The Political Economy of Food Sociology 345. Colorado College Block 1, Fall 2006 Palmer 124, 1:00 pm

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1 The Political Economy of Food Sociology 345 Colorado College Block 1, Fall 2006 Palmer 124, 1:00 pm Instructor: Spencer Wood Office: 129 Palmer Hall Office Hours: M 9-12 (Feel free to make an appointment for other times.) Work Phone: swood@coloradocollege.edu Sociology 345 provides an intermediate sociological understanding of the social relations surrounding the production, processing, marketing, and consumption of food. By the end of our time together, I hope that you will have learned more about the agricultural economies of Colorado, the United States, and the World and how these economies interact with complex social relations through every instance of food as it moves from seed to field to table to landfill. In addition to gaining an appreciation for the complexities of the political economy of food, I also hope that through our field trips, work days, meals together, and your term papers that you will have developed reasonable familiarity with your local food system. For those of you who have taken my courses in the past, you will not be surprised to learn that this course is reading and discussion oriented. Through reading and discussion we have the wonderful opportunity, and obligation, to learn from one another in powerful and transformative ways. This requires, however, that we make a strong commitment to each other and the course. Please come to class prepared to engage the reading and discussion in a constructive manner. Note: This is a 300 level course. A basic familiarity with sociology is expected and required. Students are to have taken at least two sociology courses, one of which must have been a 200 level class. Additionally, I expect you to be able to complete independent work outside of class and outside my direct supervision. Of course, I am always happy to advise and discuss any difficulties you may encounter. COURSE MATERIAL: The required material for this class consists of five books and a reader. The books (listed below) can be purchased at the Colorado College Bookstore; the reader is available through the Sociology Department webpage, then under my name, and finally under the course title. DO NOT RUSH OUT AND PRINT ALL OF THE ONLINE READINGS. We may not use them all and it will waste a ton of paper. Consult the syllabus closely and only print out the required readings and any others you know you will read. Guthman, Julie Agrarian Dreams: The Paradox of Organic Farming in California. Berkeley: University of California Press. Lappé, Frances Moore. et al [1986]. World Hunger: Twelve Myths, 2 nd Edition. New York: Grove Press. Lyson, Thomas A Civic Agriculture: Reconnecting Farm, Food, and Community. Medford, MA: Tufts University Press. Perennial. University of Texas Press.

2 S. D. Wood Soc REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING Assignment Summary: Grade Scale: Pop Quiz 5 points (at my discretion) A Class Participation 10 points A Community Work Days 10 points B Class Facilitations 15 points B Community Research Project 15 points B Final Exam 50 points C Total 100 points C C D D NC 0-60 ATTENDANCE (Zero points, 5 point deduction per absence or significantly late arrival): You must attend each class; you must arrive on time and not leave early. You will not earn points for attendance, and you will lose five points for each unexcused absence or significantly late appearance. Legitimate excuses for missing class or arriving late are limited to the following: severe illness or injury (a doctor s note must be provided to substantiate this), a college-related sports event which you must attend, and/or a proven family emergency. You must contact me in advance of your excused absence! CLASS PREPARATION AND PARTICIPATION (10 points): I expect you to prioritize this course. It is the only course you are taking and should be considered a full-time job. You can expect to spend roughly 40 hours a week working on material for this class. You must arrive for class on time, having done all the required reading for the day, and prepared to discuss class material. This means being able to summarize the main argument of each piece, to relate the main themes of each piece to the overarching theme of the day and/or the section we are exploring, and to relate each piece to other pieces we cover that day. NOTE: Material that is not covered or discussed in class is still fair game for written assignments, so it is up to you to raise questions about material you wish to discuss if they have not yet been raised. This is a 300 level course and you are expected to be capable of independent learning. You may study together for daily classes but may neither discuss nor work together on your term paper or the final exam. These are your opportunities to shine and I want to see you do it!. COMMUNITY WORK DAYS (10 points): We will meet with members of Solidarity of Hope and work in one of their community gardens. You will have an opportunity to learn about permaculture gardening from experts and contribute to building a more civic agriculture here in Colorado Springs. CLASS FACILITATION (15 points): You are to facilitate discussion for the day. Each person will be responsible for 1-3 days of material depending on the enrollment. You are encouraged to engage us in discussion, not simply summarize the articles. Use your creativity to lead, facilitate, and direct. COMMUNITY RESEARCH PROJECT (15 points): This is a small community-based research exercise. You will work as a team to conduct a survey of farmers market participants in collaboration with the Beneficial Foods cooperative here in Colorado Springs. I will work with you to help design the survey instrument and guide you in the summary of your findings. Crucial to the success of this project, however, is your ability to work as a group, independently of my direct oversight. FINAL EXAM (50 points): The exam will be comprehensive, open-book, and take-home. It must be typed and include citations. Excellent exams will demonstrate outstanding comprehension of all of the material covered during the course. I strongly encourage you to construct a study journal as we move through the block. DAILY READINGS: Note that readings from the online reader are denoted by. PART I: COMMODIFICATION, DEMOCRACY, AND SCIENCE

3 S. D. Wood Soc Monday, September 4: Class Overview Tuesday, September 5: Commodification, the Sociology of Agriculture, and the Agrarian Vision Marx, Karl The Commodity, pp in Capital Volume I: A Critique of Political Economy, NY: Vintage Books. 13 pp. Buttel, Frederick H Agricultural Structure and Rural Ecology: Toward a Political Economy of Rural Development, Sociologia Ruralis, 20:1(44-62). 15 pp. Buttel, Frederick H Some Reflections on Late Twentieth Century Agrarian Political Economy, Sociologia Ruralis, 41:2(165-81). 12 pp. Kloppenburg, Jack Ralph Jr Prefaces to the 1 st and 2 nd Editions, First the Seed. 6 pp. Berry, Wendell Hope, pp from Fatal Harvest Reader. 5 pp. Wednesday, September 6: Agriculture and Democracy: Production and the Goldschmidt Hypothesis Lyson, Thomas A Civic Agriculture: Reconnecting Farm, Food, and Community. Medford, MA: Tufts University Press. Entire book. 107 pp. Thursday, September 7: Food and Democracy: Consumption and the Cultural Challenge of Fast Food Perennial. Introduction through all of Part One. 110 pp. Douglas, Mary Deciphering a Meal, pp in Clifford Geertz ed. Myth, Symbol, and Culture, NY: W. W. Norton. 20 pp. Friday, September 8: Food and Democracy: Consumption and the Cultural Challenge of Fast Food, Part II Perennial. All of Part Two, Epilogue, and Afterward. 178 pp. Goodman, David and E. Melanie Dupuis Knowing Food and Growing Food: Beyond the Production- Consumption Debate in the Sociology of Agriculture, Sociologia Ruralis, 42:1(January), pp. Monday September 11: Knowledge and Democracy: The Sociology of Science, Technology, and Biotechnology Busch, Lawrence, Science, Technology, Agriculture and Everyday Life, pp in Harry K. Schwarz, ed. Research in Rural Sociology and Development, Vol. 1. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. 22 pp. Buttel, Frederick H. et al Biotechnology in Agriculture: The Political Economy of Agribusiness Reorganization and Industry-University Relationships, pp in Harry K. Schwarz, ed. Research in Rural Sociology and Development, Vol. 1. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. 29 pp. Wolf, Steven A. and Spencer D. Wood, Precision Farming: Environmental Legitimation, Commodification of Information, and Industrial Coordination, Rural Sociology, 62:2( ). 23 pp. Kloppenburg, Jack Ralph Jr First the Seed. Chapter 1, 18 pp. University of Texas Press. Chapters 1-5, 139 pp. (For Tuesday s Discussion). PART II: INDUSTRIAL VS ORGANIC AGRICULTURE? THE ENVIRONMENT AND FOOD Tuesday, September 12: Industrial Agriculture and the Environment Heffernan, William D Constraints in the US Poultry Industry, pp in Harry K. Schwarz, ed. Research in Rural Sociology and Development, Vol. 1. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. 21 pp.

4 S. D. Wood Soc Altieri, Miguel Ecological Impacts of Transgenic Crops on Agroecosystem Health, Ecosystem Health, 6:1(13-23). 9 pp. University of Texas Press. Chapters 6-10, 162 pp. Film Screening: The Natural History of Chickens (Time permitting. Viewing may be scheduled for the evening.) Wednesday, September 13: Organic Farming, Agriculture, and Food, continued Kremen, Amy, et al Organic Produce, Price Premiums, and Eco-Labeling in U.S. Farmers Markets, electronic report of the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 8 pp. Guthman, Julie Agrarian Dreams, Chapters pp. Thursday, September 14: Organic Farming, Agriculture, and Food Guthman, Julie Agrarian Dreams, Chapters pp. Hightower, Jim Uncle Ben: Goin Organic Just Like We Used To, pp from Fatal Harvest Reader. 6 pp. Friday, September 15: Reforming the Food System: A Debate Kloppenburg, Jack, Jr., John Hendrickson, and G. W. Stevenson Coming into the Foodshed, Agriculture and Human Values, 13:3(33-42). 10 pp. Allen, Patricia and Julie Guthman. Forthcoming. From Old School to Farm-to-School : Neoliberalization from the Ground Up, forthcoming in Agriculture and Human Values. Kloppenburg, Jack and Neva Hassanein. Forthcoming. From Old School to Reform School? forthcoming in Agriculture and Human Values. PART IV: GLOBALIZATION, HUNGER, AND FOOD SECURITY Monday, September 18: The Role of Agriculture in Global Politics Friedmann, Harriet and Philip McMichael Agriculture and the State System: The Rise and Decline of National Agricultures, 1870 to the Present, Sociologia Ruralis, 29:2(93-117). 21 pp. McMichael, Philip Globalization, Myths and Realities, Rural Sociology, 61:1(25-55). 26 pp. Bryant, Raymond and Michael K. Goodman Consuming Narratives: The Political Ecology of Alternative Consumption, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 29:3(September ). 23 pp. Tuesday, September 19: Globalization, Food, and Hunger Bonanno, Alessandro et al Powers and Limits of Transnational Corporations: The Case of ADM, Rural Sociology, 65:3( ). 16 pp. Buttel, Frederick H Ending Hunger in Developing Countries, Contemporary Sociology, 29:1(13-27). 13 pp. Hendrickson, Mary K. and William D. Heffernan Opening Spaces Through Relocalization: Locating Potential Resistance in the Weaknesses of the Global Food System, Sociologia Ruralis, 42:4(347-69). 19 pp. Buttel, Frederick H Some Observations on the Anti-Globalization Movement, Australian Journal of Social Issues, 38:1(95-116). 17 pp. Konefal, Jason, Michael Mascarenhas and Maki Hatanaka Governance in the Agro-Food System: Backlighting the Role of Transnational Supermarket Chains, Agriculture and Human Values, 22:3(September ). 12 pp.

5 S. D. Wood Soc Film Screening: The Yes Men (Time permitting. Viewing may be scheduled for the evening.) Wednesday, September 20: Globalization, Food, and Hunger, Cont d Lappé, Frances Moore, World Hunger, entire book, 178 pp. Thursday, September 21: Food Security and the Promise of Biotechnology? Required Reading Fisher, Andrew Community Food Security: A Promising Alternative to the Global Food System, pp from Fatal Harvest Reader. 7 pp. Ahn, Christine Breaking Ground: The Community Food Security Movement, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy Backgrounder 10:1(1-4). 4 pp. Rosset, Peter. Food Sovereignty: Global Rallying Cry of Farmer Movements, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy Backgrounder 9:4(1-4). 4 pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., Part I, Section C, pp in The State of Food and Agriculture: Agricultural Biotechnology, Meeting the Needs of the Poor? 20 pp. Hickey, Ellen and Anuradha Mittal, eds Voices from the South: The Third World Debunks Corporate Myths on Genetically Engineered Crops. Jointly published by the Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy and the Pesticide Action Network North America. 61 pp. Friday, September 22: No Required Reading No class, get caught up, work on group project. Meet as groups to discuss progress on group project Monday, September 25: Community Group Project Presentation in Class. No Required Reading Tuesday, September 26: Final Exam Distributed Wednesday, September 27: Final Exam Due, noon.