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STOCKSCH
397P Food
Justice and Policy Spring Semester - 3 credits MW 9:05am-9:55am & W 9:05am-12:05pm Pre-requisite: PLSOILIN
265 Sustainable Agriculture or permission of the instructor Description: This course examines the role of policy in
determining WHAT we eat, WHO experiences barriers to access to safe, healthy,
local, fairly produced foods, and HOW we create equity and sustainability in
our local food system. We will look at the basic components of our food
system: production, distribution, and consumption. We will then examine
systemic structures of race, class, citizenship and ability as they relate to
access to healthy local food. The course-work concludes with an
in-depth look at food sovereignty, the right of communities to choose how
their food is produced and what they consume, the impact of agribusiness and
the concentration of resources into the hands of a few corporations, and the
dramatic effect U.S. food policies have on the rest of the world.
Students will have the opportunity to engage in a service learning
project with a community based organization addressing systems and
policy changes to food access in our region. Instructor: Catherine Sands is a front-line community food systems
organizer, educator, network facilitator, capacity builder, and
evaluator/learning partner living in Western MA. Catherine brings to
her work a commitment to social change and a belief in the potential of
groups of people coming together to create powerful solutions to entrenched
social issues. As director of Fertile Ground, a grassroots farm to
school initiative established in 2001, Catherine develops
curriculum-integrated teaching gardens and mentoring programs that unify
school communities around growing fresh food and cultivating local knowledge.
Catherine holds a Master’s degree from the University of MA/Amherst Center
for Public Policy and Administration, with a focus on food access and social
justice. In 2008, she was received the Outstanding Community Service and
Engagement award by UMass/Amherst. An evaluator with the Holyoke Food and
Fitness Policy Council, Catherine is a member of a national evaluation team
representing nine communities around the country who are working with the
W.K. Kellogg Foundation to develop participatory strategies to improve health
and access to good food. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: ·
To acquire
knowledge of today’s food system: how food is produced, distributed, and
consumed. ·
To develop a
critical analysis of how racism, privilege, and classism impact the U.S. food
system ·
To understand
key issues around equitable access to healthy, culturally appropriate food. ·
Learn about and
critically evaluate efforts to address food systems: grassroots, policy and
planning initiatives. ·
To develop new
strategies and action plans for food justice. To explore and hone tools of
respectful work in oppressed communities. Course Requirements: This is a student initiated and student led course. Students agree to
take responsibility for planning and co-teaching the course material as well
as learning it. The course requires full attendance and participation. 1.
Attendance: 20%
participation 20% Class Assignments: 20% Students
are expected to attend all class discussions, come to class having read the
material, and be ready to participate in critical dialogue. Three short
writing assignments will be required. More than three unexcused absences
constitutes an F. 2.
Co-facilitation
of one week’s class (20%) In
groups, students will be responsible for co facilitation of part of one
week’s class discussion, rooted in the week’s readings. We will discuss
social justice facilitation techniques during the first weeks of class, and
students will improve skills through constructive peer feedback. 3.
Final Project:
individually or in a group of 2-5 members, students will produce a final
project that amplifies the themes of this course. Projects will be presented
in writing and to the class at the end of the semester. The project could be a policy analysis, evaluation,
grant proposal, media article or blog. For information contact, Catherine Sands at; chsands@pubpol.umass.edu This class satisfies a
requirement in both the UMass SFF
Certificate as well as the SFF
major. For information, contact Dr. John M. Gerber at; jgerber@umass.edu |
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@2012 John M. Gerber |
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