Course Description
Introduces students to an array of ethical issues regarding contemporary food production, marketing, distribution, access, regulation, and consumption. Students will consider the ethical significance of individual food choices, as well as food policy decisions.
Athena Title
Ethics of Food
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. To introduce students to ethical issues relevant to food production, marketing, distribution, access, regulation, and consumption 2. To provide students with a normative vocabulary for discussing ethical concerns 3. To develop students’ ability to come to a reasoned position in response to ethical questions and to defend this position both orally and in writing
Topical Outline
1. Eating Animals – The Moral Status of Animals 2. Eating Animals - Agricultural Practices and Environmental Impact 3. Eating Plants – Organic vs. Conventional, Local vs. Global 4. Justice, Beneficence, Food Insecurity, and Food Deserts 5. Nutrition, Childhood Development, and Social Justice 6. Chocolate, Coffee, and Bananas – The Ethics of Fair Trade 7. Food Safety and Genetically Modified Foods 8. The Obesity Epidemic and Food Paternalism
Syllabus