Assignment 1: Pond and Charity
In his essay, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” Singer argues that there is a close analogy between POND and CHARITY (see p. 38 of FES).
1. What are the relevant similarities between POND and CHARITY for the purposes of Singer’s argument?
2. Do you think that the analogy supports his conclusion? Why or why not?
3. Suppose someone objected:
But in POND, there is one drowning child. In CHARITY, there are too many starving children to help by a single action, so I would have to give something additional up daily for my whole life. This is too much to ask.
How would Singer respond?
Assignment 2: Flow
Please write 250-500 words (total) on the following questions.
1. Please describe one segment of or image from the film Flow that you found powerful. What message did you get from it?
2. Please critically reflect on the message in your own terms. Did you see connections with readings we have done so far on global justice, food security, food sovereignty, the social meaning of food/water, capitalism, labor justice?
3. If you were to teach someone something you learned from the film, what would you tell them?
Assignment 3: Activism
Please read Brian Martin, “Activism, Social and Political.” and reflect on the question: do we all have a moral responsibility to be engaged in activism in the current social context, (and if not all, then who)? You may consider activism on any topic, e.g., food security, animal welfare, LGBTQ rights, feminism, antiracism, smaller government, pro-life, pro-choice, prayer in public schools, or any other topic that matters to you.
Assignment 4: Food for Free
Please write 250-500 words (total) on the following questions.
Please go to Food for Free and have a look at the 2016 report on hunger in Massachusetts and write a reflection answering the questions above with respect to what you learned from these resources about Food for Free’s work.
1. Please describe one idea that you found powerful. What message did you get from it?
2. Please critically reflect on the message in your own terms. Do you see connections with readings we have done so far on food justice, food security, food sovereignty, the social meaning of food/water, capitalism, labor justice, waste, industrial agriculture?
3. If you were to teach someone something you learned from the presentation, what would you tell them?
Assignment 5: Personal Reflection
Please write 250-500 words (total) addressing the questions below.
1. Please describe one idea you encountered during this course that you found powerful.
2. Please critically reflect on the idea in your own terms. What makes it powerful or meaningful to you? How is it related to things you had thought before taking the course? How does it connect (or disconnect) with ideas that you take to be common or popular?
3. Is there any way in which the course has affected your actions and choices (note that “not at all” is an option!)? Do you think any of the arguments should prompt you to change your actions, even you aren’t inclined to change? Are there ways they may change your actions in the future? (Why or why not?)
Paper 1 (1250 words (5 pages))
Topics will be distributed in advance and will ask students to analyze and discuss material covered in class.
Paper 2 (1250 words (5 pages))
You have a choice of writing on topics distributed in class or on a topic you pose (original paper topics must be approved in advance).
Final Paper
Option A: Option A: Expansion of paper 2. Based on feedback on paper 2, you will develop your argument in paper 3 (2500 words (10 pages)).
Option B: Option B: New paper. You will write on a topic that you pose. Please use the same topic proposal form that was distributed for paper 2. 1250 words (5 pages).
Final Communication Project
Media Option: Students who choose this option will create a pamphlet, lesson plan, wiki, blog or webpage in which they (a) introduce a moral question concerning food choices or food policy, (b) provide material that presents arguments on different sides of the issue, (c) outline the arguments on each side in their strongest (most plausible) form and (d) give a brief evaluation of the arguments and draws conclusions, where possible. (If a lesson plan, the product should also include an activity that will prompt reflection or discussion.) The product should also provide information about where to find more information on the topic.
Activism Option: Students who choose this option will engage in some form of activism around food justice. This may involve doing volunteer work at a local organization (at least 5 hours - documented), starting a petition, holding a forum in your living group, etc.
A short description of the completed activist action (250 words) must be submitted.
There is no final exam for the course.
Notes
You must revise and resubmit one paper. This is required for all students. You are required to revise your first paper. Your grade for the revised paper will be the average of the grades for the two versions.
Revised papers are held to a higher standard than the originals. That means that no matter how well you did the first time around, if you do not make substantial improvements in your revision, your grade will not go up (it may even, in extreme cases, go down). Give your entire paper a pass to find ways you can make it more clear, more concise, and more compelling.
How to cite a source:
If your paper discusses a single essay assigned for the course, and if you make clear what essay that is in the body of the text, then you may cite the essay by putting the page number of the quotation or paraphrase in parentheses next to the streth of text. (I will assume you are using the version of the text provided for the course. If not, please provide the full reference.) E.g., In his essay, “Famine, Affluence and Morality,” Peter Singer offers a critique of our ordinary moral judgments about charity. He maintains that “the traditional distinction between duty and charity cannot be drawn, or at least, not in the place we normally draw it.” (p. # or just #) If you use a source not assigned for the course, include the full reference for the source in a reference list, and at the point in the text where you need to cite the source, put the author’s last name, date of publication, and page number, e.g., (Armstrong 1978, 75).
