationships between food, agriculture, the environment and
public health? What changes are needed to achieve ecological
sustainability and improve health outcomes?
Required Readings Wendell Berry, Chapter 7. Leo
Horrigan, Robert S. Lawrence, and Polly Walker. 2002. “How Sustainable
Agriculture Can Address the Environmental and Human Health Harms of
Industrial Agriculture.” Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 110,
Number 5, pp. 445-56. Tim Lang. 2005. Food Control or Food
Democracy? Re-Engaging Nutrition with Society and the Environment.”
Public Health Nutrition. 8, 6A: 730-737. M. White. 2007. “Food Access and Obesity.” Obesity Reviews. 8, Suppl. 1: 99-107. Kami
Pothukuchi. 2005. “Attracting Supermarkets to Inner-City Neighborhoods:
Economic Development Outside the Box.” Economic Development
Quarterly. 19, 3 (August): 232-244.
November 21 Food Security How is food security defined in the US and what issues are raised by various approaches to addressing food security?
Required Readings Patricia
Allen. 2004. Together at the Table. Sustainability and Sustenance in
the American Agrifood System. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania
State University Press. Pages 42-49. Kami Pothukuchi and Jerome
Kaufman. 1999. “Placing the Food System on the Urban Agenda: The Role
of Municipal Institutions in Food Systems Planning.” Agriculture and
Human Values. 16: 213-224. Brandon Born, et al. nd. ”Food System
Planning White Paper.” Prepared for the American Planning Association’s
Legislative & Policy Committee. Janet Poppendieck. 2000. “Hunger in the United States: Policy Implications.” Nutrition. 16, 7/8: 651-653. Gerda Wekerle. 2004. “Food Justice Movements.” Journal of Planning Education and Research 23:378-386.
November 28 Food Democracy and Food Sovereignty What
are the principal components of these concepts? How do these concepts
help us frame our thinking about food and farming issues?
Required Readings Wendell Berry, Chapter 9. Neva Hassanein. 2003. “Practicing Food Democracy: A Pragmatic Politics of Transformation.” Journal of Rural Studies 19: 77-86. Michael
Windfuhr and Jennie Jonsén. 2005. Food Sovereignty. Towards Democracy
in Localised Food Systems. Warwickshire, UK: ITDG Publishing. Chapter
2, “Core Elements of Food Sovereignty;” Chapter 3, “Comparison of Food
Sovereignty with Food Security and the Right to Food;” Chapter 5,
“Analysis of Constraints to the Adoption and Implementation of Food
Sovereignty Policies;” and, Chapter 7, “Current Relevance of Food
Sovereignty.”
December 5 Theme Paper Discussion and Course Wrap-Up