Syllabus
World Food Issues: Past and Present
Summer 2009

Course: Agron. 342, FSHN 342, Tech. Soc.Ch. 342, Univ. Stud. 342, Env. S. 342
Time:    Section 1: MTWThF 8:40-10:50 A.M., Agronomy 2026, May 18-June 12

            Section XW Online, May 18- August 7, self-paced

Teaching Assistant: Erica Fuchs, 2569 Food Sci, ebfuchs@iastate.edu

Course Website: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/342WFI.htm

Required text:  The World Food Problem:  Tackling the Causes of Undernutrition in the Third World, by H.D. Leathers and P. Foster, 3rd Edition, 2004.

Course Description:  We will examine world food issues from the perspectives of:

1) The way things are in the present.  Class material will focus on the book The World Food Problem, which looks globally at the interrelated economic, political and social issues related to world hunger in developing nations, including: inequity, food production, biotechnology, ecological destruction, population growth, policy, and aid.  Ethical issues concerning these topics will be discussed.

2) How things got this way.   Early humans, hunter and gatherer cultures, the agricultural revolution, hierarchical  and warring agricultural societies, food production and geography, invention and technology, winners and losers through 10,000 years of conquest, population growth, and the interaction of religion, government, and economic systems.  The unequal treatment of women, the industrial revolution, colonialism, and global economic domination by wealthy nations over developing nations will be discussed.

3) Policies and solutions for the future.  Our discussion will attempt to synthesize the information from past and present, examine our personal and societal values and policies concerning world food issues, and explore organizations involved in hunger relief and development.

Grades are determined on a 90-80-70-60 percentage basis.    Exams are short answer and are based primarily but not solely on study guide questions. 

Quizzes, 20 pts each - 140 pts

Nutrition Case Study – 20 pts (Due May 21)

News Report – 20 pts (Due May 27 )

Student Presentations - 20 pts (May 29-June 1)

Bihari Farmer Computer Simulation Report – 20 pts (Due June 3)

Movie Report – 20 pts (Due June 5)
Origin of Hunger in the Developing World Case Study – 20 pts (Due June 9)

Aid Organization Report –20 pts (Due June 12)

Extra Credit paper – 20 pts (Due by June 12)
 

If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Resources (DR) office, located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076, 515-294-6624.”

      Dates                     Topic                                                               Reading

 Section 1:  May 18-20             World Hunger, Famines, Malnutrition             WFP Ch 1-3; URL 1, 2

                     Quiz 1: May 20

 Section 2:  May 20-22             Hunger Ethics, Economics, Population            WFP Ch 4-12; URL 3

             
      Nutrition Case Study due: May 21

                  Quiz 2: May 22

 Section 3:  May 26-28             Environment, Agriculture, Biotech                   WFP 13-14; URL 4

                   News Report due by: May 27

                  Quiz 3: May 28

 Group Student Presentations (in-class section 1) May 29-June 1

Individual Student Presentations (online section XW)

 Section 4: June 1-3                  Agricultural Revolution, Ancient History             URL 5 

                  Bihari Farmer Report due: June 2

                 Quiz 4: June 3

 Section 5: June 4-8                  Industrial Revolution, Women, Religion

                   Movie Report due: June 5

                  Quiz 5: June 8

 Section 6: June 8-10                Policies: Health, Globalization, Consumers         WFP 15-20

                  Origins of Poverty Report due: June 9

                 Quiz 6: June 10

 Section 7:  June 10-12              Policies: Agriculture, Aid, Development             WFP 21-24; URL 6, 7

                  Aid Organization Case Study due: June 11

                 Quiz 7: June 12

 Required Reading URLs:

(1)  http://www.unsystemmoz.org/mdg/docs/FAO%20HungerReportSum.pdf
(2)  http://www.foodfirst.org/12myths
(3)  http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v5n1/hunger.html
(4)  http://www.troz.uni-hohenheim.de/teaching/CostaRica/Toennissen.pdf
(5)  http://anthropology.lbcc.edu/handoutsdocs/mistake.pdf
(6)  http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1799.html
(7)  http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1034738,00.html

For FSHN Majors:

FSHN Department and Program Outcomes Assessment
    
    All graduates from FSHN curricula should be able to demonstrate the General Department Outcomes (Communication (C), Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (P), Social Concerns and Ethics (S), and Technical Skills (T)) and the Program-Specific Outcomes (grouped by curricula: Dietetics, Nutritional Science, Food Science & Technology, Food Science & Industry, Consumer Food Science.  Details about these outcomes can be found at: http://www.fshn.hs.iastate.edu/outcomes/snapshot/learning.php.

    FSHN 342 will contribute to your ability to:
*Communicate effectively with others in one-on-one, small-group, and large-groupsituations. (C.1).
* Successfully solve multidisciplinary problems as part of a team (P1)
* Discuss the social, multicultural, and environmental dimensions of issues facing professionals in your field.(S.2)
   Electronic Portfolio Artifacts:

        Power point slides for individual student segments of presentation
        Bihari Farmer assignment
        Movie Report
        News Report

        Nutrition Report

        Origins of Poverty Report

        Aid Organization Case Study
                     
    Permission statement:  A written consent form for the use of artifacts by the instructor for outcomes assessment purposes must be obtained from each student each semester and be retained by the course instructor.